entrancelogs | Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket

Entry tags:

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket | OPEN

Who: EVERYONE and all the stars in the sky
Where: Mostly on the grounds, though some have crashed through windows and walls.
When: 2/29 → 3/6
Rating: PG-13, label it if you're gonna go higher.
Summary: Shooting stars have fallen in Wonderland, and they're bringing with them glimmers of Wonderyears past! A catch all log for the fallen star holograms.
The Story:

Each glittering, golden star brings the woosh of a sonic boom and there are impacts that shake the whole world. They crash hard into the snow, the trees, and even break through a few windows. None of them leave behind meteors or space debris, but instead just a glimmering cloud at each point of impact. In each gold light is a projection, a scene lit by starlight and moondust, a memory of years ago. Even if someone were to be struck by one, it would simply pass through them.

These are just the first stars to fall. More will come the next night, and the night after that, and perhaps even more. When budding astronomers look upward, they will notice fewer and fewer constellations dot the night sky with each passing day.

All memories are semi-opaque, and will play in a loop in one spot the whole time. Most stars will have landed somewhere on the grounds, but some might have crashed through a window, playing their memory inside the mansion. Characters can listen to and watch the scenes as many times as they like, but they will be unable to influence or interact with the memories in any way.

You can make a top level comment with all the scenes people will get to see. Please include who is in your memory and where it can be found somewhere in your top level. Either prose or [action brackets] are welcome! And finally, check out our plotting post for reminders on what everyone's doing, or ideas for the finishing touches on your memories or the most recent event announcement for more on the falling stars.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[One star has crashed right smack in the middle of the fountain, and water sprays up around it on every side. For the location, there isn't anything particularly exciting happening in the memory. It's another shot of Alice's room, though this time the walls are bare as though she's just moved in, and she's crouched down petting Dinah the second.]

Isn't this much better? There's so much more room for everyone now - perhaps even too much room!

[Dinah the second does not seem to have an opinion on this one way or the other, and just rubs herself against Alice's dress. From outside, a voice calls.]

Alice! Are you you ready to go?

Oh! I'll be right there! [Then, to Dinah the second:] I'm very sorry to leave you, but I'll be back soon. Alright?

[With that, Alice goes to leave and the view of the memory follows her out the door, and gives a very clear view of the number 865 on her door.]

[Peter has caught as many Alice memories as he possibly could. It is not that he started out looking specifically for those ones, but every single memory, it has brought more clues. It's brought more pieces, and he feels like if he sees enough memories, he will be able to figure out- he will be able to figure out something.

He shoves aside the grief which comes from having seen Uncle Ben again. He can see him without touching him. He can see some other version of himself able to interact with him and to- and to apologize.

And now he has run right into another memory. This one is a new one. He can hardly watch it without getting sprayed in the face with water, but it feels important. He moves in closer, lifting up his hand to avoid the spray of water even as it hits him in the face and the hair.

His mouth parts, and he shakes his head.

How does this fit with the rest of the pieces? How does it all come together? Room 865. He sees that number, but- It is like she is talking about this other mansion. More room. She's leaving, but where?

Peter climbs up the side of the fountain like maybe he will get a closer look at the details in the memory if he just gets closer. Of course, this leads to him getting even more wet, and he lets out a frustrated sound which is mostly gargled by all the water.

Peter Parker: human-spider disaster. He has no idea he isn't the only one looking at the memory right now.]

[ technically, he is the only one looking at the memory. hologram. whatever it is.

elena's currently preoccupied with peter himself, though she'll later understand what was so important that he barreled face first into a fountain. he isn't the only one who's been trying to piece the memories together, bee tee dubs. she's drawn to the stars that contain alice, in particular, and it's strange to think that there is a star out there with alice and elena and bonnie. whatever this place is up to, it's good at keeping them confused, and any questions they answer will inevitably lead to more questions.

she's prepared for that, as prepared as she'll ever be.

she waits until the splashing has subsided before she approaches, eyeing peter carefully. you so awkward, egg boy. ]

I thought eggs were your mortal enemies. [ not fountains. ]

[peter coughs up some of the water which made its way into his mouth. he slides a hand over his hair, and it likely accidentally sprays elena a bit with droplets of water along the way. he blinks and then turns to her as his mouth drops open, wondering if- if all his embarrassing moments are destined to be witnessed in wonderland.

he clears his throat with a little awkward smile.]

...Elena, hi! [ahem. he gives a little wave even as he grabs hold of his shirt to squeeze some of the water out of it.] Eggs are up there.

But when fountains are in the way of an important star moment, they might take the number one spot... y'know temporarily.

[ elena narrowly avoids the water spraying up on every side, stretching a hand out in offer to peter. ]

What are you—

[ —talking about. elena doesn't get to finish her sentence. she hears alice's voice, and turns to the star in question. her mouth parts as she takes it all in. she doesn't know who the other voice belongs to, but she catches the number on the door. is that here? have the answers been right in front of them this whole time? ]

I wonder how long ago this was.

[ allegedly or not. ]

[peter reaches out to take the stretched hand, pulling himself away from the sprays of water and looking appreciatively at her. granted, he could have done some back flip out of there but that'd be a way to break his cover faster than ever. he is lanky and awkward, and he shouldn't have grace in him at all. he moves until he stands beside her as she takes it all in herself.

there really weren't any important details that would have been missed otherwise if he hadn't looked closer past the water. he shakes his head then as he slides his hands into the pockets of his jeans, staring up at it as he bites down on his lip thoughtfully.]

I don't know. I've been wondering that about all these scenes falling down. Seem to happen around the same time, right?

They're all about construction and stuff for a whole new mansion. [minus a few here or there, which seem to be random, but still could happen within that same time frame.]

[ it isn't until peter is safely on his own two feet that elena steps away from the fountain and closer to the projection. her eyes searchingly take in every detail about it. the bare bones of a room. the color of alice's dress. the cat that stays behind as alice approaches the door, and the number etched on its surface. ]

865.

[ elena shakes her head in dumbfounded agreement. not for the first time since arriving in wonderland, elena is at a loss. not for the first time, it's thrown her a curveball she hasn't immediately known how to catch. is there any way to know for sure if these stars are real? and if they are, why now? isn't the timing a little convenient?

she releases a stunned breath, and turns to peter. she watches him take in the stare with the same attentiveness she did. already, she knows he won't let this go, either. ] Do you think it's possible? That there was another mansion before this one?

[peter nods in confirmation of that number. the room number. it's right there in the memory itself. he is incapable of letting questions go sometimes. he is incapable of letting go of a mystery even when he has learned exactly where that leads him.

it's harder in this place when it's a place they were all kidnapped to against their will. they deserve to figure it out. they deserve to find a way back. he has already heard about sacrifices people have made to try to find information here, and they lose memories to gain what information they can.]

Yeah. I do, but why do the memories come from stars that have fallen from the sky? I mean- [he drags a hand through his hair. wonderland wants their memories. is that why? their memories make up the particles that make this place up or.] And why now? What made them fall?

[They're all questions he doesn't have answers to, and his brain always works in such a scientific way but this place runs more on magic. Doesn't magic have rules of its own though like science?]

[ elena doesn't know that she can definitively call them memories yet.

she also doesn't know what else to call them. they're in a place that thrives because of memories. if stars are falling out of the sky in some kind of upheaval... wouldn't it stand to reason that's what they are? memories from somewhere? it doesn't make peter's observation any less accurate. ]

I'm not sure. Someone I met earlier mentioned that there have been a lot of arrivals recently, us included. Maybe the influx caused it somehow? [ like it's shedding old skin? if she tries picturing the core like some kind of battery, maybe it's just disposing of the old batteries.

the timing is suspect regardless.

why make them see this all now, indeed? ]

[peter looks over her way at the mention of their being a lot of new arrivals lately. he has noticed that a bunch of new people have been showing up, and he has tried to help them despite only being here for a short time. elena helped him after being around for only a week herself.]

That's a good theory. I mean, think about it, a lot of people coming in means a lot of energy, a lot of new energy. Maybe it had to shed some old energy in the process in order to grab hold of the new energy. I mean, usually there is a capacity of how much energy something can store. If you supercharge a battery, it'll explode. [he shifts on his feet slightly, shaking his head as he stares at the scene still.

discarded energy maybe, fallen down with the rest of the stars and the scenes playing out everywhere]

[ this is definitely more peter's area of expertise than it is elena's. it's times like these she wishes she'd paid more attention in her science-minded classes, but it's nothing that several tripes to the library can't cure. not that she's expecting to find anything about wonderland in particular. ]

I don't know if that's what the Core is, exactly, but I know that most people think it's what powers this place. It's on the other side with the rest of the mirrors, and it apparently needs fuel. [ the fuel is their memories, not that peter needs that spelled out for him. ] It's also impossible to get close to without really intense and violent side effects, so I'm not sure how we can determine where the memories really go.

[ they have to go somewhere, right? ]

[and most of it, it's all magic as it is which is beyond peter's expertise. he knows science, and he understands it, but entranceway operates on some other level than science. it is all magic, and he's as confused about magic as the next person even if he figures there has to be rules to it. there has to. universes can't exist with nothing but chaos.]

Yeah, I've heard about that before including the side effects. I met someone who looked into the Core, lost memories that way. He said it didn't even look like anything special or maybe it is too bright for most eyes to see in there, but- Just a lot of light which seems like a big waste of a sacrifice. It'd piss me off, but-

[it clearly is special, but-- but nothing that someone could look at and see how it works.]

[ that's what people keep calling it. magic. and at first it was a comfort to her, because magic she understands. and where she may falter in knowledge of it, there is bonnie. there is always bonnie. but if this is indeed magic, then it doesn't resemble much the sorts of things she has witnessed in mystic falls. ]

But it still means something.

[ elena finishes peter's sentence, not that she can be sure that's what he was going to say. she releases a aggravated breath, trying to fight off disappointment. ] We may not be able to do anything about the Core yet, but maybe we can figure out what happened to Alice.

[ firmest of nods here, peter parker. ] You up for looking for her room?

[peter's gaze drifts over to meet elena's when she finishes his sentence with exactly what he was thinking, and he sends her a tiny but weighted smile as he nods.

it still means something. and they should do what they can to figure out what it means, both so they can get a better understanding of wonderland and so they can be prepared for what else this place might throw at them.]

If we figure out what happened to Alice, it might give us a better idea of what can potentially happen to us assuming all these are actual memories.

[he sends her a sideways smile at the question.] Elena, I thought you'd never ask. C'mon. [he starts heading towards the mansion with her right by his side.] We know the room number so that will help.

[ elena can't blame people for thinking they're memories.

there's no way to tell either way, but the one thing they're told from the start is that wonderland runs on their memories. is it not logical that many would reason that's what they are? peter and elena might not be convinced, but they aren't discrediting it altogether.

and oh, if that sideways smile doesn't do her heart good.

elena is never one to turn down a partner in crime. unless people are trying to control her choices and then she goes off and does things on her own and usually trouble is involved, but! that is clearly not the case here. she smiles back at him, not with a bit of mischief, and falls into step right beside him. ] Have you heard about what happened to Alice? Some of the people I've met claim they've seen her.

[peter heads towards the mansion in hopes that the room would be somewhere in there. he remembers the room number, but there are a lot of floors in the mansion. it's as magic as the rest of this place, isn't it? which means it is not likely to be simple unless the room wants to be found....

he is going to move his head away from thinking about rooms having the ability to want at all. he knows people consider wonderland to be what has kidnapped them all here but-

there's more shuddering at the thought so no more thinking for peter parker.] Wait, really? No, I... I haven't heard much about her. What have you found out?

I knew when I met you you'd be a good source of information. [he blinks abruptly, nearly tripping over his own two feet] Not that that's why- why I talk to you or anything obviously. Uh. You're just good at it, finding out stuff from people, I mean.

Peter.

[ elena's hand reaches out to settle on the crook of his elbow. it's meant to stop the flow of rambly words, but she's only half-successful. a smile touches her lips, and she shakes her head in reassurance. ] I know what you meant. [ and she is, sometimes. some people are more forthcoming than others.

some people hide in their words. ]

Just—be warned, it's unnerving. [ she pulls in a deep breath, her steps resuming. ] The Alice some people have met is different from the Alice in these projections. Her eyes are missing. And I don't mean they're gone from their sockets. I mean... it looks as though she's never had eyes to begin with.

[peter bites down on his lip but he stops when her hand settles on the crook of his elbow. no words are left coming out of his mouth now, and he ducks his head, clearing his throat with a lopsided smile as he meets her own gaze. he's grateful for her understanding.

he is not so great when it comes to words or to people. he starts to walk beside her once more even as his gaze grows dark when she mentions the- how she has no eyes]

That's- that is terrible. If she's the same one in these projections, it means she must have lost them somehow. Why would that happen to her? We know this place is interested in memories, but- [why would it take her eyes? so she couldn't make new visual memories or. just.]

[ if she's the same one in these projections. it's starting to feel like a legitimate 'if.' what if the alice with no eyes is a different alice altogether? if they all have doppelgangers on the other side of the mirror, it stands to reason that alice would, too. ]

Maybe memories aren't the only thing we lose.

[ she swallows a little. just saying it unsettles her. ]

[it is starting to seem legitimate though peter has heard about the mirror versions of them. he knows they're always watching and that destroying mirrors only has the mirrors reforming. peter's gaze drifts to elena's face, and he nearly stops where they are walking. there is something dark in his expression, reaching up to rest it against her arm, squeezing her arm gently as if he can see how it unsettles her to even say it.]

Maybe. It takes from your mind. Why not the body too?

[they've reached the steps of the mansion, heading indoors toward the hallway with rooms in them.]

[ elena heard about the mirror versions upon arrival. to this day, she doesn't know how to feel about it. she's already a doppelgänger in her home world, and that's a can of worms best left unopened. she turns to peter, smiling at him softly, and not without gratitude, when he squeezes her arm gently in support. it's such a small thing, and that's what makes it so big: it always helps to know that she isn't alone here. she wouldn't want to be. ]

I guess there's really no point of comparison. Outside of Alice, is there anyone else missing anything other than memories?

[ she climbs up the steps and heads back into the mansion. there's a lot of walking in their future ok. ]

Edited 2016-04-05 18:29 (UTC)

I've only met people who are missing memories. I met someone who looked into the core and- and forgot, and then the core just ended up being a bright, shiny light.

[peter lets out a sound of annoyance at the thought someone could sacrifice something as huge as what dipper did only to- only to end up empty handed regardless. he'd hate it. he shoves his hands into his pockets, turning the corner into the hallway which leads to all the rooms]

It's- Do we just go down each hallway and look at the numbers on the doors?

I keep hearing about the Core, but I'm not sure anyone really knows beyond a doubt that's where our memories go.

[ there's definitely proof that it brings some very negative side effects, but that could be true of a lot of things about wonderland. elena sighs, because she hates having more questions than she knows what to do with, but it helps being proactive. she nods firmly to peter's suggestion. ]

Let's split up. We'll cover more ground that way.

[ and because the narration is an impatient panda, let's fast forward to their finding the door. :') ]

[they definitely do not know without a doubt. how could they? no one is able to even look at the core without losing something, with only seeing a bright light which is no answers at all.

peter sends her a salute when she asks them to split up and split up they do until elena stumbles on the correct door. she lets him know where to go, and peter is quick (no, really, really quick with that super speed) to make his way back to her, stopping abruptly right beside her with a tiny smile]

Hey, nice job!

This is it. [he lifts his head to look up at the number. he stretches out his hand, opening up the door, surprised to see- to see it's completely unlocked as the door swings open.]

That was easy.

[ a little too easy, maybe?

elena is going to call it a victory regardless, a small laugh sticking to her throat as peter just appears. she has a feeling that's going to be a thing with him. he has a way of making that seem endearing, somehow. unlike some other stealthy people she knows.

glancing at peter briefly, elena straightens in resolve and steps into the room.

she's met with tall windows and touches of blue everywhere. she's only taken several steps when her foot brushes against the trash bin, tilted off to the side. gingerly, she kneels down to pick up a crumpled piece of paper, followed by a drawing of her parents. crossed out. ] She was trying to remember.

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket | OPEN

ALICE | IN THE FOUNTAIN IN THE GARDEN

[for elena]

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