entrancelogs | Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore

Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore | OPEN

Who: E V E R Y O N E (Including our 4th wall guests!)
Where: Everywhere, one both Mirror and Real Side!
When: December 12th - December 18th (WEEK ONE)
Rating: PG-13, warn if going higher
Summary: This year's Ewaymas celebration rolls out the way it usually does, with intense decorating, a sudden snowfall and...far more arrivals than usual! New faces and old fill the mansion - but why would Wonderland bring so many people at once? And why do some of them remember Wonderland?
The Story:

On the evening before December 12th, the captives of Wonderland might be awoken by a loud commotion. Some of it is typical Ewaymas noise, likely familiar to anyone who has been in Wonderland for more than a year – construction sounds and jingle bells as Wonderland decks its own halls quite literally. Garland and lights race down the walls and down the stairs, and stockings appear on the walls for each and every person in Wonderland, embroidered with their names. There are decorative candles everywhere, and all sorts of decorations for every conceivable winter holiday, even if it does not align perfectly to the dates of Ewaymas. Time isn't real, so there will be menorahs and dreidels and Star of Davids even though Hanukkah ended two days prior. And of course, in the front hall, growing straight out of the floor, is a large decorated tree full of ornaments for everyone. And as always, it will have snowed heavily overnight, bringing all of the snow Wonderland will have between now and spring.

There is a second source of commotion in the night though – the sound of a crowd.

Over the course of the night, dozens of new arrivals will appear in Wonderland. Some for the first time. Some wondering how they managed to return with their memories. Others stumbling in with no recollection of ever having been here. Some might be friends from other timelines, other possibilities, and some might even be doubles of people who are already in Wonderland. It's strange for Wonderland to drag so many people into the mansion at once, but everything seems to indicate that they are supposed to be there. They have their own network devices and even have their own stockings on the wall and their own ornaments on the tree – by all accounts, it seems Wonderland expects that they'll be staying, and is treating them like any other new arrivals. Please, make them feel at home and help them settle in nicely.

The first few days will be for catching up with old friends and enjoying the decorations and settling into Wonderland. However, within a couple of days the decorations will start to glitch, much the way corrupted computer graphics might. Lights might change abruptly from multi-color to blue or white, entire décor styles will abruptly change, candle flames will flicker on and off like broken fluorescent lights, and any singing decorations might loop on a beat or two over and over putting you into an eternal hell. Wonderland doesn't seem to be able to stick to one motif, and it can't stop changing. These glitches are occurring on both the Real Side of Wonderland and the Mirror Side.

By the 15th, these glitches will include entire rooms changing into different holiday scenes. These scenes will all be of characters at various winter holidays in the past, the present (in their world), or a possible future. At this point in the event, characters will still be able to navigate the basic mansion and be able to exit these moments easily. These scenes cannot be interacted with – Wonderland seems to consider them another form of decorating. Unlike previous events of this type, these scenes will not loop at first. They will play once, and then Wonderland will glitch and correct itself to be the room it is supposed to be. The scene might play again, but it will be in a different location if it does.

By this point, Wonderland is having an increasingly difficult time holding itself together in a way that makes geographical sense. You might exit one room, even a room that was not previously playing a scene, and find yourself in the kitchen or on the roof instead of in the hallway. You might open a door that you were sure led to your room only to see a ten foot drop to the grounds outside.

This is the mingle log for WEEK ONE! For more information on this part of the event or any questions, please head over to the plot post, or check out our Fourth Wall Master Post for your other Fourth Wall event needs! Prose or [action brackets] are welcome. Please clearly indicate whether your character is on the Real Side or Mirror Side in your top levels. And of course, have fun! ♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah.... [That.... suddenly makes a lot of sense.] Does that make you wonder what Sumo's actually saying half of the time.

[His attempt to making a joke. It's not very good.]

How exactly would you take being an android from an android...? [Would you just like... lose all of your abilities as an android and you're basically plastic human??]

Oh I don't have to wonder. I know. Dogs are fucking chatty once they realize you understand them. I voted for a representative who put his dog up as the front-runner and she told me she was doing it because she was promised bacon.

[It's not much of a joke, but Hank will just go with it. And this is the story of how Hank had ended up with a bunch of strays in his house.

His expression goes right back to being a little more concerned just as quickly.]

Well...in that world at least it turned them human.

[And there are a lot of implications with that.]

Sounds simplistic. If only humans were that simple.

[He'll attempt to humor him at least.]

That must be an experience for them. Does it last forever or just for a certain amount of time?

Christ Connor I...I never used it. After speaking to Markus I just knew that's like removing what makes you, well you. I just knew the potential was there. But if you're talking about removing someone's power, it's only as long as I look at them. I've got human limits so I'd say at most an hour, but I never tried it.

[Hank never was in a situation that needed it.]

You're not wrong. As much as other android have longed for freedom, it would be strange to not be who they are. [He says this as a bystander because he's... an exception to the case.] It's probably better that you hadn't.

Yeah I bet. That would be like me turning into an android, you know?

~~[Hank stares at the camera like if he's on The Office.]~~

Anyway. Like was pretty damn hectic when I was there. Hey uh...is there thirium for you here? Y'know...just in case.

[Connor has been here for three months but still. Hank just wants to make sure. He's not worried at all, no sir.]

[At first he wasn't expecting Hank to remember what it was actually called or to even bring it up, but it does make him chuckle lightly. Was he concerned about him? ~~Of course he was~~. He couldn't say why, but he felt a little relief to hearing it, regardless. Happy?]

Yeah. If need be, I can get whatever I need from the closets here. Biocomponents and Thirium included.

Edited 2018-12-16 11:29 (UTC)

[Hank would indeed worry, as it had been a major concern for Connor and Markus in the previous world. ]

Closets. You get all of your shit from closets. The fuck does that even mean?

[~~Connor get out of the closet~~.]

Yeah... The closets are magical. I didn't believe it until I tried it for myself. [He'll just get up and go over to his closet, pulling out a bag of Thirium to demonstrate.] There's no form of currency here. So most things can come from these closets. Otherwise they have vendors you can go to for things from back home, at the cost of a memory of yours I believe. The kitchen also stocks food, so they'll generally have whatever you need, or so I'm told.

[He doesn't have to eat, so he hasn't tested it. ~~I like it in the closet, Hank.~~]

Edited 2018-12-16 11:38 (UTC)

[This should be fascinating. A place that can essentially end world hunter and give others what they want. But already this world unnerves him. The lost of memories in exchange for items. He briefly imagines forgetting about Cole...fuck he'd never be able to take that type of risk.

He concludes that he might actually enjoy having to fight space missiles shot from the fucking moon than the creepy underlining of what's happening here.]

So you can come in anytime you like, but you can never leave, huh. Well, until they make you.

[Taking a sit again after setting the Thirium bag on a table.]

At the moment, we have no control over it.

Fuck. [Riveting words from Hank Anderson as usual.] Is there anything else apart from this magical closet-filled prison place?

I think those are the basics. I'm still in the process on figuring things out, but this place does do events based off of a resident's memories. Some aren't bad and some are.

Memories...

[Hank repeats the word almost like a curse. Hopefully Connor wouldn't notice too much, but honestly Hank had always worn his emotions on his sleeves.]

...fuck if this place even as much thinks about doing something with my memories of Cole, I'm tearing it all down.

[It wasn't hard to tell that it bugged him. Connor -- on the otherhand -- didn't really have any particular feelings towards them.]

I wouldn't think it would do something with Cole, but I can't say for certainty just yet. [And then he was silent for a moment.] The other Connor around here... There was an event when I first arrived that changed us for a while... Almost as if... you'd gone a down a different route than what you remember... A route that could have happened, had you picked the wrong choices.

[Can Hank see where he's going with this?]

.... I know what happens to the other model... because I remember it from that event myself... [And damn does that trouble him.] I realized... that I'd dodged a bullet, so to speak, but it's really just... strange.

I could have easily ended up like that and I wouldn't have thought that what I did was wrong. I guess that's what happens if I hadn't deviated.

Right and I was some sort of utterly shitty partner.

[Because of Connor's going to go into self-deprivation, he was facing off against the currently raging world champion. He scoffs at the idea, but he knows exactly how a few places could have changed his feelings about Connor...a world where he did pull the trigger on him. A world were Connor pulled the trigger on Chloe, wanting to get the information from Kamski...

Fuck, it's depressing as hell.]

But you didn't, [he concludes,] and you know better. Maybe...he might in time too.

[Did he really need to address the elephant in the room? The one biggest fuck up he's done beyond killing his allies (friends?) as a machine. Not really but... This was Hank he was talking to, prompting him to be a bit more honest.]

Hank... I heard the gunshot outside of your house...

[And that's the thing that really makes him hate what happened out of everything. There's a lot of shit to be mad about, but knowing he was partially responsible his death...]

I never want to relive that again, even if it was just a "what if" scenario that never happened.

[...Ahh that. There's an uttered curse from him, low enough to escape most human ears but probably not Connor's android ones. Funny how after desperately chasing towards death for the past few years after Cole was gone, the idea now made Hank flinch visibly.

Why it happened made sick sense, really. If Connor and him hadn't done good work on the case...he was just waiting for an excuse. Fowler throwing him out. Gavin with one too many ill-timed crass joke. The drinking. The eating. It was just the finality of a series of terrible decisions that had been plaguing him, desperately wanting to be with his son again, but too much of a chickenshit to do it by himself until something or someone pushed him to do it. An excuse, that's all it was. Just a man looking for any pathetic excuse to justify it.

Machine or not, it wasn't Connor's fault as much as his own.

He wonders, in his brief anger, what drove him to end up with the gun in his head and being sober enough to pull the trigger, but Connor said he never wants to relieve that again and Hank isn't about going to force him to recall it. It's just morbid curiosity, really. It wouldn't change anything.

Then there is sadness. Even if this is not what happened, it can only imagine how that could affect Connor. Emotions are a bitch. Hank's bad with them. He can't explain into words, at least not yet, what he's feeling. Instead he suddenly he grabs the android into a hug, like they had done near Chicken Feed. Is he trying to conform Connor or himself? Fuck he can't tell.]

Look, I promise it won't happen with me, okay? [His voice is cracking but he feels so much guilt.] I changed like you did...now I'm afraid of dying too early.

[If there was one thing Connor was good at while adjusting to these emotions, it was definitely regret. Shame and guilt were high up there with everything that happened. Seeing what could have been only made these worse, but he's had enough people telling him to stop living in the past and move forward to give them much thought.

It was the thought that he could have pushed him into this... That Hank could have killed himself and nothing he'd say would help in that scenario. He didn't understand emotions, sure, but he knew one thing. Hank and Sumo were probably the most important people in his life now. The idea of having Hank's blood on his hands -- so to speak -- hurt. He was glad they didn't happen from his timeline, but it also made him that much more concern about making sure it didn't happen.

While he was in his thoughts, he suddenly felt the jerk into a hug. At first he was taken aback due to not paying attention, but let out a soft sigh and returned the hug. They'd both changed. That's something they couldn't deny.]

You better not. If you did, I'd have to kill you myself. [Okay, bad joke, but he's trying to lighten the mood a little. Glancing over to Jericho for a moment...] I missed you, Hank. I guess that's why I felt like I should get a dog myself. No one can replace you or Sumo, but he's helped.

[Hank raises an eyebrow at the comment.]

You could try, [he says with a small laugh,] but you'd probably end up failing with the powers I have right now.

[He looks back to Jericho and smiles, releasing his grip from Connor to look at the dog again.]

Well uh...you're gonna like this then.

[He does a sort of high-pitch dog whistle. Jericho looks around excitedly, but what happens next, well, can only be accomplished by whatever powers and magic Hank has from being in that other world. There's a puff of dramatic smoke for effect, but then the very familiar form of Sumo and a tentative "boof" when it sees Connor has the dog's tail wagging. It absolutely towers of Jericho but looks excited to see another dog here as well.]

There he is.

[They both are here.]

[Like what though...? He was probably going to elaborate, so instead of asking, he'll just observe. And... suddenly there are two dogs in his room and he's surprised. Wait...]

So you're not just a dog whisperer, huh?

[Once setting his sights on Sumo. They were both here. Man is he happy to see them both. Jericho is equally confused at first, but it doesn't take long for him to get excited that there's suddenly another dog here. A new friend?! He'll just study Sumo, as if cautiously debating whether or not it's okay to try to befriend him.]

I missed you too, big guy. [He'll be uh... concentrating on Sumo for the moment. He's glad to see Hank, but there's suddenly a familiar friend that he has to pet and show some love to.]

[To be fair, Hank would react the same if faced with a reappearing figure of Sumo. The fact Connor is enamored after just a few...days is still pretty charming in its own right.]

Booof!

[The bark is a low lower than the other dog, but it looks rather happy.]

He says he is glad to see you.

Booouf!

Also that Jericho is a good dog.

Booouf!

Also that he is a good dog.

Booouf!

...and Connor is also a good dog...okay stop it Sumo.

Booouf!

Fuck it you dumb old mutt, I already know I'm a good dog! [He sighs.] See? This is why you shouldn't be able to speak with them.

[You know what that is? That's a genuine laugh coming from Connor. This was nice.]

Sumo is definitely a good dog.

[But Jericho can't help but look at him like, 'But what about me?', which causes Connor to shift his attention to him instead, petting Jericho.]

You're a good dog, too, of course. I wouldn't forget about you.

[Look. Sumo. He likes you, but he has to make his own companion feel loved too. Owner's code.]

[That was fine for all the involved parties. Sumo moves closer to Hank so he could give the dog the pettings that he deserves. Hank's face is a mixture of confusion at hearing Connor laugh (it is a rare thing, after all), and just the strangeness of the situation. From one world to another to this one.

Who knew how long he would stay but...during the holidays here is pretty nice. Even if the last time he had celebrated was ages ago.]

Do you get people showing up like this often?

[It's pretty rare for him too, even with his time here. Maybe it's just being around Hank again that makes him feel at ease? That could be.]

Not at all. Not normally, anyway. I've been here all alone otherwise.

Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore | OPEN

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If anyone else somehow is reading this; Trigger warning for suicide mention

I don't have them hugging as an icon? This is blasphemy

I didn't have either so there

Bless. Best icon 11/10

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