( first video. )

[exacerbate]

[ jim spent his first few hours in wonderland getting himself orientated, or as orientated as he can get himself, at least, given the circumstances. he read a bit of what he could find in the library (he'll dig a little deeper later), wandered around the gardens until the snow started and then explored only a small fraction of the mansion. if this a kidnapping, he's not actually sure what to make of his captors. he has no idea where he is (this is definitely no where even in the vicinity of gotham, that's for certain), but it seems that he is free to go where he pleases in this... compound? whatever wonderland is supposed to be.

because the idea of it being the wonderland is just ridiculous.

the next step is to start talking to people. people who are possibly in a situation much like his, from what he's seen. so he pulls out the communicator he found when he first got here and switches it to the video function. well, he's hoping it's doing what he thinks it is, and broadcasting to people. otherwise he's just recording a video and talking to himself which is basically the opposite of what he wants to do right now ]

My name is James Gordon and I'm a detective from the Gotham City Police Department. [ the threat of arrest is there but left unsaid. his being part of the gcpd may not mean a whole lot outside of gotham, but he would hope the fact that he's still a cop would mean something.

he pauses a moment before deciding to continue ]

I hear this place is Wonderland. I never did like fairy tales. Who knew that this would be the one to try to get back at me for it.

Anyway, if anyone's seeing this, any information on where this actually is would be helpful.

Comments

[Video]

[mrsarcastic003]

Uh. Detective?

[Tim is a little confused. He's familiar with a Commissioner Gordon... He shakes his head a little. Time difference, alternate universe... in the end it really doesn't matter that much. This isn't the Gordon he's familiar with.

And Tim Drake isn't technically anyone the Commissioner is familiar with either.]

Sorry to break the bad news, sir, but it actually is Wonderland.

[Video]

[exacerbate]

Yes?

[ commissioner gordon. that'd certainly be a nice outcome for him. at least then he'd be well on his way to accomplishing his goals ]

Right. So what can you tell me about "Wonderland"?

video.

[quickgenius]

It actually is Wonderland. There's just more to it than any version of the stories happened to mention. And as far as where this Wonderland is located... well, your guess is as good as mine. It seems to stand on its own, separate from any universes those of us here might be familiar with.

[Her smile is gentle. It's a lot to wrap your brain around.]

I know it's a lot to take in, and doesn't make any logical sense, but a lot of this place does that. I'll do what I can to help, though.

video.

[exacerbate]

[ a lot to wrap your brain around is a bit of an understatement ]

Stand on its own, separate from other universes. Plural. [ okay... ] You're right, that doesn't make any sense. None of this does.

video;

[sonofab]

["My name is James Gordon." Damian nearly drops his device at that. Okay, now you've got his attention. Gothom police? He did hear that right?!

He hesitates. It wasn't like he hadn't seen a younger version of people from Gotham before, but Gordon? He didn't even know those could come in young! He's always been that old commissioner guy pressing the switch on the Bat signal. He debates a little more, then finally switches on the video. Have a small teenager in a Batman hoodie staring up at you.]

...Just detective? [It was weird not hearing "Commissioner" right after Gordon announces his title, but he was also finding it hard to connect this face to the Gordon he knew. No mustache? No glasses? No thousand year stare? Very, strange.]

No one really knows where we are. The most people have guessed is a pocket dimension?

video;

[exacerbate]

[ much like everyone else, even gordon can come in younger flavours, it's true! he didn't just start to exist as an already old and gray police commissioner ]

Just detective? [ he repeats the question like it's one of the more ridiculous ones he's heard. he resorted to extortion to get his position of detective back, thank you very much. this is just a kid though (probably around bruce's age, by the look of him), so jim figures it's best to just... be calm. don't take it as a slight against him ] Yes, just detective.

You say 'pocket dimension' like that means something.

video;

[screwedontight]

[Man some day Seth would not find it part of his amusement to poke at the bears, but today was not that day. Especially not with another cop in the place. Not that he minded the last one but this one isn't nearly as pretty.]

Let's see... one, there's no cops here. I mean, you're all here but it means about as much as all the assholes threatening to blow us up. Words but likely not going to get you far here.

As for how much like a fairy tale it is, think less tales and more true stories of fairies. Like always trying to lure you to your death. That's a lot more Wonderland than Disney was.

Where it is? Good question. Some people have been here half a decade and I don't think they're closer to an answer than anyone else. If it helps, they freeze your life so whatever hell or heaven you were in the middle of? Will be waiting for you when you get back.

How? Another question of the huge list of them, but it comforts some people.

[Obviously from his tone, he's not one of them.]

Name's Seth Gecko, and good luck, Detective Gordon. Everyone here needs it.

video;

[exacerbate]

[ he listens to everything seth has to say. some of it sounds plausible but some of it is also really hard to swallow. but seth explains everything with such certainty that it's hard to believe there isn't at least a little truth to all the things he's saying. it's difficult to tell for sure though, looking at a screen. in person? perhaps ]

Wait a minute. You're the first person to mention about life back home being like it was when we were taken from there. How do you know?

[ he wouldn't say it's a comfort but if seth is right, at least gotham won't fall any further without him ]

video

[outstandingbalance]

Well, James. Welcome to Wonderland.

[Gotham City Police means nothing to Natasha—at least nothing specifically. It's easy to piece together a few details from that. Being a detective means something.]

If it's information you're after, I might have some answers. Unfortunately... I don't think you'll like them.

video

[exacerbate]

Yeah, thanks.

[ given all this talk of multiple universes and pocket dimensions or whatever, her lack of knowledge about gotham shouldn't be terribly surprising were he to find out, right? then again, he's not sure he buys into multiple universes and pocket dimensions yet ]

If I was only after information I liked, then I'm probably in the wrong profession. What can you tell me?

video;

[thevulnerability]

[ The mention of another detective immediately piques her interest, although she's never heard of the city he mentions. Chloe has been there long enough to realize how different many of the worlds people hail from are, however, so she doesn't seem particularly surprised.

His tone amuses her, though; she recognizes what it means, and used one not unlike it when she arrived. Unfortunately, she learned being a cop here didn't matter much in the long run. ]

I hate to break it to you, but this is actually Wonderland. It took me a while to wrap my head around it, too, but you'll get there eventually. [ She offers a weak smile. ] I'm Chloe Decker, I was a homicide detective with the LAPD.

video;

[exacerbate]

[ it's probably for the best. gotham is a nightmarish city where criminal activity is commonplace and the city is run by crime families. but, you know, it's home!

while there is an extra helping of 'i'm gonna arrest someone for this' thrown in, truth be told, it's just his natural tone for the most part. he'll likely learn the same lesson she did eventually, but it won't be easy, both for him to learn and to accept ]

Chloe Decker of the LAPD. Nice to meet you. You know, it seems like there's a lot of people here in the same situation. So, how did we all end up here?

video

[krmvgivv]

Are you just gonna not believe me if I start talking about magic? Cause I've got tons of information, but it's pretty hard to explain if you can't accept the basic facts.

video

[exacerbate]

[ he comes from a place that is very much magic-free. magicians with their illusions, sure, but actual magic? no. but he's willing to listen. what has he got to lose aside from a bit of his time? ]

How about you tell me what you know and I'll decide from there whether or not I believe it?

video.

[mucked]

[ her attention also perks at the prospect of someone else muddled in law enforcement. there are a few of them, to say the least, and peggy often finds them that little bit simpler to speak to.

shared life experience, she supposes.

either way, she takes pity on a new arrival and adds her two pence to the conversation: ]

I'm afraid you won't find much in the way of helpful. Not when it comes to puzzling out where, exactly, we are.

video.

[exacerbate]

[ that does tend to make speaking with someone a little more simple. shared experiences, a little common ground to break the ice, so to speak. he can relate.

jim sighs because this really isn't an answer he can work with. and tho it sounds like no one probably has a good answer, it's still frustrating ]

Yeah, I'm starting to realize that pretty quickly. I've gotten a few different answers but everything basically amounts to "not sure".

video

[thesamurai]

[ Michonne knew a James Gordon. They were friends, talked about her dead kid and zombies and a ton of other things.

This is not the same Jim Gordon. Still from Gotham, not the same face. Still, out of a sense of friendship that she has to start over again, she feels the need to reach out, taking into account all the people who have already said something. ]

I'm guessing people reached out, told you things that are hard to wrap your mind around. It helps to get a drink at one of the bars now that you're overloaded with information.

video

[exacerbate]

[ if he knew the difference, he'd be glad that no one's told him yet about alternate versions of people. or more specifically, alternate versions of himself. or even just the possibility. everything's already a little too much. see usually when he asks for information, people aren't quite so cooperative ]

They have and they did. It's definitely a lot to take in. You know, a drink might actually be necessary after a day like today. Good to know there's something familiar here at least.

( voice )

[waverides]

Would there be another scenario that is easier to accept?

( voice )

[exacerbate]

Sure there is but it's not likely the change the current scenario, is it?

[lifeisntfun]

Sorry to break it to you, you're here.
We all are.

[exacerbate]

More good news. Wonderful.

I get the impression that we're trapped here. Is that true?

audio.

[scathefires]

[Huh. Well, Gordon had to get his start somewhere, no surprise in that. And timeline weirdness is obviously a thing - thank Batman's kid for being such a know-it-all. So Jason's not too baffled seeing a much younger Gordon than the one he knew.

However. As much good as Gordon may've done for the department, there's still no love lost between Jason and the GCPD. A little light snarking is always appropriate, right?]

Uh oh. The fuzz is here. Guess everyone better get on their very best behavior.

audio.

[exacerbate]

[ he hasn't exactly done a whole lot of good yet! except showing them that they're all useless cowards, of course! ]

And who the hell are you supposed to be?

[video]

[letsemilythis]

You're from Gotham? That's so great! I'm from Charm City! [ Emily waves at the feed with a bright smile. ]

And yeah, it's Wonderland! Red Queen and Queen of Hearts and everything. There's magic, too. Which, you know magic users. [ She rolls her eyes. ]

I, personally, can't wait for Zatanna to come. She'll show this place a thing or two!

[video]

[exacerbate]

I'm from Gotham, yes. I've never heard of Charm City, though. Where's that supposed to be? [ she did sorta say it like he should know it, after all ]

Magic. Some other kid mentioned magic too. Magic like magicians or magic like... magic? [ like real magic? except that magic isn't real. it's illusions and special effects, that's all ]

Zatanna?

video;

[kryptomight]

Welcome to wonderland, Mr. Gordon! ( being from gotham clearly means he must be from the same city batham is and he's. heard of a gordon, but not a detective gordon. so it must be the wrong one, right? )

Uh, it looks like everyone's already given you the guides and stuff, and Damian was helping with questions and he's really smart so. . if you need a tour, I can help? I know my way around okay. But the hallways kinda go on and on and on for forever so I wouldn't recommend trying to find the end of them!

video;

[exacerbate]

Yeah thanks, I guess. [ he's really trying to sound at least appreciative of the welcome but angry about his situation seems to mostly trump appreciation ]

I could probably do with someone showing me around here. Looking around myself really didn't tell me much. [ honestly, he's thankful for something a little different in this chat. information is good. it's helpful. but it's also a lot and he's still trying to make sense of what he's already been told.

besides, he really could use someone showing him around a little ]