+ The Time Has Come, the Time Is Now +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone in Wonderland!
Where: The chessboard hills
When: Monday, June 11, all day starting at 10:00 AM
Rating: R for (sometimes excessive) violence
Summary: The Queen of Hearts has declared war and the time for battle has come.
The Story:
♥ ICly, the Real Things who will act as pieces volunteered and are led by the Red Queen. The Mirrors were chosen by the Queen of Hearts without being given a choice. 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 pieces and requesting their assistance to protect their fellow Real Things. Characters were not ICly able to respond to this message.

♥ 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 summons 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). Likewise, any spectators who are not in or around the stands by 10:00 AM will find themselves transported there.

♥ Each player sports an armband, white for the Real Things and Black for the Mirrors, with the shape of their assigned chess piece embroidered in the opposite color. Royalty pieces wear crowns indicative of their status. Should a pawn be promoted to queen, a crown will appear on their head.

♥ 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 top-level under which to comment! It might be helpful to label your thread with which move/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 whose square they share. 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 waiting for a comment to officially announce them.

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

♥ For your convenience, here are links to the thread headers:

The Donation Box
Pre-Game
The Game - Moves 1-20
The Game - Moves 21-40
The Game - Moves 41-60
The Game - Moves 61-80
The Game - Moves 81-100
The Game - Moves 101-117
The Holding Area
The Stands

Have fun!

Comments

Nearby squares and Move 100

[255000255000255]

Nearby Squares

[ So many moves. So many moves of nothing. So much anticipation for the pain she's watched others suffer.

The first time she realized she'd been chosen to move, she couldn't stop herself from yelping. Terror planted her to her square until some unseen force pushed her forward. Her Jason mask immediately goes down to hide her face and she winces behind her machete.

There's nothing.

Over and over again, it happened. A move. Nothing. Another move. Nothing. It was sending her into a spiral of insanity. She's seen so many people get hurt, get utterly destroyed. There's no relief coming from being spared from battle.

It's only a matter of time. She knows it. It's coming. ]



Move 100 to Mirror Lapis

[ Once she's moved a fifth time, she's a wreck. Why'd she sign up to die? How absolutely dumb was she? Dying for someone you love is romantic, sure, but not when it's, like, painful! Why couldn't this have been like a normal battle? She could've stayed on the sidelines and been heroic from there! And, you know, try to woo some of the people that she couldn't from inside the network...

Soon, however, she realizes. Someone's moving towards her. It's easy to see with how much the field has cleared, making all the blood drain out of her face. Monika's trembling, not even thinking to raise the choice of weapon more suited to her freak of a "friend" Yuri. She's watched Mirror Lapis travel around the field and she's liked absolutely none of what she's seen. Someone who can use water as a weapon? The powers that be really hated her.

Flashes of her encounter with Adachi at the lake keep going through her head. She'll never forget it. The fire in her lungs, the cotton filling her brain. The pain of drowning. Then nothing.

Her knees feel weak. Yep, this definitely goes on top of the list of the most asinine things she's ever done. ]

[eatsyourscience]

[Monika's been in squares nearby Souji for some time, but it isn't until move 93, when he comes up right beside her, that he's really able to speak with her. He's been keeping his eye on various people as things have happened--he really hasn't had a whole lot else to do--and it's clear to...well, anyone, that Monika is losing it.

He wishes he could move over closer to her, but has to settle for coming up to the border between their squares and standing there. His sword is lying in the grass to one side.]

Monika?

[255000255000255]

[ Monika startles at Souji's voice. She's been so preoccupied with abject terror that her brain's barely been registering him being nearby. A small part of her is comforted by that, but it's quickly overshadowed by the thumping of her heart and the fuzziness in her head.

She glances over at him, her shaking hands clasping her machete so tightly that her fingers have gone numb. If she were in a better place, she'd probably marvel at how a body part going numb feels. No time for the Amazing Human Body Hour, though.

A muffled and very feeble laugh escapes from under her mask. She has no clue why she's still trying to act like she's not two seconds from passing out. ]

H-Hey. Still in the g-game! Ahaha!

[eatsyourscience]

[It's very very Very clear that she is not doing well at all.]

Hey, come over here.

[He beckons her closer, his voice quiet and gentle. He offers her a smile, wanting to reassure her.]

There are only a few of us left. You can still get through this.

[255000255000255]

U-Um...

[ Monika dips her head, letting out the softest of whimpers. She really wishes her throat would loosen up so it'd be easier to breathe.

Gradually, she lowers her weapon to her side and steps over to him with an uneven gait. But hey, she's moving! No invisible pushes necessary!

When she's close to him, she looks back up. Then, after a few seconds, she pushes her mask up. It's more than obvious that she's spent most of her time on the field crying like a baby. ]

I wish someone would just kill me already. It'd be better than-than this.

[eatsyourscience]

[He frowns in concern. He wants to hug her and would if he could.]

Remember what I told you earlier? You can always forfeit if someone comes into your square.

[He glances around the board at the people who are left.]

I don't think anyone here is going to want to hurt you.

[Or at least, none of the pieces who are actually in a position to capture her.]

[255000255000255]

[ She grimaces. ] I know I can. The anticipation, though...

[ Her gaze flickers out to the stands. Part of her worries what Ryuji must think of her right now. She'd gone into this, wanting to really impress him. What a stellar job she's done so far.

Deep down, though, she knows he wouldn't judge her like that. Some other people, on the other hand... ]

How are you so optimistic in a situation like this?

[eatsyourscience]

I've done it before.

[It's not really optimism at all. He just wants to help her calm down.]

Maybe for me it isn't as scary as it was the first time.

[255000255000255]

[ Monika suddenly laughs. He would know about staying cool in crazy situations, wouldn't he?

She smiles a little. ]

You don't have to lie to me. I know you're never scared.

[burntvideocassette]

[He's watching people get picked off, unable to move, unable to do anything but watch.]

[Feels like it's been seared into his retinas. Black knight to A4, white rook captured. A gunshot, a spray of blood, and nothing.]

[Black queen to C3, a young girl drowning, the most terrified he's ever seen her.]

[Black pawn to E5, split vertebrae, a wet thud against the ground.]

[He's watching the board, trying to predict the moves before they come, and then--]

[And then he's got ginger Jason Voorhees in the space to him. What. Who? Is this some kind of joke?]

[Jay just stares.]

[255000255000255]

[ It takes Monika a good while to realize she's being stared at. Her mind's a bit frazzled, to say the least.

When she does, though, she glances over. Jason himself would probably be proud of how intimidating she looks at the moment!

Haha no, she looks like a damn fool. The mask is probably the only scary thing about her. It's obvious from her stance that she's about as spineless as they come. It's so much more difficult to be a stone cold killer in real life rather than from the safety of a computer.

She lifts a hand from the machete handle to give a shaky wave. At least she's meeting new people? Haha... ]

[burntvideocassette]

[Jay's brow furrows at the wave.]

[At least, based on the color of the armband, it looks like Jason's on his team. Doesn't exactly cut an intimidating figure, though.]

[Not that Jay's anything to write home about. He's got no muscle tone to speak of, no charisma whatsoever. All he's bringing to the table are a sunburn, an heavy crown, and an armband of his own pinned to the sleeve of his ratty t-shirt.]

[He waves back, just as unsure.]

What's with the--?

[He gestures to his face, miming a mask.]

[255000255000255]

[ Surprisingly, she laughs. It's been strangely easy to find bursts of humor in this situation, simply because it's so absurd. Then again, she signed herself up for this... ]

Isn't it obvious? This way no one can see me cry!

[ And God knows she'd been crying up a storm. Even behind the mask, it's easy to hear the stuffiness in her voice. ]

I...thought someone I care about might like it, too.

[burntvideocassette]

[Jay snorts, taken off guard. That's one halfway-decent reason to wear a mask.]

[Oh god, she's talking about, like...that kind of care, isn't she? Jay is suddenly several fathoms out of his depth.]

[He tries to keep it to what he knows.]

Your, uh...someone a horror fan?

[255000255000255]

Um. I think so? He gave it to me after we went through the haunted house at the carnival. Apparently I'm the bigger horror master, though, ahaha.

[ She'd forgotten to ask Ryuji more about that during their talk. Shoot. She'd need to do that eventually. ]

A-Anyway. I don't think we've met. I'm Monika.

[burntvideocassette]

[Carnival? Oh, right, he was, uh...sick during that one. He was absolutely not hiding in his room, forgetting to eat, and he definitely did not skip the carnival in part because he had a cat sitting on his lap and was afraid to move.]

Jay. [He holds out a hand. It smacks against the forcefield at the edge of his square. Because Jay is never allowed to be smooth, ever, in his life.] Jay, uh, Jay Merrick. Or just Jay. You don't... [Shut up.] ...like, need the last name or anything.

[God, shut up.]

You said you're apparently the bigger horror guy? Gal? Fan? [God.]

[255000255000255]

[ Monika chuckles quietly behind her mask. She thought she made an awkward human. He made her look perfectly normal by comparison. How weirdly comforting. ]

It's okay. We'll pretend we missed the chance at a really bad high five! [ She comes a little closer to the barrier between them. ] I don't have a last name for you to worry about, anyway. Never got one!

[ Dumb lazy creators... ]

And, well, I say that because he screamed at one point and I didn't. Then again, I think most horror these days is pretty boring. It's all cheap jump scares and bad gore!

Capture!

[sslillappy]

[By this point, M'Lapis has started to enjoy herself a bit, and with that comes showing off. The kiddie pool has at last been abandoned; instead she's flying around with her water supply swirling around her in elegant patterns, making no bones about what it is she does. So, y'know, just in case you wanted that 'water as a weapon' thing to be absolutely unignorable. She knows how to put on a display.

When she reaches Monika, she alights delicately and smiles brightly, her water streams parting like a curtain to allow for a pleasant chat. M'Lapis makes a show of looking the girl over, although in reality she doesn't actually care enough to pay that much attention to the details.]

Hi there. I'm pretty sure you don't want to fight me, so here's your chance to surrender. We don't need things to get messy, do we?

[255000255000255]

[ Every foot closer M'Lapis comes, the more she feels closer to her demise. Monika stumbles backward until the barrier holding her in her square stops her from going further. Her machete falls to the ground, immediately forgotten.

Her head darts back and forth, switching between Souji and the stands. She knows she looks so goddamn stupid right now and so incredibly weak. It's a foreign feeling, not being the one in control of everything around her.

Oh, how the tables have turned. ]

H-Hi.

[ The word comes out as more of a squeak, but hey. It's something. ]

Um. Um. I-I. Surrender?

[ Was that a thing she could do? She can't remember. ]

[sslillappy]

Good choice!

[It is in fact a thing they can do. You made it, Monika. You did it. Good job.

M'Lapis is so great. She has amply proven today both that she can demolish human teenagers, and that she doesn't have to due to being both lovable and impressive. EVERYONE WINS]

[255000255000255]

Wait, what?

[ Her brain catches up with what she said. Her jaw drops open and she holds up her hands, shaking her head. ]

H-Hold on! I was--is that it? You won't, um...

[ She meekly gestures at the water around M'Lapis. She's too afraid to say "drown me" out loud. ]

[sslillappy]

[M'Lapis makes a bit of a face. Don't harsh her buzz here.]

Not for no reason. I am a civilized being.

[255000255000255]

[ She...honestly has no clue what to say to that. ]

Ha. Comforting.

[ Monika smiles weakly, even if it's not obvious behind her mask. That thing went right back down after her previous conversations. ]

Then, y-yeah. Yeah, I forfeit.

[ At least this death might not be painful? ]

[sslillappy]

There you go! Don't worry so much, you ended up in good hands. See you around!

[Chipperness back, M'Lapis takes to the air again to resume her fancy water-show flight. She doesn't even wait to watch Monika disappear to the holding zone. She just gives so few shits right now, but at least it's in a benevolent way.]

[255000255000255]

[ Monika instantly covers her head the second M'Lapis moves, expecting to be hit with a deluge, despite her giving up. Some people could be really sadistic!

Nothing comes, though. Right as she's about to peek out and make sure that's the case, poof! She's gone.

Well. At least she was still breathing in air and not water. ]