entranceway | text } from Ace of Spades, the Wonderland Blog of Georgia Mason, entry #12

The Mirrors are watching us. This is common knowledge, one of the first things we tell newcomers. There is another Wonderland through the looking glass, and it's inhabited by the doppelgangers we call Mirrors. Calling them our "evil twins" would be an oversimplification, both because not everyone on this side would qualify as the "good twin," and because while these individuals are supposed to be our reflection and, in some ways, our opposites, that doesn't mean they're evil. Like us, they are complicated individuals and generalizations cannot capture all of them. They serve the Queen of Hearts, and the influence she has on the Mirrors cannot be understated. For one thing, she's their maker, though the Red Queen claims they would exist even without the Queen of Hearts' help. If they piss her off, she can also "unmake" them.

Sounds nice and bloodless when you put it like that, doesn't it? Well, take it from an artificial, imperfect copy with implanted memories that never really happened to me. I was made by mad science, not Wonderland magic, and I lived under threat of being "decommissioned," not "unmade," but the differences are negligible. It’s a pretty word for murder and a reminder that you're replaceable.

If the gun to their heads isn't enough, the Queen manipulates and lies to the Mirrors. She sets them at each other's throats, and she sets them against us. Wirt's Mirror carries a lantern with him constantly. He was convinced by the Queen that it held his brother. We examined it together and quickly proved that it actually contained some material tied to Mirror Wirt himself. It never had anything to do with his brother at all.

It's a lot of effort that shouldn't be necessary if she's as capable of instilling loyalty as she insists she is. She has their loyalty and fear, but their free will is their own. That's why she has to keep them divided. That's why she lies. And that's why instead of fearing the Mirrors, instead of bending to the Queen's wishes and being enemies, we need to become allies. We're all prisoners of Wonderland, whether we originated here or not.

Many of you may remember the portal incident from last year, when Leo Fitz and Cisco Ramon used a combination of technology and metahuman power to break through to the Mirror side. It was the first successful, intentional breach by a Real in recorded Wonderland history, and it happened because they consulted with Mirrors. Granted, the Mirrors in question were manipulating and lying to Fitz and Ramon, and the results of that experiment were in many ways disastrous. But this does not have to be how it is. Imagine what we could accomplish in a good faith partnership between Mirrors and Reals. We need to find a way to break the Queen's hold, both because it is the right thing to do and because it may be the only way we can take control.

A young Mirror once accused me of wishing death on the Mirrors because of the title of my zine. Shattered Mirror does have a violent sound to it. I can understand where she got that, but it was never my intention. I named my zine the Shattered Mirror because I want to destroy the barriers between us. We will never achieve anything if we continue to behave as they expect us to behave. Break the glass. It's time to rise.

Mirror Writing

[As usual, Georgia makes sure to leave copies within reach of the glass so that any interested Mirrors can snag a copy without actually crossing over and disobeying the Queen. Unlike usual, she very intentionally tugs down the curtain that normally covers her office Mirror. In big, bold, backwards letters she write ƧTͶƎMMOƆ next to a taped up copy of the article. Then she sits and waits.]

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[ Chloe is a little surprised at the intensity that Georgia matches her with, but it shouldn't be surprising. George could understand this existential crisis on a level that most probably couldn't, and in a way that made it sound less than what it was - which is exactly what Chloe needs.

It makes her think about Trixie, too. If things had gone slightly differently, Trixie wouldn't exist, either. Was it really different, whether it was because of an angel or because it just happened? Was Chloe somehow less because her existence was predetermined by a higher power? Of course not. ]

I know you're right, but Lucifer is... Stubborn. He broke up with me at home after he found out about this. Things are different here and I know he still loves me but I think even I underestimated how much he hates his father. [ She sighs. ] I don't want to lose him, George. But I can't be with someone who doesn't trust me. I went through that with Dan and I won't do it again.

I mean it about being willing to slap him. Or just talk some sense into him. [She raises an eyebrow behind her sunglasses.] I can be very persuasive. And as you know, I have experience with dumbasses.

[Shaun is actually quite intelligent, and Georgia loves him. But they have their gimmick, and it's second nature to stick to it.

Also emotionally speaking, he can be a dumbass. There's a reason Georgia always had to deal with his fanmail and quietly discourage anyone that started to flirt with him. Shaun wouldn't know a crush if it bit him.]

That's true, and I think Lucifer and Shaun are probably on the same level when it comes to... A lot of things.

[ Lucifer is always a little too literal and sometimes just doesn't understand where Chloe is coming from. He might be immortal, but sometimes he has the emotional maturity of a toddler. It frustrates Chloe to no end. ]

The one thing I can say is that, at least this time, he's being straightforward with me. It was easier for him to ignore the hard stuff at home. Maybe forcing him to face it here will help. That said... If this keeps up maybe I will see if you can talk some sense into him.

[ God knows nothing Chloe says ever seems to stick. ]

Shaun's cuter.

[She might be joking. It's very hard to tell through her normal deadpan. Of course, it's also very hard for her to make judgments about attractiveness since as far as she's concerned, no one could possibly be hotter than Shaun.]

I've always been an advocate of straightforwardness. Lying to yourself about the hard things never solves anything.

[ Chloe narrows her eyes playfully, relaxing back into the chair again. ]

I'd argue with you, but we both know Lucifer thinks he's cute enough all on his own.

[ Not that she doesn't think he's the most gorgeous guy she's ever laid eye on. She's just not going to admit it. Ever. ]

And there's only so long you can even get away with it before it just becomes worse. [ Boy, does she know that first hand. She spent the first couple months in Wonderland trying to keep up the lie to herself that Lucifer wasn't who he claimed to be. In the end, revealing the truth only brought them closer together. ] I guess I'll just keep trying. As long as he's willing to put in the work I don't see why I should give up.

Great, more he has in common with Shaun. Can we never ever let them be in a room together?

[Shaun is all too aware of how attractive Georgia finds him whether she says it or not. And he can be so obnoxious about it.

She nods.]

Just make sure he is willing to put in the work. It's a partnership. Making things right can't just be on you.

[ Chloe presses her lips together. She hopes Lucifer can put in the work. Being all in has never been in Lucifer's nature, and Chloe is fully aware of the fact that their relationship of give and take tends to be more give on her end and more take on his.

The fact of the matter is, Chloe often feels she cares far more than the people she cares about. But like Seth said, she cares. It's just in her nature. And it gets her hurt a lot more than she wishes it did. ]

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for listening to me, George. This whole thing... It's been a little rough, but it's nice to have someone to talk to about it.

Of course. [She gives Chloe a nod.] I know how complicated these things can get.

[She glances towards the covered mirror.]

But I should probably get back to my fan club soon.

Right. Good luck with your... more artistic contributors.

[ She pushes herself out of the chair, grabbing a packet of potato chips off the desk to take with her. ]

See you later.

text } from Ace of Spades, the Wonderland Blog of Georgia Mason, entry #12

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