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

[ The look on her face is strange as he explains that. Though she was also of the digital persuasion, android technology was still a wee bit out of her grasp. Throw in Wonderland shenanigans and it got even worse.

Eventually, she gives a few shakes of her head and widens her smile. No pain! No regrets! ]

It's fine. That's not you, and you're not an "RK800" anymore.

[ She boops his nose. ] You're Connor! So don't even worry about it. If I see him, I'll give him a good slap, just for you~

[Wow. That was... something that seemed pretty universal at this point. People telling him that he wasn't that person anymore and not to worry. None of them were wrong and it wasn't a bad thought, just still a bit foreign for him.]

I mean, I'm technically still an RK800 model, but...

[Oh. Okay. He wasn't expecting the boop, so he took a moment to finish. But her response does make the faint smile show again, chuckling lightly again. He just didn't want her to be confused about it not being the Connor she came to know and her safety.]

Just... be careful, okay? I'm... who I make myself to be.

[His way of saying that he's not the same. His choices may have been seen as errors or a mistake to his counterpart, but he didn't regret his decisions after he'd woken up. If nothing else, he felt more regret of the damage he's caused already and it was too late to fix them.]

Don't worry! I'll be fine. Between my game and this place? Not much scares me anymore.

[ When you spend nearly a year in digital purgatory with nothing but your thoughts to keep you company, things happen. ]

Still, it's nice to know you care so much about me~

[ She's teasing, but it is nice to have some concern thrown her way after what feels like ages. Hell if she's turning it down. ]

C'mon. Tell me some happy things! I know you've been doing something to keep yourself occupied. [ There's a soft snicker. ] You totally seem like the type who'd go nuts if you weren't busy.

We're friends, right? Before coming here, I only had one friend. I've learned the value of having them along the way.

[Which is to say that, yes, he does care about you. More than he probably understands right now.]

Well... I've adopted a dog, besides that I haven't really done much. [Oh right.] Ah, speaking of. I should really check on him.

[Come with him, Monika.]

[ No pain, right? But the talk of friends makes her heart ache. Literally, for once. Human bodies were so crazy. ] I'm glad I can call you one, Connor. For the longest time...I tried to pretend I didn't have any.

[ Monika's quiet for a moment, but then she perks right back up. Problems immediately stop existing when you don't think about them!

Soon enough, she's bouncing alongside him as they head towards his room, hands clasped from excitement. ]

You, with a dog! Ahaha, oh gosh! Totally not what I expected! [ Shooting things, maybe. Or maybe learning art? One of the two. ] What made you want to do that?

[Listen. He's not trying to push buttons here.]

I can understand that. Rather... back then I had no use for friends. [They were unnecessary for the mission. But things change.]

I used to know a dog named Sumo. His owner is my partner back home on the DPD. I guess I just missed him. [Or Hank in particular, but he did miss the giant, gentle beast just as much.

They weren't too far away, so the moment he opened his door, Jericho was right right waiting for him. How dare you leave him alone for so lon-- Oh! That's a pretty girl. Must sniff her curiously now.]

This is Jericho. Jericho, this is my friend Monika.

[Said as if he could understand Jericho. Sadly, he does not have the same super power as Hank to be a dog whisperer.]

So cute~!

[ Who cares about friends now! There's a fluffy dog in need of pets and she has so! many! to! give! Connor's temporarily forgotten as she goes dog crazy for a while.

She hasn't had the chance to meet any real ones. Give her a break.

Oh, right. Connor. He still exists. ]

I don't think there's any "guess" about it. You totally missed him! [ She giggles at Jericho licking her cheek. ] That's so sweet of you.

[ Which reminds her. ] You said a lot of people you knew from back home had showed up. Is he one of them?

[You know... He's just going to chuckle and take a seat while she does her thing. Jericho is having a blast with all of the love he's getting anyways.

Oh, looks like she noticed he was there again finally. Oh.]

Ah... Yeah.. [Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck to the first comment. And he was glad to see him again.] Yeah, he's one of the people that arrived here.

[ Well, that's an interesting reaction. She grins to herself. ]

Have you two hung out some, then? Done some cop things? Ahaha, I know it's probably boring here without any crimes to solve...

[ Not that she'd know anything about any crimes in Wonderland!! ]

I'm sure you two could find something to shoot!

We have. I just.. don't think it would be a good idea to shoot something indiscriminately. It's technically illegal for androids to use firearms after all.

[Which... doesn't mean much... Because he used them frequently throughout the time anyway, but he can joke about it at least.]

It's probably better that there is no crime to solve.

Edited 2018-12-18 08:47 (UTC)

Yeah. You're right. No crime is good.

[ She's been hoping to avoid Dr. Fitz. For reasons. Crime reasons. But he doesn't need to know that. ]

A-Anyway! Ahaha! It's just a suggestion. Besides, I'd pay to see someone try to stop you from using a gun~

[ Suddenly, she's walking over to him and tugging on his hands. ] Come on! There's snow outside and I want to enjoy it! Jericho can come, too!

[He was about to comment on the gun, but that became moot to her excitement. He'll just let it slide for now and let her drag him along. It was understandable, considering she didn't get the opportunity to live like this otherwise. Meanwhile Jericho will follow close behind.]

[ So much excitement! She's hardly dressed for the weather, since she normally doesn't even have to think about weather, but who cares? There's snow! Real, crunchy, icy snow that she just can't get enough of. But the thought of it gets slapped out of her mind unexpectedly.

It's right when they're nearly to the entrance hall that her keen eyes pick up on one of the most important things that comes with Christmas. You'd think she'd seen Santa Claus from the way she gasps.

Mistletoe.

Now, they're friends, right? But everyone can be a little more than friends once or twice without any repercussions. And this was practically Christmas law! Connor was very concerned with the legality of things, so it was only right that she made sure he remained a law-abiding citizen!

Monika comes to a stop, making sure she's in the perfect place that he'd end up caught under the precious plant with her. She's not missing an opportunity when it gets handed to her! ]

Hey! Look~

[ She innocently points up. What a coincidence! ]

[He was just letting her do her thing, so seeing her stop before getting outside made him cock his head to the side ever so slightly, gauging just what had caught her attention. Glancing up to see what she was talking about..]

A mistletoe?

[That was pretty common to have hanging around Christmas time from the information he knew of it, but what was so fascinating about it? He was not even thinking about what people do under them just yet though. Hadn't even crossed his mind. He's in for a surprise.]

What about it?

Ahaha, I guess your head's so full of police stuff that the more important things in life wouldn't be there~

[ Seriously, Cyberlife. Get with it.

But it's okay! She's patient. She's had one whole kiss in her life, so she knows what she's doing.

Monika steps closer, taking a moment to marvel at him. She wasn't joking when she first met him--he really is handsome. And if not for the light in his temple, she wouldn't even know he wasn't human.

It's fine, though, him being the way he is. She likes the thought of him as an android so much more. ]

It's sooo romantic, isn't it? [ There's a dreamy sigh. ] Kissing under the mistletoe.

[What..? He's... not sure what to think right now. He's never really thought about what it meant to love someone in that context. It just wasn't in his programming, but if Markus and North could fall for each other, than it couldn't be impossible, right? And then there were the Traci's back at the Eden Club..]

I uh.. wouldn't really know.

[He's not sure what to do right now. The obvious answer is to kiss under the mistletoe, but this is something he has no idea how to handle. He's barely getting the basics of emotions for one. His hesitation had everything to do with getting an error on side and nothing to do with Monika herself. Monika was fine. He liked her.

Just... What do you do?]

[ Another gasp! ] Then that's even better! I can show you!

[ And she's not kidding. She immediately starts adjusting him to her liking, a look of intense focus on her face. Eventually, his hands are placed just so on her waist, and hers have settled onto his shoulders. They could be the cover for a romantic comedy, really.

Her second first kiss was going to be perfect! ]

Do you need some more time to prepare? [ Already, she's leaning in--well, up, considering the height difference. ] I know this is probably the most intense thing you've ever done~

[Oh.

OH.

Uhm... ERROR?

He was way out of his element right now. Oh, and now he's closer to her than he ever thought he'd be. He's conflicted right now. He did like her, but did he like her like this? What was it like to actually feel like it actual love? Is this what Markus and North deal with? How do they do it? He had a million thoughts running through his mind and his LED was clearly showing that.]

Uh. I... don't know about this.

[He's not saying no. Wait, was he actually feeling nervous about all of this? Oh god. Why were emotions so hard to understand. What was this one he was feeling right now?]

Awww. [ She giggles. ] It's okay! My heart's pounding, too!

[ He has a robot heart, right? Or some equivalent? Whatever. Not important.

Seriously, though, she was shaking. From excitement, of course! And just a little nervousness. The last time she'd gotten kissed, well...she'd kind of been a tiny bit murderous, and that tends to put a damper on things.

But now? It was so much better. ]

Oh, and you changed your light color! And to the perfect one! Maybe you know more than you're letting off, ahaha!

[ Now she just can't help herself. Monika leans up on her tiptoes and closes in on the last bit of distance between them.

Finally, a perfect kiss! ]

Ah! [Light color... He hadn't even paid attention to that half the time. It had to be red right about now. But no time to think about that, but suddenly he's kissing Monika. What is this? This was so weird. What's with these emotions?! He'll take positive emotions over the ones he'd been experiencing but this... He didn't know what to do.

Does not compute!

But as confusing as this whole ordeal was, it wasn't bad...? He may not be the best kisser, sorry Monika. Mostly because he's trying to process everything. He'd have to do a self diagnosis after this to check on his systems because he was feeling a bit strange.

How did he not consider what a mistletoe was used for? He had knowledge about it's purpose, after all. He should have thought about it more. But anything else could wait for now because he was otherwise preoccupied with this right now.]

[ Kissing an android was definitely an interesting experience. He didn't taste like plastic like she'd expected. And he didn't feel quite human--just slightly off, in weird little ways. But did she care? Heck no!

It was her first real kiss under the mistletoe!!! That was, like, a 20 on the 1 to 10 scale of romantic things. The next step up was making love, basically!

She doesn't want to overwhelm him with so many amazing sensations, though, so she breaks the kiss, sinking back down onto her feet. Wonderland had just given her the sweetest of Christmas miracles. ♥ ]

How do you feel?

[Oh my gosh. Was this what it was like for humans? If he had a heart, it would probably be beating pretty hard; Maybe his Thirium Regulator was? Regardless, that just happened and he wasn't even aware that his cheeks could get flustered. Learn something new every day?]

I... don't know. [But now that he's free to move his hands now, he covered his mouth instinctively for a moment. It sure is a good thing that she seems to be enjoying herself though.]

[ Monika brings a hand to her mouth too, mainly to stifle a giggle. ] It's okay. You don't have to know. That's the fun of it.

[ She takes a moment to hold his cheek, a very more-than-friends gesture, and then it's like they hadn't just done something to overload his system. ]

Aww, Jericho! Sorry we kept you waiting!

[ With a few more giggles, she kneels down to give him a few rubs before continuing towards the entrance hall. ]

Come on, Connor! If you keep standing there, someone else might come kiss you, and I'm not sure if I'd like it~

[Connor.exe has stopped working.

A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. CyberLife will close the program and notify you if a solution is available.

He's not that responsive right away, still figuring out what the hell just happened. But then suddenly he notices that Monika and Jericho are already at the door. Well, he'll... just have to figure out what to do after all of this later. He's finally catching up, but he's a little bit out of it yet.]

[ Okay, she can't help but be amused. Did she really have that much of an affect on him? She didn't know she was so amazing!

She crosses her arms over her chest once she steps outside, giggling as Jericho goes bounding off into the snow. There was so much adorableness happening around her, it almost hurt.

When Connor finally joins her, she glances over at him, and her smile's just a tad coy. ]

Ahaha, I almost thought you froze there for a second.

[ Pun intended. ]

Edited (Spotting dem typos hours later) 2018-12-21 12:45 (UTC)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject