entrancelogs | + Your Princess Is in another...Palace +

+ Your Princess Is in another...Palace +

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Jean made a disconcerted sound. It certainly wasn't the torture he was expecting, and he'd much rather do this than have his neck snapped, but... Well, why not? He could feel her release him from the chair, which meant whatever he was doing, it was going in the right direction. That was encouraging.]

[He sighed, gave in, and took the materials from her. He was used to this sort of medium, since it was almost exactly what the mansion tended to give him when he asked for it.]

Do you want a full body sketch, or a portrait? [He opened the sketchbook and started to unwrap the charcoal.] Just letting you know, I'm not a professional.

Ohh, don't be so humble~ I'll be happy with whatever you come up with!

[ Feeling so much better, she stands and takes off her crown, smoothing down some stray hairs. Wouldn't want those getting into the picture!

Humming to herself, she trots over to her steps and perches on the middle one daintily, crossing her legs. He might see something far too naughty if she sat higher, after all~

Monika simpers, clasping her hands over her knee. This should be the right amount of pretty with the tiniest hint of sexy. Just because she wouldn't want him to see up her skirt doesn't mean he shouldn't get to appreciate her in other ways! ]

Full body, please~ If you want me to change my pose, let me know. And take your time, ahaha!

[Wow. She was just sitting on her cages, right on top of the creepy pink-haired one, without so much as a glance back or a how-do-you-do. And with her pose, so obviously solicitous... Jean made a face of disgust at how awfully the images of her and the dead bodies clashed, but swallowed his distaste for the time being. At least he didn't have to draw what was under the stairs.]

[He sketched wordlessly. Monika might be surprised by the results. She lived in a world of bobbled headed, bubble eyed anime girls, and that may be how she perceived herself, but that wasn't how Jean perceived her. He saw a girl of regular proportions, beautiful, but not with huge glossy eyes and clothes that perfectly fit her too-shapely body. To him, she looked, well, human.]

This really isn't that great. [He muttered as he tried to get the lighting in his hellroom right.] There's a lot of distractions.

[ She gives him a look akin to one a mother would give their child for doing something cute and silly. ] Well, why didn't you say so sooner?

[ Monika raises her hands and the room shifts. Everything's gone but him sitting at the desk and her sitting in a simple wooden chair. If anything, the increased sense of emptiness probably makes it eerier, especially with the vast darkness that's still floating by the windows. She's a generous host, though! To help that, she replaces the music with the soft trickling of a piano, something that's noticeable but not so obvious it distracts him.

Pleased, she places her hands back on her knees after pulling one of her thigh-highs up a tad. ]

I hope that's better?

[He doesn't like her attitude, but...]

Yeah, actually. [The lighting is still awful and along with that piano he's starting to hear this weird droning silence behind it all, but at least he doesn't have to look at those poor girls anymore. He can concentrate much better. He turns a page in the sketchbook and starts over. Maybe if he does a good job she'll let him go? He was really playing this by ear.]

[After about a half hour of hemming and hawing, turning his book around, sketching and smudging and erasing, Jean thought he had something halfway decent to show.]

Here. This is about as best I can do.

Aww, you're finished already?

[ She was getting to really enjoy watching him work! But it'd be okay in the long run. They'd get to do this forever, anyway!

Monika pops up out of the chair, automatically smoothing out her uniform, then walks over to see the finished product. On her way to standing behind him, she gives his cheek a playful poke. ]

I told you to stop being so humble, though! I'll like--

[ The words die in her throat. She'd just looked over his shoulder at the sketch.

One of her hands comes up to her mouth as she takes a shaky breath. She can hardly believe what she's seeing. ]

This--this is how you see me?

[Jean leaned away from her touch like a sullen cat. He had no idea where that finger had been. She might've just used that hand to twist that girl's neck.]

...Yeah?

[He looked over his shoulder at Monika, who seemed absolutely shocked by his sketch. He then glanced back to his picture, and then back to her. Had he really fucked it up or something? He thought he had done pretty well.]

[Since the concept of anime, visual novels and such didn't exist in his world, he didn't really see the peculiarities of that kind of art style when he looked at Monika. So he drew her like she was a real girl, even if she didn't quite appear that way.]

Is there something wrong with it?

[ He needn't worry. This was more than she expected. It was more than she could have ever dreamed of.

She looked human.

It's impossible to speak. The words are inescapably stuck in her throat. Even so, would she even be able to find words to describe how amazing it was? How touched she was? To think, she wasn't some image on a screen. She was real to him.

Monika places a hand on her chest, her eyes shining with happy tears. ]

It's perfect. I couldn't ask for anything more.

[Jean had never met Monika during any of the times she had been granted a human body, but even though he had only seen her over the communicator, he didn't have any reason to think she wasn't real. There were tons of people in the Mansion that he never saw except through a screen.]

[Despite the horrifying surroundings, the look on Monika's face made Jean feel a little better about all this. Finally, some real, sincere emotion.]

Well, if you like it, it's all yours.

[He pulled a pocketknife out of his pocket, and carefully cut the drawing out of the sketchbook so he could give it to her.]

Does this earn me a clue on the way out of here?

[ One second, she's on cloud nine. The next, he's slammed her back to earth. Monika frowns at the drawing, then turns her gaze to him, the frown deepening. Her hand drops to her side, making no move to take the drawing from him.

Was this all some ruse?

The warmth is gone from her voice. This time around, words are getting stuck in her throat from the ball of anger they can't get around. ]

Why are you trying to leave?

[Jean sensed her aggression, as it was barely concealed. The sketchbook was set down on desk, and he kept his knife in hand. She may or may not have done anything to those girls in those cages, but he wasn't about to take his chances.]

You can't stay anywhere forever. [Jean tried to keep his reply as calm as possible.] I stumbled in here on accident. It's not where I meant to go.

[ Monika narrows her eyes at the knife, then at him. That might be an issue. ]

I think you're mistaken.

[ She twists around him and places her palms on the desk, one of them directly on top of the drawing, leaning in to settle her glare on him. ] You might think you weren't meant to be here. You might even think you weren't meant to stay.

[ A slow smirk spreads across her lips. ] But I don't really think you have a choice.

I know that I'm not meant to be here. [He decided to meet aggression with aggression. Backing down from a challenge would rarely end in favorable results.] You're not the one that gets to decide that. I've got my free will.

[Unless, you know, she pulls that stuck-in-the-chair move again. There wasn't a whole lot he could do about that.]

Hmm. [ Her eyes roll up to the ceiling for a moment as she pretends to think. Then she giggles. ] I think I do~

[ Monika snaps a hand around his wrist, just in case he gets any funny ideas when it comes to that knife. ]

I don't want to hurt you, okay? Besides! You still have your freedom. [ Another giggle. ] It's just in here with me!

[Normally, a girl Monika's size, with no training, wouldn't be able to seize Jean so easily. He had plenty of experience with hand-to-hand combat. But she had control over this area, and it looked like it was effecting her actual strength as well. He couldn't lift his weapon.]

I've got plenty of experience with cages. [His words were low and rumbling with anger and irritation.] Don't insult me by telling me I have my freedom here.

[ She goes quiet, simply eyeing him. Then, without warning, she lifts her hand from his wrist and takes a few steps back.

While she still looks calm, almost playful, her eyes tell a different story. They're hard, cold, clashing with her smile.

Monika gestures for him to stand before placing her hand on her hip. ]

Then be free. Do what you want. I don't want you to feel like a pet!

[Jean didn't like that look. He'd had enough experience reading people that he could tell fairly well when someone was being insincere, and Monika was practically dripping the feeling. Still, his choices were limited, and he had no option but to test her.]

[He got up slowly, knife still firmly in hand, and stepped around, very careful about staying out of arms reach of her. Then he sidled towards one of the doors, hoping that it would be open. He'd go back into the nightmare hallways, but he could try retracing his steps...]

[ There are a few soft laughs as her eyes follow his progress closely. He has good reason not to trust her. See, he's trying to leave. He wants to deny her what she needs.

If she can't have him, no one can.

Suddenly, she cries out in anger, darting towards him at a speed she shouldn't seem capable of. Her appearance is distorted and macabre, hardly looking like the girl who'd been there before. Whether it's for her idea of fun or the true side of her that's been hiding under the surface, it's not apparent.

Monika leaps forward and latches onto him from behind, throwing an arm around his neck and squeezing it roughly. At least this death would be much less messy than the last one. ]

We could've had everything. I wanted to make you happy. [ She giggles, then she digs her arm in harder and whispers in his ear: ] At least you'll be in my arms during our last moment together~

[Jean nearly leaped out of his boots as Monika rushed forward. If he knew what a creepypasta jumpscare was, he definitely would have recognized it now. But as far as he knew, a demon just entered Monika's skin, controlling her movements and distorting her appearance into a hellish caricature of what was supposed to be a human.]

[That made what he had to do easier.]

[When she latched on from behind (with a force that someone her size should not be capable of), he twirled his knife in his palm so the blade pointed towards him instead of away, and stabbed behind his back. He didn't know if he only needed to graze her, or kill her, so he gave it his full force and hoped for a favorable outcome.]

Get off me, psycho bitch!

[ The giggling abruptly stops. There's a gurgling noise, then Monika unexpectedly releases him, stumbling backwards.

Her appearance reverts back to normal as she clutches her neck with one hand. His aim was terribly perfect. Blood is already leaking through her fingers at an alarming pace.

Around them, the room stutters and shifts with static, and every now and then a split second image of the checkerboard hills comes into view. Monika is hardly noticing it, though. The cold iciness of betrayal and hurt is sinking into her chest. Or is that the rapid blood loss? She can't tell.

She trips on her own feet, dropping to the floor. A tear runs down her cheek, disappearing into the blood that's starting to soak through her uniform. Yuri's flashing through her mind. Was this how it'd felt? ]

Wh-Why? I thought you...loved me...

[Jean took a few stumbling steps away from Monika, and turned to watch her, blood running down his knife and coating his palm. It was a sensation he loathed. Human blood coagulated and dried against the skin. It didn't let you forget what you'd done.]

No one's ever taught you right. [There was a tinge of pity in his voice. She definitely was pitiful. It made it hard to convince himself that she was a monster.] You can't force love out of anyone.

[The horror of the room was melting back into the normal Wonderland landscape. It vexed Jean that what had just did may have been the only way to escape. There was never freedom without bloodshed.]

I wasn't f-forcing.

[ Because she'd been so sure. Who wouldn't love her with how much she'd done, with how much she was willing to do? The thought of someone not automatically loving her seems alien.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

It's getting harder to keep pressure on her wound, making the blood come faster. Eventually, even sitting up becomes too much. Monika sinks onto her side, fruitlessly trying to keep herself upright with her other hand. ]

I just. Wanted...

[ To be loved? Or was it happiness? She can't keep her thoughts together anymore. Everything's slowing down. Her hand finally slips and she's completely on the floor. For a brief moment, she marvels at the dark red puddle she can see. It's almost funny. Weird.

Monika weakly coughs up some blood, looking up at him. There's faint recognition on her face. ]

Jea--?

[ But his name never fully makes it out. Her struggled breathing slows, and gradually her body goes slack. Monika dies, and the Palace dies with her. ]

[Well. That was unpleasant for everyone involved.]

[Jean hated hurting other human beings. And that last look, when she was finally recognizing him-- it was awfully human. At the very least, desperate to be human. His chest hurt, and his stomach twisted as he watched her slowly die, and the scenery around him fade along with her.]

[He took a deep breath as the checkerboard hills were clear around him, and brought his hand up to examine his knife. The blood was gone. So despite how real she seemed, that wasn't Monika...]

[He didn't feel any better about what he did. And he had a lot to think about. That school or whatever it was, was awful. And it was somehow deeply connected to Monika. She could be far more dangerous than anyone here had yet to realize.]

[Jean decided that he would confront her at the earliest opportunity. Until then, he had an event to survive.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

+ Your Princess Is in another...Palace +

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my tenses are everywhere ;;

IT'S OKAY i didn't even notice

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