+ Wanted to get it real home-like... +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: EVERYONE!
Where: EVERYWHERE!
When: ANYT-- Friday, February 20 to Monday, February 23
Rating: An average PG-13? (Consider warning for explicit sexual or violent content in your thread's subject line)
Summary:
For the duration of this event each character will discover that their room has been replaced with one of their own memories, one that they find themselves particularly happy or "at home" in. More information can be found here.

This log is an opportunity for your characters to describe the memory playing in their room, so that other characters might visit, and watch the scene unfold. To help browse the collection better, please include your character's name, and their room number in the subject line (e.g. Seta Souji - 100, 6th floor) of your top-level comment.

Rooms/Comments may be locked to certain people, or be available for all to see & visit. Log participation is completely and entirely voluntary.

Have fun!

Comments

The Once-ler | Room 398, 10th floor | OTA

[thneedifestdestiny]

No matter what time of day it is in Wonderland, it is perpetually two in the afternoon in the Once-ler's room. The sun is shining bright, Swomee-Swans and Humming-Fish are singing, and there are trees as far as the eye can see. Only one tree has been chopped down so far, and around it rocks have been arranged into a circle as a sort of makeshift grave. His donkey Melvin is there. Even the Lorax himself is there, playing cards with some of the animals and talking to a tall space that isn't there.

The Once-ler's humble cottage-tent is there and that is where he wakes up in the morning. And when he opens his eyes and sees where he is, he bolts right out of his bed in his pajamas and out the door, where he stares in disbelief at everything around him. And then...then he sinks down to the ground so he can just sit and sob for a moment.

It's an odd place to be in. It's not a second chance - he figures that out very quickly when things start looping around over and over. Still, it's a chance to be in the valley the way it was meant to be, the way it should have stayed. He remembers this day well, and the strange period that followed it. He had just given up on actually trying to sell his Thneed to the people of...of whatever that town was called. They hadn't appreciated it, and the sign Melvin had worn was covered in tomato stains to prove it. But giving up left him in a weird place, with nowhere to go. Home was an option, but it wasn't a good one. He would have just been ridiculed for failing, and he couldn't take all the "I told you so"s. But...for a brief time, the Once-ler thought that maybe he could just live in the valley forever. Maybe he didn't have to go home. He had friends...kind of...? And living out there wasn't so bad really. Even the Lorax, who had been so against him being there at all, didn't try to kick him out (again) as soon as he failed. He told him he'd given it his best shot, which is more support than his family had ever shown him. That's even more clear, now that the Once-ler knows they abandoned him the second his money was gone.

He could have had this. He could have had all of this if hadn't gone and mucked everything up. He could have lived in this beautiful place and had hundreds, thousands of lazy peaceful days just like this one. But, he blew it. The Truffula Valley will never look like this again.

There's a door off in the distance, standing up in the middle of nowhere, but he ignores it. He has absolutely no intention of leaving this memory until he absolutely has to. His emotions are all over the place. He might be found taking a walk through the trees and just admiring the scenery, happy to see real, live Truffula trees. He plays that card game over and over (which is probably cheating), eager to spend any time with the Lorax even if he can only do the same thing on repeat. But sometimes that dissolves into more regret and anguish - there's only so many times he can hear he did the best he could when he knows that in the long run that isn't true at all. Sometimes he even shouts at the Lorax with anger bleeding in from somewhere he can't quite identify, demanding to know why he left him alone with some stupid word that he doesn't know the significance of. These episodes are brief though, and usually followed by more guilt. And sometimes he just lays on the ground, feeling the wind blow through the grass around him and the sun on his face, enjoying the ability to breathe. Eventually, he sits up and watches his piglet Boris run around and try to play with animals that don't seem to see he's there.

His memory is making him absolutely miserable, but he's sure that to some degree he deserves that. He deserves all of this, but he's missed this place so much that he can't make himself leave.

[coinseams]

Beatrice doesn't really know what she's doing. She's been wandering through the mansion, opening and closing doors seemingly at random. She doesn't stay long enough to actually view people's memories, she's not that much of a jerk and she has no interest in snooping through other people's happiness. She's sick of being alone, though. She's spent the last two months wallowing in it, letting it gnaw at her insides, and she wants to just leave the feeling behind, move on, do something.

She doesn't know where anyone else lives, though. She has no idea, so she stumbles awkwardly through the halls opening doors and then slamming them shut, looking for a glimpse of familiarity. She has yet to run into anyone, but slamming the doors is nice, a great way to let off some of her pent up emotion and get the hang of actually walking around again.

That's what happens to the Once'ler. His door swings open, Beatrice peeks in, and then she slams it shut. It's only after the door closes that she realizes; Oh, I know him. So she reopens it just a crack. She doesn't come in, she doesn't even look in, but she's there on the other side.

"Once'ler? That you?"

[thneedifestdestiny]

The Once-ler's easy to miss at first glance. Instead of his trademark worn-out green suit, he's in his grey clothes from back then (since they're what was in his cottage-tent). He's absolutely drowned out by all of the bright colors around him.

He had just been walking through the forest, admittedly needing a little space away from his camp and the Lorax and any sign of what tied this memory to a particular time. Maybe he could pretend it was just a forest and that somewhere, somehow, it still existed and wasn't just a memory on loop.

The door opening and shutting startles the heck out of him and he nearly jumps out of his skin. He'd almost forgotten it was there. But after a moment or two it cracks open and a familiar voice comes from the other side.

"Beatrice?" he calls out. "Yeah, it's me."

He hesitates before offering anything else, but...well, she's obviously already seen what's in here, so he might as well.

"...You can come in, y'know. You don't have to lurk out there."

[coinseams]

"Don't freak out, okay?" Is all she manages to say before wandering in, because his lack of surprise related to her probably means he didn't see her when she first popped in. Which is completely reasonable, she hadn't been in there very long at all.

She had only caught a glimpse of the room before, so she's completely floored when she actually looks around. Her experience with forests had left her with the impression they're all dark, creepy, and only sometimes pretty. But this place is beautiful and vibrant. Everywhere she looks there's color.

So this is where he's from? Because it sure isn't wonderland.

She doesn't comment on it, though, because he doesn't really look all that happy. "Hope you don't mind the company, because you're getting it."

[thneedifestdestiny]

In retrospect, the Once-ler isn't sure how he was expecting a bird to open and shut his door at all, much less slam it. Maybe it shouldn't be such a shock when it isn't a bird that comes into his memory, but a teenage girl. He gapes at her for a moment and stares, trying to put his mental image of Beatrice back together now that it's been shattered into a billion pieces.

"...Well. That's new and different," he says, dumbly.

But, he doesn't mind the company. He's not really in her way, but he still steps aside as a vague and silent gesture to come in and make herself at home.

"So..." How to put it? "...Is this an event thing, or are you a full-time human being now?"

[coinseams]

She gives him time to adjust. It's a little weird, being looked at like that, and she gives him a kind of awkward smile and a half shrug as she wanders further into the room. She's not really offended by the question, thankfully. She's gotten used to weird looks and comments when she was a bluebird.

So, she takes it in stride.

"Full-time. I was never really a bluebird, you know. I just got stuck like that." She just never thought it was important to say out loud, or announce it to everyone who talked to her. Because until she was actually able to become human again, there wasn't really any reason to make a big deal of it.

[thneedifestdestiny]

Magic is so weird. The Once-ler's never understood it at all and any time he tries to ask about it he gets vague answers like "oh that's just how it is" or "it doesn't work like that" so he's kind of given up trying to rationalize it. Still, even after all his time in Wonderland, it manages to surprise him now and then.

"Huh. Really?" Obviously it's true, since he's talking to her-as-a-person but it slips out anyway. "...Probably should've guessed that from the whole 'being able to talk' thing."

That's not a thing animals can really do where he's from. There was the Lorax, but as some kind of forest guardian he gets to transcend the rules of what can and can't talk. That was the the whole point of him anyway, to speak for the trees.

He doesn't dwell on it too long though, and actually manages to crack a grin. "I guess that sweater's gonna be way too small now."

Not that she would need it in his memory room - it's a gorgeous spring day in there.

[coinseams]

"Well, it was a pretty big hint." Though, there are definitely some animals that can talk, both back home and here, so she's not sure if that's something that even counts as a hint, in the grand scheme of things. Not that it matters all that much, given how she's human now, and all.

She smirks a little at the sweater comment and puts a hand on her hip so she can nonchalantly check out her most definitely dirty fingernails. "I guess that means you're gonna have to make me a new one, huh? Can't exactly wear a bird one now."

Which is her roundabout way of saying that, yes, she did actually appreciate the sweater. Because really, she did! It helped her out, when she felt kind of lonely, like she'd be stuck a grumpy, friendless bluebird forever.

[thneedifestdestiny]

"No, probably not," he agrees. "It wouldn't even fit over your hand now."

It's hard not to notice the obvious. She seems...really happy. It makes the Once-ler pretty happy for her in return, to be honest. He'd probably hate everything if he had to be stuck as a bird. That sounds terrible. Ugh. Being a person is great.

A couple of birds tweet in the distance as if they can hear his thoughts, but the truth is they've been tweeting on loop all day.

"But yeah, I guess I'll have to make you a new one," he says, rolling his eyes a little. "At least you don't have a good reason to try and turn it down this time."

Not that her good reason worked last time, but at least she's human now.

[coinseams]

Beatrice turns to look towards the direction of the sound, frowning just slightly. It's just a memory--not even hers--but part of her half expects to just...turn back into a bluebird. Like it's too good to last, even if she's been this way a little while now.

There's no use dwelling, so when she turns back, the smirk is back on her face. Yeah, nothing can get her down right now, really. Not even birds.

"Ooooh I don't know, I could probably think something up."

[thneedifestdestiny]

The Once-ler laughs a little and crosses his arms.

"Go ahead then," he says. "Give me one good reason to not accept a human-sized sweater. C'mon. I'm waiting."

It's a playful challenge, and only half-hearted - even if she does come up with something, she'll probably wind up with a new sweater either way.

[goesdown]

Crowley isn't bothering with excuses or reasons. Wonderland is being its usual charming self and messing with everything they're comfortable with and after watched Dean sing I'm Too Sexy about a dozen times in a row, even he needs a break from what passes for singing in the Winchester family.

Besides, people keep wandering into his room and embarrassing him. Why shouldn't he do the same? Or at least take an opportunity to learn more about some of Wonderland's best and brightest.

He's trying doors at random when he stumbles into the Once-ler's and it's certainly bright. In fact, he recognizes the bizarrely bright trees almost immediately, because the first event he'd seen in Wonderland almost two years ago had looked an awful lot like this.

Peering around, he takes in the cheerful creatures and and eye-searing brightness of it all before he finally approaches the Once-ler's makeshift home, calling out to him.

"I feel like the people in the little town in the TV in Pleasantville. Am I going to get brighter if I stay here?"

He doesn't sound too concerned, though, more like amused.

[thneedifestdestiny]

The Once-ler is inside his cottage-tent. He's spent a lot of time outside and wandering around, but it's gotten overwhelming to be around all of this. The guilt is getting to him. What right does he have to be back among Truffula trees after what he did? Or maybe that guilt is exactly what he deserves.

It's been a while now, and he's gotten used to the repetitive sounds of this memory playing over and over and over, so he notices right away that there's someone else walking around. Something new is happening, but he doesn't give it attention until Crowley calls out.

He tugs up the shade and leans out the window to have a look, resting his long arms on the sill. He does recognize the guy - there was an event with zombies, and they camped out together on the coldest night of it, since the Once-ler actually had a fire going. It feels like forever ago now, and he hasn't seen much of the guy since (though admittedly he never really went looking either).

"Probably not," he calls out. "Would've made my life a heck of a lot easier if it did."

But no, it doesn't work like that, because it never works like that, according to a certain furry mustache.

"...Unless you meant in like, a radioactive way? In which case no, definitely not." He's not really sure, since he's got no idea where Pleasantville is, aside from possibly being the capital of Sarcasm-istan.

[goesdown]

"No, just color saturation." It's bright, but not in the way he assumes Heaven must be bright. It's bloody colorful and he doesn't know what to make of it. Is there an entire world out there that looks like this? He hadn't thought much of it the last time he'd seen the bright and bushy trees, but then he hadn't understood much of Wonderland back then. Everything here is a memory and he knows that now.

He remembers the Once-ler, but not just from those zombies. His memories of Storybrook tend to come and go in the forefront of his mind. At first, it had felt just as real as his own life, but even as it's faded away, he remembers snippets of that live as if he'd lived it and he remembers his rival--or rather Tavish's rival who had worn the Once-ler's face. He's gotten good at divorcing these events from his feelings towards people here, because he's needed to, but there's a twinge of bruised pride at the idea of someone doing something he actually did in life better than him.

"This is your world? I remember these trees. The bonfire two years ago."

[thneedifestdestiny]

Well, there was an entire world like this.

The Once-ler had nearly forgotten that Truffula trees had once sprouted across Wonderland, or more accurately he had forgotten that there were still people in Wonderland now who were present for that event and remembered it. He never went to the bonfire himself, but that one phrase gives him momentary pause. I remember these trees. The number of people who can actually say that will slowly dwindle until eventually, the Once-ler will be the only one who remembers. He's sure of it.

"...Yeah! Yeah, this is my world. That was my event," he finally says, trying to awkwardly laugh off any hesitance he had. "Man, it feels like forever ago now."

Counting the time he spent at home, it feels closer to four or five years than just two. The Once-ler was such a different guy back then that he has this weird detachment to the whole thing.

"At the time I was pretty proud of having an event that didn't try to kill us," he adds, glancing upward in thought. "But uh. Sorry you've been around long enough to remember it."

[goesdown]

Crowley shakes his head, walking over to the nearest tree and touching the trunk experimentally. "There's no reason to be sorry. I'm not."

Wonderland is a lot of things and it's done a lot of things to Crowley, but at the end of the day, it's given him things he knows he'll never have again when he leaves for good. He doesn't deserve any of them, but he's selfish enough not to care.

Sometimes he wonders if he would've been different if he hadn't spent his whole life being left behind. Probably not that different, if he's honest. Whether they stayed or left, no one ever pointed him towards any other path.

"That was the first event I was here for. It set a pretty misleading tone, to be honest, but I think everyone here appreciates a break from the monsters and murder sometimes."

Says the monster who's done a fair amount of his own murdering.

[thneedifestdestiny]

The Once-ler shrugs. Maybe he shouldn't have assumed Crowley wouldn't want to be in Wonderland, but he doesn't dwell on it. It's not as though he's clamoring to leave anytime soon himself.

"I'd been here about a year when that one happened," he says. "It's all kind of fuzzy now, but I know there hadn't been a good event in like, ages when it happened. It was totally something to brag about at the time."

Having a half-decent event and knowing it came from him? It was the best feeling. Of course, it's not really something he can reasonably brag about anymore. If the event happened again, he's not sure he would want to claim it as his own, because to some degree that would mean admitting what happened to it, or at least having to look someone in the face as they gushed about how nice the valley is. Was.

"There's definitely a disproportionate amount of monsters and murder though," he says. "And stuff that's just downright uncomfortable."

Like this event, for example. He can't really call it good with how it's been making him feel.

[goesdown]

"Monsters and murder tend to be my specialty, but this place has a knack for making even things you're used to somehow unfamiliar and worse."

Crowley might be less forward than he used to be about what he is, but he doesn't try to make a secret of it. If people can accept Meg, they should be able to accept him, too! He's closer to humanity now than she's ever been.

"I take it you're used to a quieter life than Wonderland provides?"

It seems a bit boring, but Crowley can see the appeal in that. He likes power, but he likes his creature comforts, too, and there's something to be said for simple leisure. As a human, he'd lived in a time without internet or central air. Back then, this would have looked like a magical paradise.

[thneedifestdestiny]

Maybe the Once-ler should judge that a little harder, but mention of monsters and murder just gets an eyebrow raise out of him. He's been in Wonderland a long time now, so he knows exactly what Crowley means - Wonderland has a spectacular way of making everything worse somehow.

Mention of a quieter life gives him pause though. He glances out past Crowley, to the trees.

"...Yeah. I guess you could say that," he finally admits. "It's even quieter than it is now. All of this is gone in my time so it's more like dead silent, really. It's a wasteland now."

With that, the Once-ler disappears, but only for a moment so he can actually come outside instead of just hanging his arms out the window.

"Wonderland's actually kind of peaceful in comparison." Most things are, since he can barely breathe the air at home - not that he has any right to complain about that.

[goesdown]

Crowley lets out a huff of air. It often seems that he's one of the few who finds Wonderland preferable, but even he wouldn't describe it as peaceful. This is peaceful, but it sounds like whatever world this is, it's gone the way of Mad Max or something.

"People don't appreciate what they have until it's gone." Crowley knows that well, but hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? Being faced with things he's lost and regained has certainly given him pause here. "And humans live such short lives. They don't see a lot that isn't right in front of them."

Lately, Crowley's been a bit on the poetic side. He's felt a bit mad since he faced down the Jabberwocky, un-tethered and grasping for anything that will keep him from floating away.

"What happened to it?"

[thneedifestdestiny]

The Once-ler crosses his arms. Forgive him, but he's not really feeling the poetry today.

"I happened to it," he says. "...I was a businessman. Greed got the better of me and...I destroyed this place. Before I knew it, I had cut down every single tree."

Look around them. There are trees for miles. Every single one of them in the Once-ler's time has been chopped away, leaving only rows and rows of stumps like graves.

"Without trees there's no grass, no animals...not to mention the number my factory did on like, everything," he goes on. "The river's full of schloppity schlopp now, and the sky's full of smogulous smoke."

He doesn't sound proud of himself. His heart is heavy with regret and guilt. If he hadn't broken his promise, none of it would have ever happened. He gives a weak shrug.

"Say what you want about Wonderland, but having clean air to breathe is pretty great."

Not that he deserves clean air at this point, but if Wonderland is going to force him to be here then he's not going to argue.

[madehervows]

It isn't often that Regina finds herself on the tenth floor, but a split second decision to go up instead of down in an attempt to get away from Zelena brings her to the upper levels. It's a new sort of anger that burns in Regina's veins because of her sister, the likes of which even her rage against Snow White couldn't even compare. The complete and utter despising for a person who didn't even do anything is just hard to deal with. Her own anger against Snow White had always been justified, even if she had been a child. It pushes her forward, away from Zelena and as far as she can get.

Regina stalks down the hall, ignoring the doors sitting ajar and just walking. She keeps going until finally, finally the anger is replaced by something else. There's no explanation for the sudden mood change, and honestly she's thankful they aren't sharing thoughts as well as emotions. The sudden change makes her stop to take a breath, finally.

A few doors down, the Once-ler's door lies ajar. The bright colours are what draws her towards it more than anything; even in Wonderland they stand out. What she finds is... totally unexpected. Considering her own room turned into a barn, a forest probably shouldn't seem that farfetched, it just stands out. Quietly slipping into the room, she shuts the door behind her and tries to find the owner. She's just curious, honestly.

Regina finds the Once-ler laying in the grass and takes a seat next to him. Her shoes are in her hand, having taken them off to navigate the forest a little easier.

"This is nice."

[thneedifestdestiny]

The Once-ler hears someone coming, but he doesn't look up until they're much closer. It's nice out and he's comfortable there. He actually stands out really easily against everything around him as well - his weathered green suit is gone and he's back in his grey clothes (his "pioneer" clothes, according to that Oregon trail event) since that's what he had in his cottage-tent to work with. Against the green grass and the bright Truffula trees, he sticks out by being drab in comparison.

When he hears it's Regina though, he finally pushes himself up on his palms to sit up, and then readjusts his hat once he's upright. Of all the people who could have turned up, he's glad it's her and not someone to whom he has to explain the awful things he's done. He's not sure he could take starting over from the beginning right now. Besides, he's actually glad to be able to show it to someone. That's not something he would ever be able to do without this event.

"Yeah, it really is," he says, smiling. Then he spreads his arms wide and over-dramatically. "Welcome to the Truffula Valley!"

It really is magnificent. It seems to go on forever, and maybe in the Once-ler's memory it really does. The grass is soft and everything is colorful and beautiful. Even the air has a slightly sweet scent - the combined butterfly-milk-like scent of all the Truffula trees. He spends so much time thinking about this place every day that the memory is crystal-clear, like stepping into the past.

"Yep," he adds, self-deprecation creeping back in. "This place was definitely nice before I went and wrecked everything in sight."

[madehervows]

"Who hasn't?"

So, spouting jabs about both their dark pasts probably isn't the best idea, but the spiral she can see coming on is something to be avoided. It's the same one she experienced quite often when she still wasn't sure if she could actually change, or if it was all one big joke at her expense until the day came that she finally paid for her sins. If she can pull him out of it before it begins, it'll be worth it.

(When did she become the sponsor? Not that she's complaining.)

Her fingers play in the grass as she watches him; it's been a long, long time since she's been able to do something as simple as this. "I almost don't want to leave. My room got turned into a barn." Not to mention the display that's permanently on repeat, but there's no need to complicate things.

[thneedifestdestiny]

From anyone else, the Once-ler might be annoyed or hurt by the jab. But...she's right. She knows his story already, and he's been in and out of that spiral for days now, ever since the event began. He would just fall back into it if she didn't drag him out of it. She's one of the only people who actually can empathize with him, which helps them avoid an additional twenty minutes of him trying to explain how no, he's actually a terrible person. She knows that and he knows a good chunk of her dark past too, so they can just skip all that.

"I haven't," he says, but then when he realizes how sad it sounds he amends it. "I mean...the tent's fully stocked with a kitchen and all my stuff from when this was actually my life, so it's not like I needed to?"

In other words, yes he's been a hermit but at least he has food to eat and a bed to sleep in and a sunny day on loop, so this could be significantly more pathetic than it is. The last bit surprises him though, and he raises his eyebrows.

"A barn? Really? I never would have guessed," he says. Then, a friendly laugh. "With all due respect, I would've assumed you'd never stepped into a barn in your life."

She is/was royalty, after all. Then again, his world didn't really have real royals, so what would he know?