+ Your Princess Is in another...Palace +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone!
Where: All over Wonderland
When: Friday, 8/24 - Monday, 8/27
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Palaces! This log is for Palace Rulers to post descriptions of their palaces, and for unaffected characters to wander in and out of them.
The Story:

Palace rulers: These are the characters who experience the bout of lightheadedness and spontaneously manifest a Palace starting at noon on 8/24. As soon as the palace forms, the character is essentially sucked into their Palace and made to play the part of the ruler.

These characters will forget they were ever in Wonderland or indeed had any other life outside of their Palace. If Character A's Palace took the form of her living her dream as a world-famous surfer where the oceans are made of cotton candy, she would always believe she'd been a surfer and that oceans have always been made of cotton candy. Any characters who entered her Palace would merely seem like visitors or intruders to the beach. Maybe they're surf fans, too?

It is possible to "wake" a Person from their Palace if one were to kill them (easy mode... if a bit violent) or make them see it's merely a mental construct (hard mode). If a person were to die inside their Palace, however, it would count as a mansion death. There are no real ways to "unmake" these Palaces other than to snap the person out of it or wait for them to run their course.

Palaces are tied to locations that characters frequent or find special meaning in. They do not outwardly change the appearance of the mansion--the clinic will still look like the clinic on the outside, but crossing inside takes you into the mental landscape of that affected character, and it may look however that player chooses it to.

Unaffected characters: Congratulations, you get to explore other characters’ inner world by visiting their Palaces! There is also a chance of danger should a character enter into a Palace whose ruler is likely to see them as a threat. Should Character A as described above not want a person there, sharks on legs might rise from the ocean and attempt to chase them off. (Sorry about that.)

However, there will always be a way to escape a Palace should you need to. There will always be a door leading back to the normal mansion, though no one else in the Palace will be able to see it aside from the unaffected character. If you entered the clinic and it's a barren hellscape, the clinic door will take you back out. Yay!

It is also possible for characters to see cognitive clones of themselves inside someone else's Palace if that person has a mental image of them. How these cognitive versions behave is, however, entirely up to the Palace ruler, whether realistic or not.

See the Bulletin Board for details on the event. You can also go to the plotting post to see what everyone else is doing!

Comments

[moraloutrage]

[As Ishimaru is noticed, he steps into the room. His eyes widen slightly in surprise, but he's at least relieved to see Ryoko.]

Ah, Otonashi-kun! I was looking for you. It is me... Kiyotaka Ishimaru! I am a friend of yours! And... [Then he glances towards the other figure, whom he recognizes from the other event.] ...Yasuke Matsuda, correct? [He's not sure what to make of his presence. Is he really here in Wonderland, or is this part of some illusion like last time?]

[testcase]

I'm sorry, I don't know anyone named Kiyotaka Ishimaru.

[She doesn't frown here, instead just looking kind of lost.]

Matsuda-kun, is he a friend of yours?

[Cognition Matusda doesn't answer right away, instead pushing a few more buttons on the mystery machine before looking up.]

Don't talk. Your gross voice is distracting. And why would I know him? He said he was your friend.

[To which Ryoko responds with...]

He did? But I thought you were my only friend?

[This is all so confusing.]

[moraloutrage]

[Ishimaru looks towards her with a confused smile.]

Ah... That is not so. Otonashi-kun, you have many friends in addition to me! But... Have you checked your notebook? [He glances around for any sign of it.] My name should be listed in there. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Super High School Level Public Morals Committee Member of the 78th Class!

[testcase]

My notebook?

[She'll go looking for it and..oh wait, here it is in the bed next to her. Meanwhile Matsuda's just making annoyed faces over here because of course she doesn't stop talking. It might be worth noting that it's her original notebook and not one of the additional ones she's used since coming to Wonderland.]

Let's see, Ishimaru, Ishimaru, um...no, there's nothing in here about an Ishimaru. I guess you have nothing to do with me?

[moraloutrage]

[Ishimaru gasps.]

That can't be! You've referred to your notebook every time that we have met... [After a pause, he adds.] It must be in a different one! D-do you have other notebooks elsewhere?!

[testcase]

[Matusda just steps away from the machine, sits down on one of the beds and starts reading a manga magazine he produced from inside his coat. Because even cognition Matsuda can't make Ryoko do anything she doesn't want to do, and if she's going to keep talking, he'll just fade into the background for now.

Meanwhile outside, there seems to be the sound of people talking from down below. It's nothing that can be made out, and if anyone looks out the window, they'll see people starting to group together, but that's probably fine and not a reaction to the palace ruler being told something that doesn't add up with her cognition.]

Um...my other notebooks are in my room. I guess that makes sense since I've probably accumulated a lot of them over the years.

[Maybe there's a version of her room in the palace?]

[moraloutrage]

[That does sound like a bit of a ruckus outside, but Ishimaru doesn't pay it much mind. Instead, he keeps his focus on Ryoko.]

Ah, how splendid! [Ishimaru nods, satisfied with that answer. But then he pauses slightly as he wonders their next step.] Could we perhaps go to your room? I am sure that we can find one with information about me. [And maybe finding her room will restore it to normal, he wonders?]

[testcase]

I can't leave until Matsuda-kun's done treating me.

[There's a sigh of relief from the background character over there because at least she's not wandering off knocking all his stuff all over the floor. Though if it's her palace, it's more like her stuff, but that's not really the point here.]

But um..if you know me, you should be able to find it without me, right?

[moraloutrage]

Oh, so you are in the middle of a treatment! [That's good news, at least! She's getting some actual treatment towards Matsuda. ...But considering the circumstances, is this really alright?

He pauses as he glances towards Matsuda.]

Well... I am not sure how to get there from here, to be honest. How much longer do you have in this treatment session?

[testcase]

A while. And she usually falls asleep afterwards and makes this disgusting snoring noises. It'll scar you for life.

[Matsuda doesn't even look up from his manga volume while answering.]

They're not disgusting and I don't snore!

[This could probably go on for a while, but Matsuda speaks up again.]

Wait, didn't you ask me to keep some of your old notebooks in one of the empty classrooms?

[To which Ryoko frowns and looks over at Ishimaru.]

I don't remember. Could you check?

[moraloutrage]

I am sure that your sleeping habits are not so bad! [He's quick to reassure her.

And then he considers the question she asks of him. He doesn't want to leave her alone, but at least he won't be going far. And she should be safe with some version of Matsuda. So he nods.]

Yes, I will check for them posthaste! You can count on me!

[With that, he'll head out to look for the closest classroom he can find.]

[testcase]

[The nearest classroom opens into...a courtyard? At night? Boy, this palace would probably make a lot more sense if it weren't Ryoko's condition. Anyways, there's a fountain in the center and a notebook can be found over right under a tree close to the fountain.

Going to go through it Ishimaru or just bring it back to Ryoko?]

[moraloutrage]

[Ishimaru blinks as he beholds the courtyard. Now that's unexpected... But still, there's the notebook! He quickly picks it up. And, although he's reluctant to violate her privacy, he does figure that he should check if this book has his name listed in it. Otherwise, he could be running back and forth each day! So, he opens the notebook to peek within...]

[testcase]

[It's definitely Ryoko's notebook. That much is certain given that her name is on the cover and the first few pages are an introduction to who Ryoko is in case she forgets. After that, there's usually a section about Wonderland, and from their repeated conversations Ishimaru might've noticed her usually checking the front section of the notebook for that, but instead there's...a hand drawn map of Hope's Peak Academy! Or well, the new campus.

It's divided into quarters with little notes. Like the western quadrant has the Reserve Course building. Under that is a note stating that has nothing to do with her. There's also the north quarter, which has something labeled as the Old School Building with a similar note. The east quarter seems to have the most detail and on the next page is an even more detailed map labeling it as Hope's Peak Academy's Easter Quarter and listing all the various buildings in it. The literature building, the science building, and so on and so forth. The biology building is circled with little hearts drawn around it because Ryoko is Ryoko.

If things weren't such a mess, this would probably be very useful since her palace is modeled after Hope's Peak. But since things are a mess, it's probably not super useful other than listing that he's now in courtyard in the center of campus and before he was on the third floor of the biology building. Oh, and after all that, there's a lot of stuff about Matsuda and her gross crush on him, which is probably going to embarrass Ryoko if she ever hears anyone saw it.

If Ishimaru skips through this or survives reading it, he'll find the rest of the pages are torn out. The last thing mentioned is a letter being slipped under her door.

And of course, there's no mention of Ishimaru or any of the other friends she's met in Wonderland.]

[moraloutrage]

[He is sure that this is the notebook that Ryoko's used while talking to him! And yet, he finds no sign of his name inside. Instead, there's that surprising map!]

This is Hope's Peak?! [He had started to wonder, but this didn't look like the school he remembers. And the campus seems very different than what he's read about... But those are less important details to him at this moment. The important thing is helping Ryoko!

He does check the rest of the book just in case, but there's nothing about him or Wonderland. Still, he thinks that Ryoko should have her own book back. Maybe it will help her somehow, and either way a book should not just be left lying around a courtyard like this!

So he carries the book and tries to make his way back to the lab.]

[testcase]

[There won't be any problems getting back to the lab if he heads back the way he came. In the lab, Ryoko is still sitting on the bed hooked up the machine, but Matsuda seems to have wandered off for the time being.]

I'm sorry if I've asked this already, but I tend to forget things. Who are you again?

[moraloutrage]

[He frowns as he looks towards her.]

My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru. I am the Super High School Level Public Morals Committee Member and a good friend of yours! ...Unfortunately, it seems that my information is missing from your notebooks. But I have retrieved a notebook for you! [With that, he tries to hand the notebook over to her.]

[testcase]

Oh, thank you!

[She's definitely happy about this, but the murmuring has returned outside. Ryoko ignores it though flipping through the notebook at an incredibly fast speed. It's definitely hers all right, but...]

Um, it says I got a letter? And it's missing pages. Do you know anything about that? I'd ask Matsuda-kun, but he's not here.

[The murmuring grows a bit louder outside, but still incoherent. If this were a better programmed video game dungeon than what it is, this would be a key scene, like the setup for a boss fight or at least an important cutscene. But since Ryoko's palace is pretty buggy and in desperate need of a patch (which he may have noticed), it probably won't lead to anything that dramatic.]

[moraloutrage]

[She must be a quick reader! Those murmuring noises do keep getting louder, though... He's starting to be concerned.]

Ah... No, I am sorry, but I do not know anything about any of that! I am sorry that your book has been damaged. We should seek out Matsuda-kun ourselves! [A beat.] ...Also, do you happen to know why there's such a commotion? [He figures she doesn't, unless the answer's somewhere in her notebook, but he may as well check to make sure.]

[testcase]

Um...I think those are the Reserve students? They're mad about the school's policies. Matsuda-kun told me to write it down, but I'm still not sure if it has anything to do with me.

[At least that's what her notes say. But think of them more like her palace's warning system. The louder they get, the closer someone is to being recognized as a problem.]

But if he said not to do that, it probably does have something to do with me, but I can't imagine what.

[moraloutrage]

The Reserve students? [He thinks that he's heard about something like that...] I understand the right to voice one's problems, but they can't disrupt a center of education like this!

[Ishimaru shakes his head. It does feel ominous. Almost as if they are responding to him. But he does know that he has to help Ryoko above all else.]

I do not know what they could have to do with you either. But we should get moving. They are starting to sound quite rowdy!

[testcase]

Get moving?

[There's a loud crack from somewhere as a rock hits a window.]

Um, I don't think I can do that. I'm supposed to stay here for treatment I can't move somewhere else.

[moraloutrage]

[Ishimaru gasps as the rock hits the window. Ishimaru frets as he approaches her.]

But... but this place seems dangerous! While I am reluctant to interrupt your treatment, it will have to wait! Let us find somewhere that is safer!

[testcase]

[Ryoko's really not sure what to do. And the rock throwing just continues. Which might raise the question of why Ryoko's palace defenses would be something that cause others to want her to leave the palace, but that might be a question for another day because out in the hall, there's the sound of a door being kicked open.]

What was that?!

[moraloutrage]

[Ishimaru does not know what to make of this! He blinks as he hears the sudden noise.]

I do not know! Ah... Please wait a moment while I check up on the situation! [Ishimaru looks out into the hall to see if he can find any sign of the kicked door.]