entrancelogs | + The Time Has Come, the Time Is Now +

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+ The Time Has Come, the Time Is Now +

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!

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[She gives him a nod, a little too tight.]

I don't like this. I'd almost prefer an actual fight to just... standing here. Waiting for whatever the hell this is.

I'm not sure if moving is better than standing still, though. At least as long as no one's in your square...

[He shrugs. You don't have to fight if you're never sharing a space.]

I guess. But I mean like... tactically, I guess. I don't appreciate my life being made into a game.

[Or anyone's. She wants the agency, to pick her battles, her terrain. That's how people win. Not just throwing them in cage matches and hoping for the best.]

I just think this is gonna end up bad.

[He looks around the field. Still a lot of people there, at least. For now.]

I don't know if there's any other way it could end up. Unless one of them has a really quick, efficient gambit to use.

[But that's never going to happen. This is going to be long and drawn out. He just knows it.]

[She nods. Chess, like war, demands sacrifice. It just sucks that this isn't only a game now. These pieces are people, and if the conflicts don't go well... well. Who knows.]

I don't want to just be standing here. Hearts is right there. I've been trying to get to her in person for over a year. And now I just have to stand here and take whatever they wanna throw at me. How's this different from any other event?

It's not, really. The only real difference is that this time they're controlling it.

[Usually, the Queens have little or nothing to do with the goings on in Wonderland. The only exception has always been the Queen of Hearts commanding her Mirrors to do things.]

You'd really try to kill the Queen of Hearts?

[Or, like, the Queen of Hearts taking control of Reals to mind control them and spy for her.]

I don't see why not. She's already threatened me and everyone here plenty. I know it seems impossible, but I've defied odds before. I'm tired of her waiting for us to die so she can take people over.

[He can relate with defying the odds.]

You think it'd be that different if she were gone?

I think it wouldn't be a problem.

[There's nothing saying it has to happen that way. And when she sees an enemy, especially one that's antagonized her, she aims to target and take down.]

Sure can't convince her not to. I've tried talking. She's not interested.

No, I know she's not interested in talking.

[He's tried that, too, in the past.]

I worry about her loss bringing some kind of instability.

Yeah, I hear that. I don't know if either side would really back down. This just makes me feel like this is a formality, y'know?

[She crosses her arms.]

Like nothing we do here even matters.

It's possible that it doesn't. Not just in this game. Events happen regardless of what we do or don't do. The same with us coming and going. And we're pretty easily forgotten by others when we leave.

[HMMM, UNCOMFORTABLE]

Yeah, I'm... not much a fan of any of that, either.

[It just doesn't sit well with her, going from doing everything to functionally nothing.]

We have to find a way to take control around here. Even a little.

Do you have any ideas?

[He doesn't. The most he knows to do is create places like the diner--that, to some extent, can be controlled by them. But it isn't the kind of control she's talking about, he's sure.]

Not even a little. Which is why I bring up fighting Hearts.

[That's a direct path to doing something, right? Yeah. Sure.]

At least that's direct. Actionable. About as good of a plan as any other one I've worked with.

I guess you've got a point.

[Sometimes the most direct route is best.]

Sorry I can't really contribute too much. Or that I don't. I probably could if you needed me to.

[She shakes her head.]

No, you've done a lot. You're a great resource and've never refused me answers. I appreciate it. Sometimes the best thing you can have is the history. And without Evie and Sam... no one else's been around so long. You ever thought about writing it all down? While you remember?

I've thought about it before, but it never felt very...urgent. I guess it might be helpful though, to be able to see what's happened in that time period in a chronological sort of way.

I mean, I think you're the oldest non-resident here, aside from Alice. It's important that we record this sort of thing. Back home, the only reason I was able to fight this alien threat is that the people wiped out before me had started making plans. Fighting back.

[Not that she likes the idea of them being the wiped out party, now.]

Anything we do could help the ones who come after.

In that case, I'll sit down soon and try to think back on what's been going on since I got here. I'm sure there's a lot I've forgotten, but I'll try to remember what I can.

[A beat.]

Speaking of remembering... This isn't really the best time to do it, but I was going to tell you that I died again.

Oh. Shit.

[Well, fuck.]

Thanks for letting me know. We really gotta get you another bodyguard. Or at least keep me on call more. Can I ask what happened?

Remember the event with the prison? After we got out, I was attacked by one of those things that was wandering outside the casino. I was um. Taken by surprise.

[He died protecting someone, but he doesn't want to get into the details.]

Damn. 'Mm sorry. Shoulda been there.

[Even if she couldn't have known, and everything was scattered-- especially with her, after everything with the Reapers.]

You can always call. If you're in trouble.

I'll keep that in mind. It seems like I need the help.

[Especially now. He really can't afford to die again.]

I appreciate it.

Please. Anything I can do.

[And then, she's called. White knight to E5. Take the piece. The first fight. She straightens her back, giving Souji a nod.]

See you when this is over, yeah?

[Even as she's ushered forward, she gives him a two fingered salute.]

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eatsyourscience - 2018-08-22 01:55 (UTC) - Expand

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