+ 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

[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.

[eatsyourscience]

[It's true that Souji is very rarely honestly afraid. But dying has frightened him each time it's happened, and that counts the time he thought he'd died during the last chess match.]

I'm afraid of dying. The same as you.

[255000255000255]

[ Dying. She can remember a time where she was almost obsessed with the thought of it. It was hard not to be.

She looks down at the ground for a moment. ]

I thought I knew what dying was like. Just an endless void of screaming... [ She shakes her head and looks back up. ] Then I came here and experienced it. The pain was honestly the worst part. I guess I'm more afraid of that than anything.

[eatsyourscience]

I think almost everyone is.

[With a few exceptions, no one wants to be hurt for any reason.

He moves a little closer to the barrier between them.]

Whatever happens, I'm here.

[255000255000255]

[ Monika feels her heart start to pound. Her hands start to shake slightly. It's weird. ]

Souji...

[ Seeing him like this, so concerned for her, so willing to comfort her when she felt like the most insane person in Wonderland...it was then that she decided he should know. He deserved it. And after the conversation she had with Dipper, well. She'd rather him find out from her in case that asshole decided to spread the news further.

She steps right up to the barrier, placing her hand against it. Her voice is low and soft, so only he can hear what she has to say. Even with the din around them, she doesn't want to take chances. ]

I'm not real.

[eatsyourscience]

[He blinks and looks at her. What does that mean? She clearly is a person, or she couldn't even be in Wonderland....

He raises a hand and puts it against the barrier so that it overlaps hers.]

That's okay.

[That isn't to say she's supposed to like it. He just means that that's okay with him.]

I still won't go anywhere.

[255000255000255]

[ She wonders how her body still seems to have enough water in it for her to cry. She thought she'd have exhausted her supply by now, but sure enough, a few tears spill out.

Monika wishes more than ever that the barrier wasn't between them. Even the smallest of touches would be worth it right now. ]

I'm happy to hear that.

[ And sure enough, she manages a small, sad smile. ]

I dunno what you'd call me. A computer program? AI? Self-aware video game character? Or, well, Legion calls me a synthetic. I guess that's growing on me.

[eatsyourscience]

[He'd initially suspected something along those lines in the past, but seeing her in a physical body had made him think otherwise. Now he realizes it must be because of events that she's able to take a physical form.]

You're you. That's just a part of it. There's more.

[255000255000255]

[ Her smile fades. ] Is there, really?

[ She presses her head against the barrier, sighing deeply. ] Someone's already decided I'm some mindless AI. Another one didn't think telling them my secret was all that important, since that's how the first person found out about me. I know there are all sorts of people and creatures and everything here, but I'm always going to feel subhuman, especially when I'm treated like that.

Sometimes I... [ Her hand balls into a fist, slamming against the barrier. ] Sometimes I wish I could go home and destroy the person who did this to me. Just so he knows how it feels.

[eatsyourscience]

[He gives all of that the brief silence it seems to deserve.]

I'm sorry.

[Maybe he'd spoken too quickly or too flippantly.]

I don't think you're subhuman. You obviously have your own feelings and desires. You have fears. You have dreams. You have things you love and things you hate. All of those things are fundamentally human.

[255000255000255]

[ She laughs, an empty sort of one, shutting her eyes tightly to squelch frustrated tears. ] How's that all even matter when I'm not human?

[ After a moment, she shakes her head and her tone turns apologetic. ] S-Sorry. I don't...really talk to anyone about this. Not that I've ever had anyone to talk to before coming here. Ahaha, it's way harder than I would've thought it'd be.

Thanks, though. [ She raises her gaze. ] For understanding.

[eatsyourscience]

[After befriending Teddie and helping him realize his own humanity, despite being a Shadow, Souji no longer things that a "human" has to physically be "human." But it seems like she wants to put the topic to rest, at least for now. It must be painful for her, so he doesn't want to push her. Especially not at a time like this.

He offers her a smile that he hopes is encouraging.]

You can always talk to me. Anytime.

[255000255000255]

[ His smile is indeed encouraging. She's able to manage a weak one of her own. ] That means a lot. I spend so much time with only my thoughts, it'd be a totally welcome change.

[ Deep down, she knows she probably won't take him up on the offer much. It's too foreign of an idea to reach out to someone when she needs it, and it probably would forever be. ]

Umm. I should say the same thing to you, right? I do want to get better at helping people outside of appreciating literature. [ Her smile disappears. ] That...feels like the only thing I seem so know well. I hate it sometimes.

[eatsyourscience]

You're not by yourself here, at least. You have the chance to become more than you are.

[Physical limitations notwithstanding, there are a lot of opportunities for growth in Wonderland.]

[255000255000255]

[ Monika has to bite her lip. The urge to argue is strong, to tell him that her form of "alone" felt ten times more painful than what he could've ever experienced. At least he had the ability to move freely, to do what he wanted any time he wanted to, to live his life...!

...But that'd be awfully presumptuous of her. Who knew what his life was really like? Just like she wouldn't want anyone making judgements about her unfairly--ahem, Dipper--it'd be wrong to do the same to him.

So, she puts her smile back on. It's always easier to let people feel better than to bring them down with her woes. ]

You're right. Guess at least I've got that advantage here.

[ She starts to say more, but then she notices something out of the corner of her eye. At first, she doesn't think much of it, but once she realizes someone's coming closer, she freezes. She'd been so caught up in their conversation she completely forgot the game was still going on.

Monika goes pale as she looks at him, then steps away from the barrier to stare and shake in fear. Is she going to die? She can't run. Maybe she should grab her weapon? Her thoughts are a mess, but at least she manages a few words: ]

Guess we'll talk again l-later. Thanks again.

[eatsyourscience]

[He's about to respond when she gets distracted. Looking up, he can see that someone approaching Monika's square, and the knowledge that he can't help her is almost physically painful.]

...Hang in there. We'll see each other again soon.