entrancelogs | + FOURTH WALL EVENT: FOREST PARTY +

Entry tags:

+ FOURTH WALL EVENT: FOREST PARTY +

Who: E V E R Y O N E
Where: The Forest!
When: Sept 7th to Sept 10th
Rating: G to PG-13 (please label higher ratings, thank you!)
Summary: Could it be that you (GASP!) don't want to be here? Do you maybe want to make like a tree and... leaf? Then how about you do the next best thing, and come to the woods to party! And don't forget to have a look at the Fourth Wall Master Post for event rules, puzzle clues, and more places to mingle!
The Story:

Beginning on September 7th, colourful ribbons will hang from several trees by the forest. Whoever follows their path will be guided deeper, right to the scene of a forest party.

Wooden benches, swings in all shapes and sizes, tree trunks, and other arrangements give plenty of opportunities to sit together. Tree houses and tents provide shelter, and come nightfall the festivities will light up for you.

Campfires provide additional light and warmth and a great place for ghost stories. Camping coolers store more than smores, and all around you nature twists and turns to give you room to dance to the music, to wander in the quiet, and to simply have a good time!

(...Are you the curiously perceptive, or the perceptively curious sort? If so, then you might also notice the small bird sitting on a branch nearby.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Or maybe I've just had way too much practice.

[He laughs, walking over to her and trying to get a better look of the photo as it develops. Stefan's no stranger to them (partially because he remembers when Polaroids were invented, and partially because his Max lugged hers everywhere), but his curiosity gets the better of him - ]

Are you old-school on purpose, or does Wonderland not like technology much?

[She holds the picture up so he can see- a milky white image starts to form, resolving slowly into a full-color photo. In all honesty she'd rather he not see it immediately. What if she screwed up with some amateur mistake? Now they're watching it develop at the same time, and it makes her a little nervous. But it's not like she can just... hide it from him.]

Oh, no, we've got robots and everything. I just love analog. It makes me feel, uhh... [More like an artist, she wants to say, but it dies slightly in her throat. She finishes the sentence lamely.] I dunno. More creative.

[She glances at him to study him again.] You're not a model or something are you?

I get that. Nothing like watching the film develop right before your eyes.

[Stefan shakes his head, turning his gaze so that he's more focused on her. He knows Max well enough (er, a version of Max well enough) to know when his attention should wander, and eh? Worst-case scenario? She can rewind this whole thing.]

Oh, me? No, no, nothing like that. [He laughs, because him? Model?? That's... not actually wrong, but that's also not Stefan.] I just uh - one of my best friends was really into photography. After a while, you kinda got used to it.

[She smiles along with his laugh. Hey, he could pass for one, and there's not a lot of people who bump into her and actually ask for a photo.

The picture finally develops fully:

A relaxed looking guy, hands stuffed casually into pockets, Arabic shirt contrasting nicely with the foliage. He might not have stood out enough against the scenery (small groups of people all around, lights, decorations) except she got the depth of field just right- he shows up sharp against a slightly blurry background, the obvious main character in an otherwise busy scene. A nearby line of lights gently coaxes any viewer's gaze toward his eyes.

Not bad. Inwardly she's quite satisfied, but she doesn't say so out loud- he's got a photography friend after all, and she's probably not up to their level.]

My best friend Chloe is kind of a photo-hog herself. [At the mention of the other girl's name her smile breaks into a full grin.] Though I think she just likes playing along. BFF duties, right?

[Not that she minds. She loves taking pictures of her blue-haired best friend- err, girlfriend.]

[Chloe's here too? Stefan blinks back undeniable surprise, because he'd seen Chloe wandering the Iskaulit in the past week or so. Unless she was here too? That wouldn't surprise him either: Max and Chloe were an undeniable package deal.

You almost never got one without the other, and well - if this means they'll stay together, then he can't bring himself to mind.]

Of course. When your - [wait, she said best friend] best friend's as great of a photographer as you are? You'd want her in charge of everything.

[Since she hasn't made any dumb comments about him posing on purpose, or even how Chloe used to tease him about him and Alex - this isn't his Max. Stefan's smile is genuine, but also wistful about the time he's lost to the multiverse.]

I hope you're showcasing your work somewhere. You have a real eye for composition.

Oh, I don't mean she's into taking photos. She's more into having me snap some shots of her. [Yeah, get her talking about Chloe. She might not shut up for a while.] And she could definitely pass as a model if she wanted to. She's got the whole punk rock vibe going on. Blue hair and tats...

[She trails off, smiling fondly as she carefully stuffs the photo and her camera into her messenger bag.] Anyway it's about as win-win as you can get.

[As the topic of conversation moves more and more toward Max and her photography, though, her openness starts to die down a little.] And, uhh, thanks, but... I don't think people would be that interested. I'm still studying.

["Does she still march to her own drummer?" Stefan wants to ask, because he can't imagine Chloe going along with anything against her free will. But instead, he laughs, folding his arms as if he's hearing this all for the first time.]

I'm glad. Friends like her are hard to come by.

Sure, you - ["haven't graduated Blackwell,"] - you're studying, but you've got more talent wrapped around your finger than half the photography shows I've seen.

You make even the smallest moments feel real and organic, and um, [His throat gets dry,] I know Chloe shouldn't get to be the only one to see what you've done.

[Huh. He actually seems... really into her photography, even after just one photo. She fingers the little stack of her favorite photos wedged into her journal, hidden inside her bag, tempted to show him. But also nervous, because... well he liked the first one, but what if he doesn't like the second, or the third?]

Uh. I'm Max by the way. I have a couple of photos if you want to see them, but... This isn't like gallery quality, okay? They're really amateur. [She rubs her cheekbone with the tips of two fingers, her usual tic when feeling awkward.] I haven't had an actual class in months.

Oh, right - I'm Stefan. [He smiles, somewhat apologetically. Introductions are always weirder the second time around. In this moment, he's seeing what could've been, and wowzers. Maybe Max rubbed off on him more than he thought.] Max, even if they were old sepia photographs with like, 19th century quality, I'd love to take a look at them.

I can't say I'm an expert on art, but I know what I like, and uh - so far, I'm seeing it loud and clear.

[Wowzers indeed.] Hey, those old photos would blow my socks off. [Without quite looking at him, she pops open her messenger bag and pulls out a small stack of photos. She thumbs through them idly before just deciding fuck it and handing them all over. In all honesty she feels like turning around until he finishes looking at them, but she should at least see his reaction, right?

Max, standing in a golden hall, with mirrors all around and so many candles that the huge place is filled with a softly glowing light. Her hair and clothes are damp, and she looks ahead with a worried expression. The camera is held at her waist, pointing at a mirror- Wonderland's first selfie.

A skeleton in a blue hoodie, grinning widely up at the camera from behind a hotdog stand. A hotdog sandwich with too many toppings is held in one of its bony hands, dripping ketchup into a small puddle as a black kitten tries to climb its arm and lick the food.

Chloe and Max in what looks like a dormitory room. The blue-haired girl is looking at her best friend with an encouraging smile, and Max's mouth is open in a giggle. Both of them have their arms up, their knees bent, dancing to some unheard music.

A younger girl with dark brown hair, maybe fourteen or fifteen, with a plate full of food. Next to her is a velociraptor, mouth open in a sharp cry. The girl's face is contorted in surprise, the food on her plate precariously balanced as she moves to jump away from the dinosaur.

A pale, bruised looking man standing at the entrance to a hedge maze. He looks lost- or rather caught up in his own memories, thoughts elsewhere. The maze's entrance stretches behind him, falling into darkness as it goes on and on.

Max again, in a ghostbuster costume, making an exaggeratedly horrified face as she holds up her cardboard proton-gun. Above her, standing on a chair and flailing, is what looks like a bedsheet with eyeholes cut into the fabric- Chloe's boots can be seen peeking out from underneath.

There are other pictures too, candid shots of random people he may not recognize, or landscapes of the mansion, the forest, the galleon ship docked at the beach. Memories of Wonderland.

Other pictures, the ones from back home- those are more private, and tucked away in a special pocket of her bag.]

[She's even better than I remembered.

Stefan lets out a slow, low breath as he studies each picture - actually studies, rather than go through them one by one as an average person would. He doesn't recognize the skeleton, nor does he recognize half of these people in Wonderland. Why should he? He wasn't a part of this Max's life. He'd never be a part of this Max's life. As far as she's concerned, he's a visitor who may or may not stick around once all the festivities are over.

He can't quite help grinning at the last photo of Max and Chloe. Priceless. No matter the universe, they would be his dumb nerds - and what he wouldn't do to see them in action again.

Reluctantly, he hands them back.] You've outdone yourself this time, Caufield. Just when I think I couldn't be more impressed, you go and remind me how much you've improved.

[He doesn't say anything for a long time... just slowly goes through the pictures, probably being pretty critical. He does grin at the last photo, though, and she peeks over to see which one it is; then she just feels all embarrassed because she forgot that one was in there. By the end, doubt and vulnerability, but also eagerness to hear what he thinks, all mix inside of her and leave her with a worried expression.

She takes the stack back, giving him a confused look as she does so. Improved?]

Thanks. Uhh. Dunno if they'd make it in any exhibitions but these are my favorite.

[This time?]

So... have we met? Cuz I thought you were one of the Wonderland newbies...

[Crap, he'd given himself away there, hadn't he? Stefan's smile turns far more apologetic, because while he knows Max, he doesn't know what she's experienced. Pictures are worth thousands of words, but they mean little to someone as transient as Stefan. He gets the gist, and how close she is to Chloe, but little else.]

No, you're right - I only came here a few days ago. [He bites on his lower lip, struggling to find the right words, before just coming out and saying:] This is gonna sound crazier than Wonderland, I know, but we actually met in another world. Er, another place like this.

I know you probably don't remember, and you may not ever, but... ["we were friends once." He lets that hang in the air, instead offering up,] But I'm glad you're still angling for the perfect shot.

[Max starts out by looking at him warily. As he speaks, her expression shuffles from surprise to disbelief to you're crazy.]

Are you cereal-? [Her voice catches on the last syllable, wondering if he's already familiar with the turn of phrase. That would completely blow her mind.] W-wait, but, but I don't remember... Did I forget?

[Then she finally voices the thought that's really bothering her. The one that's been on her mind since she saw Charas and Frisks that weren't the ones she knew, since she saw her mirror-self from across the room one day.] Was it another... me?

[There's a little voice in her head that says, Sure, it wouldn't be the first time.

She wipes her forehead with the palm of one hand. This stuff- this alternate timeline, multiple reality stuff- it'll drive her mad one day. Mad as a hatter.

Her expression finally settles into one of awe.]

[Some small part of Stefan feels like the absolute worst for breaking it to her like this. He could've been more gentle, more quiet - but he'd given himself away with the last name and the improvement and basically everything that indicated that he trusted her with his faith, his powers, and his life. He may not know her, but....

Even he can't quite bring himself to say the full truth.] I'm not sure. Possibly? It's hard to tell with these places.

Sometimes it's a lapsed memory, sometimes it's a parallel universe and - [Oh he catches that awed expression, and he swallows his nervousness.] Sorry. I know it's a lot to take in, even accounting for all the craziness around here.

These places? [She mimics his words questioningly, staring at him with amazement. She actually has to sit down, and she stumbles to a nearby chair, falling into it without any grace.

Another Max, maybe. Or her from the past... from the future, even. Instinctively her hand rubs at scars- one just under her collar bone, and a small one on each of her forearms, all of them hidden under clothing. She wonders if the other Maxes have them, too.

But even with all those questions, one in particular rushes to the forefront of her mind.]

Was- [She looks up at him.] Was she happy?

[In hindsight, he definitely should've pulled her aside. Stefan winces at his own thoughtlessness as he stuffs his hands in his jacket pockets. Next time (if there is a next time), pull them aside first.

He can't see her scars, but he recognizes those nervous tics, and it makes him release a slow breath, the kind that makes him sound far more anxious than he really is and - And of course all Max can do is ask about her happiness. Stefan nods, his entire expression softening as he looks at her.] Of course.

I don't think she could be any happier - she was an official photographer, she had her own Chloe, and she, no, you were traveling with me from country to country every month. [He extends a hand for a fist bump.] I feel like as long as you've got your partner in crime, you couldn't ask for much else.

Edited 2016-09-11 05:45 (UTC)

[She reacts one by one to his words- looking up at him hopefully when he mentions her being happy; smiling at the thought of being an official photographer of anything; the smile breaking into a grin when she learns that there was some other Chloe out there, maybe one for every Max-!

It's a silly idea. Weird and overly-optimistic, and she loves it.

Not to mention travel. Photography, Chloe, and travelling the world. That's exactly what she'd wanted she was twelve. Exactly.

She can't rein in the wide grin she's wearing, and when she bumps fists with him it's over-enthusiastic in her awkward way.

Partner in crime, he said. He really does know her.]

Yes, exactly. She's- I'm the luckiest Max in the universe. All of that is everything I've... or she's ever wanted.

[And to think that somewhere out there maybe there's a Max that's living the life she's dreamed of-! It fills her with a powerful hopefulness.]

That's the best news I've heard all week.

Edited 2016-09-11 07:22 (UTC)

Yeah? I don't know, seems like you're doing pretty well for yourself here.

[He grins, not even fazed by her enthusiasm. Now this is the Caulfield he's grown to know and love. There's so much hope in her eyes that honestly, he wishes he could flip that camera right back at her and snap it in the moment. Without really thinking, he pulls out his smartphone for an attempt.]

You're in freaking Wonderland, you have Chloe by your side, and I know for a fact that some of those blank rooms in the mansion could use a little Caufield flair. Give it a whirl, build your own gallery.

And when you do? I'll make sure my brother and I are first in line.

[She has to stop and think about that, still smiling slightly.]

Either I'm so good at pretending that I've fooled myself, or... yeah. Yeah, I am happy here. [And oddly it's all starting to feel more real.] Every once in a while things just sort of explode and everything gets nutso, but Chloe's here. And unlimited film. All you can eat bacon. Actual wizards.

[She grins again at him.] It's really not so bad.

[She notices him taking out his phone but doesn't make anything of it for the moment.] Caulfield flair, huh. [At least two other people have told her to start up a gallery here. But... she never really took it seriously. Now that she knows there's a Max out there who's actually making progress, well... She gnaws at her lip.] I guess... why not? Screw it. I'll never get a bigger chance than this, right? [She chuckles slightly.] That other Max must've really won you over.

Edited 2016-09-11 07:53 (UTC)

"Nutso" is an understatement. I've been here maybe a week at this point, and the crazy train doesn't seem to be departing anytime soon.

[He even talks like her, now that he's fallen back into his comfortable habits. Stefan doesn't want to unload everything, given "my brother got murdered and came back to life (???)" isn't a statement you give out at free will. He's encountered way too much over the past two years, and he can comfortably say that he'd rather have much less death and mayhem, please and thank you.

But she's - she's gonna go for the gallery! Stefan's eyes light up like the stringed ones behind him, because she deserves this. She so, so deserves this.] Maybe, but you're just as great.

Look, I don't know how long I'm gonna be here, and I can't use my device to really talk to the Network, but until I leave, let me know what I can do to help.

Hey, maybe you brought all the crazy with you. Until you guys showed up it was all peachy. [Look at that, she's actually being sociable and teasing.

And she doesn't dig into her own experiences, either. Though she's happy... Wonderland has it's own brand of evil sometimes, though it looks innocent enough.

She's simultaneously pleased and shy at the compliment. Of course she's just as good as Max is- that's a weird thought, but it's probably true. And if that other Max could do it...

Hey, this feels like time travel- feeling like she can do it, because she knows that she did.]

Y-yeah. Stefan, right? It was- I mean, this is all so... cool. Bizzaro-cool.

[He nods, as if seriously debating on whether or not the crazy train rolled in with him...]

I don't know about peachy, but then again? I don't know what normal looks like anymore.

[But when she says his name, with a slight pang of unfamiliarity, he's once again reminded of what he's lost (and what he might never regain). His smile slips, but the edges of his eyes are still crinkled as he folds his arms.]

Yeah. [He'd nudge her with his elbow, but he also knows that on her end, he might as well be a perfect stranger.] It's a lot to take in sometimes... but I can't say I mind this place too much.

[Max notices the slip of his smile, and looks away as though to avoid staring. She takes in the sights and sounds- the forest party so much more open and peaceful than the others, Wonderlandians and guests mingling, the sound of laughter rising up here and there.]

...Me neither.

[And best of all, it's given her Chloe.]

When you met that other Max... [She shrugs, amused because they can't say for certain that she was another Max.] Where were you? Something like this, too?

Kind of. We were on a predetermined flight path, so we'd get beamed back if we even tried to stay somewhere past our departure date, but... it wasn't so bad.

[For one thing, they got to travel and experience different cultures every month. For another, they learned so much about each other from sharing the same (small, cramped) living space. It was almost like having her for a roommate.]

You fell into a routine, and everyone had their own job on board. I was the medic, and other-Max was the official photographer-slash-counselor. [beat] We were part of the same crew. Sorry, I probably should've mentioned that bit first.

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AHHH sorry for the tldr, just couldnt pass up the opportunity!

omg no never apologize, this is great!!

tyyyy :3 i need to keep track of all the pics shes taken lol

keep it all in a journal post for reference? c:

yeaaaah wish I'd thought of that when I started lol! I should make one :p

do it!! :>

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