+ Chess is a Gentle-Queen's Game +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone in Wonderland!
Where: The chessboard hills
When: Monday, July 15, all day starting at 10:00 AM
Rating: PG-13 (probably)
Summary: The Red Queen has accepted a challenge from the Queen of Hearts.
The Story:
♥ ICly, characters who will act as pieces were chosen by either queen. 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 chosen pieces and requesting their assistance to protect their fellow Real things. Characters were not ICly able to respond to this message, but the Red Queen will be available after the event for questions/demands/angry rants.

♥ 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 fliers 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).

♥ Each player sports an armband (since mirrors do tend to look so like their counterparts ♥), black for the Mirrors and white for the Real things, with the shape of their assigned chess piece printed in the opposite color.

♥ 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 thread under which to comment! It might be helpful to label your thread with which moves/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 who enters their respective squares. 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 them being officially announced.

♥ The plotting and info post for this log is here.

♥ For your convenience, here are links to the thread headers:
The Game - Moves 1-22
The Game - Moves 23-40
The Game - Moves 41-55
The Game - Moves 56-71
The Game - Moves 72-83
The Game - Moves 84-98
The Game - Moves 99-114
The Holding Area
The Stands

Have fun!

Comments

[strategisch]

[Their king is... curious, to say the least.]

[Armin has been keeping an eye on him since the beginning of the game because, well, this is a game of chess. It's important to alway know where your king is.]

[But what a character he is. With a silly heart sweater, an odd mask which he never even shifts, and a huge backpack full of all sorts of things that seems to be bottomless. He's just strange. You'd think the Queen would pick someone a little more formidable to represent her troops. All this one has done is throw vague insults and once, a large wooden cudgel.]

[As the battle progressed, Armin captured one piece and watched as the field around him slowly thinned out as he took the pawn's only option of blindly marching forward...]

[...and was then made queen.]

[However, he could tell his promotion was too little too late. The king was in check from several angles and as he played out all his options in his head, checkmate was only a matter of time.]

...I have to agree. All this forced slaughter for a game is completely senseless.

[obligatorymerchant]

[ To add to this king's weirdness is his surprisingly deep voice and creepy chuckle. ]

Ahahaha, senseless slaughter I'm used to! Being the tool of a Queen, I'm also used to. And I can appreciate the grand joke that is my position as King. But our Queen is playing poorly, and somehow I doubt we're going to get another chance to try again. I thought we were supposed to be the side that advances the plot, to guide or be guided by our puppeteers. This just feels... meaningless. An exercise in futility. There is nothing more frustrating than pointless quests in a game.

[ Zacharie your rambling is going to make no fucking sense to Armin, translate that shit. ]

What I mean to say is, this all seems pointless. It's like attacking Enoch before he's worn himself out, or asking that panicked Elsen if there is going to be an OFF sequel even though you already no the answer. You're just wasting time.

[ But what else are you doing with your time, Zacharie? By the way, you haven't even cleared anything up for Armin. You have probably confused the poor guy further by trying to convey your feelings to Otter. ]

Then again, I'm not doing much else, so I suppose I may as well enjoy the ride. Who knows? Maybe this will all serve some grand purpose in the end!

[ That's right, buddy boy. Chill. Remember that you're an NPC and your life is basically scripted pointlessness. I'm not going to help you infomod any further than you have in this tag, either, so just talk to Armin like a normal fucking person. ]

But since it looks like we have some time before my inevitable checkmate, would you like to buy something?

[strategisch]

[Come on Zacharie, that was a little gratuitous. Otter appreciates your ironic sentiments but Armin could do with far, far less of them. He's been confused since the day he got here and now this guy is spouting at him what might as well be word salad. If he knew what a stroke was, he'd be wondering if he was having one.]

I... see...?

[This is his go to phrase to be polite when in his head he's saying something like, "what the fuck just came out of your mouth". He attaches to the end of his rambling because while he has no idea why someone would be selling goods in the middle of a mass murder marathon, he at least understands what it means.]

I don't think I have need for anything, and this is hardly the time...

[obligatorymerchant]

[ No one should appreciate his rambling like seriously shut the fuck up Zacharie. Or, in his own words, who needs that tedious blether. Just stick to selling shit. ]

Wrong. In the midst of battle is the perfect time to browse my items. Offense, defense, healing, I have everything you could possibly need to survive a terrible ordeal!

[strategisch]

[Sorry Zach, Attack on Titan hasn't been made into a video game. Armin does not yet understand the spiel of the Generic Merchant. His quizzical look just becomes more and more confused by the second.]

...If you're speaking of weapons and armor, there's no way you could fit that in your pack and still stand upright. And medicines? Why would you be selling such things?

[Oh yeah, like attacking the logic or this situation is going to get you anywhere. Sorry that his brain works like a TI-84 calculator.]

[obligatorymerchant]

You underestimate me.

[ He chuckles his deep, manly creepy chuckle as he hoists the bag from over his shoulder to sit on the ground. ]

Unfortunately the true weaponry is not on me and has been reserved for an interested customer, but I have things much better than medicine. In the context of Wonderland the easiest way to describe it is "magic." I do believe I have my-- aha!

[ Pulling out the David Tunic. ]

It may not be the armor you're used to, but it's deceptively good at protecting your body from harm. I also have some other items for defense that are equipped more with the mind than a physical manifestation, but I can see you're already having trouble ingesting all of this! So let me introduce you to the simplest item I can offer...

[ He whips out something that looks like a carnival ticket. ]

For minor injuries.

[strategisch]

[Armin narrow his eyes in scrutiny.]

It's a shirt. And a slip of paper.

[Welcome to your toughest sell ever, Zacharie.]

Are you the type of merchant that tricks gullible people out of their money? [Because they don't really have a word for con-man.]

[obligatorymerchant]

Ahaha, a skeptic! No, my dear Queen, all of my items do as I promise. [ he does jack up the prices but c'mon a man's gotta put sugar on the table. ]

Go ahead and try the Luck Ticket. If it's not to your satisfaction, I won't ask for payment. That's how much confidence I have that you will be impressed enough to do business with me in the future.

[ He moves to stand at the edge of his square to pass it over. If people keep questioning him, he's going to run out of Luck Tickets before long. The only good thing is that maybe they'll want some of his pricier merch. ]

[strategisch]

[Well, he'll take it if it's free. No harm in a slip of paper, right? And it does shine very prettily in the sunlight, as if the word LUCK had been printed in golden ink.]

I'm not injured at the moment, but I'll keep it. [A look of displeasure flickers across his face at being called "Queen" though.] What's your name, merchant?

[obligatorymerchant]

[ This is your only handout, Armin. After this he expects payment and will chase you down to get it. ]

Zacharie.

[ His frog mask is like the Mona Lisa: look at it the right way and you'll think it's smiling, other times frowning, and the French put it on display behind bulletproof glass. At the moment it almost seems like he's grinning. Maybe it's just his demeanor. ]

We'll see how long your uninjured state lasts, considering the rate of slaughter on the field. With the way it's going now, it'll soon be my turn to be on the receiving end of a sword.

[ Except you get to avoid having your face smashed in, Zacharie. ]

[strategisch]

[It honestly creeps the fuck out of Armin. He already has a distaste for human-like things that don't have expressions, and masks hit that sweet spot in the middle of the uncanny valley.]

[But he looks back out across the field, sizing up the situation.]

...I'd watch out for either the Bishop or the Rook. Especially the Rook. She's been playing him very aggressively. [And he fought just as aggressively. Too bad he didn't get the chance to stick his knives in your fat throat, Zach.]

[obligatorymerchant]

[ Too bad indeed. Zacharie doesn't seem all that concerned (though it's kinda hard to tell with that mask of his) as he turns to look out at Yousuke's mirror. ]

Ahaha, so she is! A competent if ruthless Queen. Always good to have a little familiarity.

I almost hope I'll get to come toe-to-toe with him. I know his counterpart and the resulting battle would be very interesting.

[ This is getting dangerously close to... playercesting??? Who knows. ]