entrancelogs | [OPEN] And if you ever saw it

Entry tags:

[OPEN] And if you ever saw it

Who: Real Cullen + Mirror Cullen + Reindeer + You
Where: Everywhere + Mirror Everywhere
When: 13th to 19th of December
Rating: PG, of course! (but also CW: body horror because of who Mirror Cullen is as a person)
Summary: The Cullens investigate their respective Wonderland sides. Cookies are had along the way, much to the dismay of everyone.
The Story:

REAL CULLEN

[ + Animal Crackers, Real Side, The Library + Elsewhere ]

[ When Cullen arrived in Wonderland he was wary of the food they were presented with, to a point near starvation. He has since accepted it as necessary- evil, well, it has done nothing to earn that title. All the same, he will never love food which magically appears before him. He tries a cookie without thought, and his suspicions are vindicated at last. He curses, when his large antlers strike the doorframe above.

He has learned to navigate life in heavy plate armor, but these things are another matter. He retreats to the library, where he intends to hide some personal notes, until the Mirror threat has passed. A task he meant to execute quickly and quietly, without arousing attention. Getting caught on every other bookshelf and knocking volumes to the floor en masse is... the opposite of that.

Cullen later learns that the effects could have been much worse, although he has no luck when it comes to their duration. For three days he can be found navigating the mansion and its grounds with large antlers on his head.

[ + Eat Me, Real Side, The Kitchen ]

[ Of course he never meant to eat another, not after the devious baked goods revealed their true nature to Wonderland. Unfortunately their sinister magic must have expected just that. One minute he walks his mabari along the corridor, the next he swallows horrified, never even having realised that his hand had reached for another basket of treats.

And the moment after that the mansion has suddenly grown infinitely larger.

And then, some minutes later, a very small man rides a very large war dog through the corridors, and steers the creature towards the kitchen, intending to fetch it a treat for its transportation service. ]

I'm sorry, Pup, the cupboard is too far up. We should-- [ A slight blush creeps to his very tiny cheeks. He is not looking forward to giving that explanation. ] We should find Garrett. He'll be able to feed you.

[ + Regular Flavour, Mirror Side, Random Corridors + Rooms ]

[ He has no goal for this expedition in mind. It is still dangerous here. But it looks as though most occupants of the Mirror Side have taken their queens "invitation". Compared to their side this mansion certainly is barren enough to make it uninviting. No matter. He has been to many public spaces before, but tries them again, in case something is new. After that he ventures onwards, and when he thinks himself alone dares to look into private rooms, to see how the other side lives.

Whenever he crosses paths with somebody along the way he greets them, and asks a question: ]

Are you from this side?

[ + ??? ]

[ Are you interested in Cullen featuring a different cookie effect? Do you want a different starter? You can either comment with your prompt (plus effect request), or contact me and we can hash things out. ]

MIRROR CULLEN

[ + Regular Flavour, Real Side, The Ballroom ]

[ The Knight-Commander has seen better days, at least a look at him might suggest as much. His eyes, red as can be, glow faintly. They stick out against corpse-pale skin and dark veins. Those, of course, have their red tint as well. The scar across his lip has only grown, a gash which reveals red crystal underneath. He stands tall in his templar armor still, a slight hunch only where the red begins to protrude from his shoulders and back, as if growing him slowly into something larger. His left hand barely moves at all anymore, red veins grown until they broke skin and covered it, formed fingers into a claw, sharp and stiff with red lyrium.

The Knight-Commander himself could not be happier. This is how he is meant to be, here is where he is meant to be. A shame only that Wonderland will not let him take it away from his inferior copy. No matter, he looks forward to the dance all the same. His feet sweep across the floor, light despite his armor, hands embracing an invisible partner. The song always on his mind. He hears the door, and finishes his turn before greeting the arrival. ]

Did you come to practice for the ball as well, serah?

[ + Delicious Charity, Real Side, Anywhere ]

[ The Knight-Commander walks past the basket, and stuffs a handful of cookies into his mouth without thought. He reads the invitation as well, and tosses it on the floor when he is done. Thinks that perhaps he should not litter, but loses the thought quickly, and rolls his eyes at the fact that it was ever there. Forgets it in an instant, when he sees another person ahead.

He knows of the limits Wonderland has imposed on their actions. Ah, but he cannot wait to test them. Find a loophole, perhaps. He approaches, sees them caught up in their task, and opens his mouth to speak--

--only to find his voice taken against his will, an urge too strong to halt, and words so repulsive he feels as if he was vomiting rusted iron spikes. Horrified he hears his own voice say: ]

You look like- you could use some assistance.

[ + Animal Crackers, Real Side, The Chapel ]

[ A tall and majestic reindeer stands in the chapel on the tenth floor. Not its nose but its eyes glow a bright red, and strange crystals (not snow, but red as well) grow along its antlers. It huffs once, then lifts one of its hind legs elegantly--

--and pisses right in the middle of the chapel. ]

[ + ??? ]

[ Are you interested in Mirror Cullen featuring a different cookie effect? Do you want a different starter? You can either comment with your prompt (plus effect request), or contact me and we can hash things out. ]

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[Souji is taking some time to wander around the Mirror side. It's not really any different from his own side, but he hasn't seen his Mirror around over there and has the strangest, Souji-est urge to check on him and see if he's okay. Because checking on folks who like to cut people is a good idea.

He comes across Cullen and recognizes him in a vague "hey I sure do know that guy lives around here somewhere" kind of way.

When questioned, he shakes his head, and gestures toward the nearest open-space-that-should-be-a-mirror.]

I'm from over there.

[ He could lie. Most anyone could, it turns out most Mirrors are not so easily distinguished by their features. Or some common way to sense or recognise them. No matter, Cullen is not keen on an interrogation. Yet. ]

Ah. What brings you to their side?

I'm looking for my Mirror. I haven't heard anything about him since this started.

[He wonders if that sounds very strange. Most people aren't actively concerned about their Mirrors except insofar as they have to be concerned about what their Mirrors are doing.]

[ The concern he hears, but he can think of two possible reasons for it. If it were his own Mirror he would know the answer...i ]

Are you worried for him, or for others because of him?

It's some of both.

[He supposes, since he doesn't know Cullen, that he ought to expand on that. It could also stand in as a warning in case his Mirror is wandering around.]

He used to like to cut things a lot. But then he also got really reclusive, so something must have happened to him.

[ Hardly a reassuring picture of the Mirror's character then. Most of them are not. ]

But you're... on good terms? You usually keep in contact with him?

No. I've only talked to him through the mirror a few times.

[Yeah, he knows it's kind of weird to care about someone when all he knows about them is that they get kind of stabbity sometimes.]

I think he was marked as a traitor for awhile, though, and I think that messed him up.

[ Truth be told, he likes it better than some of the other approaches his side takes to the Mirrors. A marked traitor, didn't he hear about that before? ]

I would like to know more. Why was he marked, and what does that entail?

It was because of something that happened a few Christmases ago. [More than a few.] From what I know, he was supposed to bring something back to the Queen, but he used it instead. The mark she gave him never stopped hurting. Even magic wouldn't heal it.

[ A few, that sounds like a prolonged stay he hasn't looked into before. A note for later. This has his full attention now. ]

This is a common threat towards all Mirrors?

I don't think it happens that often anymore. At the time, I knew at least one other Mirror got the same mark. But I haven't had contact with many others, especially not recently.

[at this point wynonna is trying to be a little more careful about the cookies after the afternoon she spent belting out christmas songs at the top of her lungs -- she's never been the most festive person (being a child who got shuffled around the system meant she didn't get to celebrate much growing up) but Wonderland seems to be making people festive whether they want to be or not.

wynonna isn't much for the library but both her boyfriend and sister are and she's bored so she makes her way there to hopefully find them and bother them and what she finds instead is poor cullen knocking down some books with his new antlers. she bends down to pick a couple of them up, holding them out.]

I'd call you Rudolph but you lack the red nose so you must be one of the ones that keeps him out of all the Reindeer games. That's not very nice of you.

[the narration apologizes, cullen. wynonna thinks she's hilarious.]

Edited (noticing grammatical errors later on, my life's work) 2017-12-18 06:02 (UTC)

Ah, thank you, [ he manages hastily, between picking up the rest, all the while doing his utmost to avoid poking the woman with his newly obtained... accessories.

He barely hears what she has to say. And when he does, well, the selection of festive songs in Thedas is quite something else. He's not had time to catch up. Alas. ]

--I'm sorry? I don't- know who that is.

[[ OOC: I'm endlessly sorry this took me forever to get to. I'm very excited for this CR, though no worries about dropping this thread if you want to, because I understand if you wouldn't want to do Christmas stuff in early 2018 anymore. Other opportunities will come up then I'm sure. ]]

[luckily, she's used to explaining things to people -- granted doc was from the same world as her but he was from a different time so she's gotten used to filling in gaps anyway.]

One of Santa's Reindeer -- they have the antlers too -- there's a whole song and animated special -- it's a thing. [and none of that was probably...actually helpful...]

[ooc: no worries, i know how insane this time of year can be, I never mind backtagging but if you'd rather do something fresher in the future i'm good with that too!]

[ Cullen looks at her awkwardly. Frowns when- Santa, he does know that name! Last year he thought the festive decorations were exclusive to Wonderland, but it turns out they are quite common in many worlds.

A sliver of understanding finally dawns. He is hardly excited about the revelation. He gives the antlers on his head a dissatisfied glance. ]

The punishment fits the holiday's theme. Good to know.

It seems like most of the cookies are keeping with the holiday themed -- I had one that made me belt some Christmas classics.

[well, they were more top 40 Christmas songs than traditional carols, but close enough.]

I had the same, briefly. I didn't even know the song.

[ He says that with extra indignation, as if the choice of song was really the most salient point. ]

--I was not familiar with the holiday at all, before I came here.

[ Cullen clarifies as much belatedly, the least to explain his initial lack of understanding. ]

So I take your world isn't some version of Earth, then?

[which feels like a really weird thing to say, but she's run into enough people in Wonderland by now to know that can be the case sometimes. ]

That must be some culture shock, then. My boyfriend is from like...a hundred years in the past but he still knows some things because it's the same world, must be weird having traditions you don't know at all forced on you like this.

[ He did wonder about that. Some of his time at the library was spent comparing, similarities and differences both. ]

No, I suppose it wouldn't be. Too much does not match, even considering all that can change between the versions of one world. Still--

[ Cullen pictures them now, the masks of Feastday, the processions of soon to be adults in white, the pyres. Especially the pyres. ]

Still, unless your traditions commonly make involuntary shapeshifters of people I doubt that I would appreciate Wonderland's take on our holidays any more. [ He shakes his head. ] At first I took them to be little more than the other events, though it is curious that it would transform for the holidays of some worlds, but not others...

No -- they don't usually involve body horror, at least not any traditions I'm aware of.

[she knows there are some darker Christmas stories like the Krampus but she can't say she'll too informed about them one way or another.]

Maybe it's whatever Holiday the Queens themselves celebrate? Otherwise it seems weird for them to pick and choose like that, you're right.

Jesse is never eating cookies AGAIN. Ever. Not even if she’s baked them. She’d done it without thinking, and before she knew it, she was small and covered in fur. She had PAWS. As far as Wonderland went, it wasn’t bad, exactly. But she misses having thumbs. And feet. And legs. And generally all of herself.

It turns out that she’s still got the Speed Force – she’s still a speedster (well speed fox, she guesses), but doing that with paws does not work the same way it does with feet. She goes speeding down an aisle of the library, dropping to a normal speed only to lose all control and barrel straight into someone’s legs.

Oops?

- Ow! [ Turns out a speeding fox can pack a certain punch, though his exclamation comes from surprise more than anything. He looks down at the little ball of fur. ]

Um. Hello you.

[ He saw plenty of these in Haven, though they rarely ever came so close. They probably knew they made very good pelts. The moment of surprise passes, and Cullen catches on. He knows that his- transformation could have been a great deal more thorough. Which means that this-- ]

Bad luck with the cookies?

[Jesse manages to right herself, mostly, settles back on her haunches. The whole having two sets of legs is SO WEIRD. She makes an irritated huffing sound and nods. What she wouldn't give for the ability to speak. But sadly that's gone with her thumbs for the moment.

Have you ever seen a fox look irritated? Because this one looks very, very irritated. Also a little bit sheepish. She really is sorry about barreling into you.]

Suppose I ought to count myself lucky with just these, [ he mutters, and glances up at his antlers. Looks down sheepishly, because he probably shouldn't have said that out loud. ]

I've, ah. Seen this happen before as well. It- will pass. [ A beat. ] Which- you probably knew.

[ Most such surprises in Wonderland do. Cullen deliberates briefly. Then he goes down on one knee, and sets his communication device down on the floor, in front of the fox. It is set to receive text communication. No use for the giant paws of a bear, but perhaps with a smaller animal... ]

Will this help?

[If foxes could beam Jesse would be beaming right now. She lets out a chirp and moves forward to inspect the communication device. It’s a hell of a lot bigger when she’s this size, but still useable. It’s a little awkward to use, too, but she manages to type out two short sentences with her paws.]

I hope it passes. I don’t want to be a fox forever.

[A pause, and then she adds, with a little fox smile.] And thanks.

[ It takes some effort to get past the strangeness of speaking to a fox. More effort still to get past his previous (and entirely unpleasant) encounter with Wonderland's talkative wildlife. It occurs to Cullen, as he tries, that he has no idea who he is actually talking to. ]

Have we- actually met before? Do I know your name?

[Believe her, Cullen, it's a little weird for her, too. There's a little fox-frown on her face as she carefully paws at his device again.]

I'm Jesse. Jesse Wells.

[ A somewhat larger human frown appears on his face, as he tries to place the time. As he does, suddenly the high impact fox collision makes more sense. ]

You- ran into me before, didn't you? [ Very briefly. And very literally. ] You were fast.

[She makes an amused fox-noise, and nods. She'd thought he looked familiar. Another bit of careful typing with her paw.]

Yes I did. And yes I am. But it's harder when you have four legs instead of two. And I'm still getting the hang of things normally.

[She looks a little sheepish, whuch is a weird look on a fox.]

I'm curious about the ability, but- we can speak about that when you're wholly yourself again.

[ He's seen similar feats in his world before, but never for a sustained amount of time. ]

For now, is there anything you need? This must. Take some adjustment.

[She gives him a little fox-smile.]

I'd like that. And it'll be a whole lot easier when I can talk again.

[Another little huff of fox laughter and a little bit of typing.]

You have no idea.

[She thinks for a moment.]

This is probably silly, but any chance you could give me a lift to the library? It's slow going when you're this short and still getting used to another set of legs and paws . Since my speed is sort of useless right now.

Of course. In fact, I was on my way there myself. Allow me--

[ He bends forward to-- Freeze in his tracks, and feel a very red flush creep to his cheeks very quickly. ]

Ah.

[ This. Is an issue somewhat outside of his understanding of propriety, but Maker, how do you appropriately lift a woman who has been turned into a fox? Cullen clears his throat. Now there is a subject he failed to discuss with Lady Morrigan when he had the chance.

He eventually bends his hand at the elbow, and holds it ready just above ground, roughly as he would for a messenger bird. ]

--Hop on?

[She waits, watching as he bends forward to pick her up and then BLUSH and she really wishes she could talk because she can't tease him like this. It's adorable, though, and she appreciates hos help.

So she just watches him with fond amusement until he offers her his arm. Nodding, she hops on as requested.]

Jesse comes to a halt inside the ballroom, eying the man she’s found there warily. She’s only just met him and she’s already on edge. The red crystal growing out of him is... eerie, and unlike anything she’s seen before. She wonders how he’s come to have it growing out of him. The scientist in her is analyzing it, trying to figure out its rate of growth, what it’s made out of and whether or not she could do anything to stop it. Or remove it. Something to help him.

Although, she wonders if he wants to be helped. She shakes her head, offering him a friendly smile. “I... no. Practise... isn’t really my thing. Not for a ball or anything.” She shrugs. “I needed to get out of my lab for a bit.” She leaves it there.

She ought to voice that, truly she should. The Knight-Commander would be more than happy to explain, happier still to demonstrate, happiest of all to let others hear the song as he does. He opts to circle her instead. He did sound like he made that optional, didn't he? Unfortunate.

"What is it that you do, in your lab, when you don't learn to dance?"

Oh, Jesse was quite content to keep that thought to herself, thank you. No need to hear any sort of song, let alone a song coming from rocks that grow out of people. Happily, from the looks of it. He circles her and she feels, quite distinctly, like she's being hunted, a little bit.

Or a lot a bit.

She mirrors him, turning to keep her eyes on him. "Well I already KNOW how to dance, so there's no need for learning. Although I know the dances on my Earth, which seem to be fairly similar to those on Earth-1..." She was rambling, doing her best to try and deflect the situation with words. Which she suspects wouldn't work very well. "Work, mostly. Designing things. Building things."

In one ear, out the other. Most things do, compared to his own thoughts. Or his "own" thoughts, as it were, as he rolls his shoulders into the blissful hum of red. But earth this and earth that especially does not hold his attention, and he licks along his teeth with his tongue, wondering if there is any point in letting her speak at all. One more, why not.

"What sort of things, my lady?"

Jesse has a very bad feeling about this, and is suddenly wishing very had for those telekinesis gauntlets of hers. Or a friend, maybe. Someone to have her back. She has herself, of course, the Speed Force... but it would have been reassuring all the same.

"Things for self defence," she tells him, "sometimes things for interfacing with information easier. Or things for friends."

Self defence rather than dancing? The Knight-Commander thinks he might just be able to give her an opportunity for that.

"Friends, my lady, how come I don't see you with them now?"

What she wouldn't give to have Shaun around right now. She arches an eyebrow at him. "Well, we're not attached at the hip. We do have our own lives to live here in Wonderland. I'll be meeting up with them later. For dinner and science."

A lie. But she's pretty sure she might turn it into the truth after this.

"Will you introduce us? I so rarely get the chance to meet people on nicer side of Wonderland?"

The side that should be his to live on as he sees fit.

Well, shit. That gamble had just bitten her in the ass. And so quickly, too. "Of course. Although it's quite some time from now, if you have the time to wait. Or if you would rather meet me later." She will have to find her way out of this. But she will settle for distraction at the moment. Namely, of the asking questions variety. She might as well try to kearn a little about the mirror-side.

"What is the other side like? I haven't had much opportunity to talk to any mirrors. Except Cisco's mirror. Which had gone badly.

Edited 2018-01-31 22:02 (UTC)

He scowls, voice twisting along. Mirrors, as if he could ever look at his pathetic copy and find a resemblance. Mirrors, as if they were turned from how things were meant to be, when he was meant to be, and not the pathetic Commander on this side.

"Visit," the Knight-Commander snarls at her. "If you're so curious. It's a prison we should not be locked inside of."

Edited 2018-01-31 22:15 (UTC)

She hadn't meant it like that, had only meant it that they live on the other side of the mirrors. Shit. Instead of backing up, retreating the way every instinct is screaming at her, Jesse steps forward, chin lifted in challenge and arms folded. Never let it be said that she isn't her father's daughter.

"Then maybe you should try working with the people on this side for a change. Instead of plotting and planning and trying to hurt other people. Maybe we could help you. Maybe there's a way to get you out. I don't know enough about that side to say." It can be breached. They know that. And she doesn't think that having everyone mirror-side here permanently would be a good idea. At all. Not after Cisco. Klaus.

But sometimes her mouth moves even faster than her mind. Especially when she's irritated and potentially in danger. "But it sure as hell seems like no one on that side knows how to play nicely with others"

The Knight-Commander rounds closer, like a shark circling prey. Like something waiting to pounce on the implication that his weak and pathetic and dull copy would be worth a peace offering. While she speaks generally he huffs a mirthless laugh. A louder one, amused, when he catches himself at her last line.

"Have I not played very nicely with you, my lady? Shall I show you my room so we can play nicely some more?"

Jesse mirrors his movement, keeping the same amount of distance between, but ready to run. Always ready to run. She's feeling more than a little bit hunted, and she's never been more glad of her being a speedster than she is in this moment.

"You've pretended to," she retorts. "And it was almost even believable. Almost." She smirks, channeling Harry Wells just a little. "So no. I think I'll pass on that."

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[OPEN] And if you ever saw it

Regular Cullen, Mirror Side; it is about damn time these two met

AW YISS *_*

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reindeer!cullen, library

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REAL CULLEN; LIBRARY

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MIRROR CULLEN; BALLROOM

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AW YISS _