+ 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

[spiritofgoodness]

I assumed you did. This much time between where we're each at, how could you not? Plus, you knew then, and I've always been terrible at lying.

[ Anyway.

Snow looks down, shaking her head a little. ]

Not...well. I think she's trying to wrap her mind around it but it still feels like a slap in the face. I know it does. We haven't spoken much since then. I know she needs time, but I...feel very alone.

[ It's a quiet confession as she crosses her arms almost protectively over her chest. ]

I shouldn't have told her without David.

[madehervows]

[Don't comment on her lying skills. Don't comment on her lying skills. Don't.]

... Well, technically, you tell her without David in Storybrooke, too.

[Regina sighs.]

Do you want to know how it comes out?

[spiritofgoodness]

Really? [ It just doesn't seem like a David-less conversation to have. ]

You already know the answer to that question, so, please? Just tell me everything's all right.

[madehervows]

Everything's fine now, but at the time...

[Regina looks decidedly uncomfortable because the story involves a lot of details Snow doesn't know yet. So she needs a minute to come up with a version of events that makes sense but doesn't require fifteen episodes of exposition.]

The short version starts with another sleeping curse. Only this time, both and you and David were both affected.

[spiritofgoodness]

[ That isn't...at all what she expected and she frowns a little. ]

...What? Regina, how is that possible? If both of us are cursed then who wakes us up?

[madehervows]

It's... a unique circumstance. When one of you is asleep, the other is awake. If you try to break the curse, you take each other's place.

[It was honestly impressive... You know, if she was still a villain.]

We tried everything we could to break it but it ended up making things worse. Soon, you were both going to sleep forever. The only hope we had was a flower.

[spiritofgoodness]

The same flower that broke David's curse.

[ Snow breathes that out in realization, putting the pieces together of how and why Emma knew the truth after that. ]

Just...tell me we're all okay in the end and I think I'll sleep all right tonight.

[madehervows]

I told you, remember? Emma won the-- [The words 'Final Battle' don't come out because hey, guess what the singing event made them forget?] Oh, that's...

[Shaking her head, Regina continues.]

Everything turned out okay in the end, but we couldn't use the flower to break the curse, because we learned Hook was trapped in Neverland. Long story. But you told Emma about how you were forced to let her go and told her you weren't going to take Hook from her, too. So she used the flower to save him.

[spiritofgoodness]

You know, the more you tell me about the future the more I'm not sure I actually want to go back and live it? Sure, I want my son and I definitely want David, but the future doesn't sound like the calm we were all hoping it to be.

[ In short: why are their lives like this? If any place can make Snow think like this for even a second, it's Wonderland. ]

[madehervows]

It might not be calm but it's good, Snow. In the end, it's good. Besides, you don't even know how the sleeping curse breaks yet.

[spiritofgoodness]

[ Snow takes a calming breath, closing her eyes and then opening. Tell her something good, Regina. ]

How does it break?

[madehervows]

Everybody in Storybrooke took on a piece of the curse themselves until it was spread so thin it was little more than a power nap.

[Including herself.]

After we told them how you gave up on your own happiness to remain cursed, they couldn't stand by and let you and David suffer any longer.

[spiritofgoodness]

[ Snow looks at Regina, and she's just going to have to accept that this is happening because soon, Regina's enveloped in a hug, with Snow closing her eyes and just hugging her tightly. ]

Thank you, Regina.

[ For telling her, for making sure things were okay, for looking out. ]

[madehervows]

[...Yeah, she knew this was coming and surrenders herself to it.]

You're welcome, Snow. I know things seem bleak when you're hearing them all secondhand, but there are so many good things to look forward to.

[spiritofgoodness]

I'm just...so ready to get there. I've been patient for well over twenty-eight years.

[ Not that she has to tell Regina that. ]

[madehervows]

I don't think it counts when you weren't you for those twenty-eight years.

[God damn it Regina.]

[spiritofgoodness]

Yes, it does. It counts to me. I know now that technically I was waiting and technically I re-cursed myself perfectly aware of how much longer it was going to be.

[ IT COUNTS. ]

[madehervows]

[NO IT DOESN'T.]

You've thought about this a lot.

[spiritofgoodness]

Do you ever think about the things that've happened between you and Henry before the curse was broken?

[ And to be honest, for a few months after? Is Snow the only one who dwells on her past parenting mistakes? ]

I just want to get to a place where everything is...peaceful. For all of us. Thanks to you I know we'll get there, it's just the getting there part.

[madehervows]

Of course I do.

[The answer is immediate. She regrets very little in her life, but how she treated Henry, everything she did to him during the curse... Those are the ones that hurt the most. The ones she thinks about in the dark when she's alone.]

Getting there is always the hard part. And I won't lie to you and pretend it was all easy at home, but... We get there. You have to focus on that.

[spiritofgoodness]

I will, and I'm glad you gave that to me to focus on.

[ She reaches out to squeeze Regina's hand with a small smile. ]

I guess we should go up into the stands for the...whatever this is.

[ Spectacle, to be honest. ]

[madehervows]

Someone had to keep you from losing hope.

[Which is a scary thought.]

I suppose you're right.

[Up into the stands they go and ~wrap]