video;

[graphis]

[A young woman's face appears, framed by bright red hair, her green eyes both confused and tinted with anger as she starts to speak.]

Alright, first of all, to those of you that aren’t totally crazy, my name’s Clary, and I’m new around here. [She’s aware that she’s not the only person here against their will at least, so they should probably work together. She’s screwed if she doesn’t make some allies or friends.] If someone could let me in on what exactly is going on around here, I’d really appreciate it.

Second of all, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with this alternate-dimension thing. [She’s trying to sound ultra-confident about this, and she’s mostly successful, though there’s still a sense that she’s agitated and confused.] So whoever’s responsible for this? I’m not just going to sit around and take it. You can’t keep me here, not when the people I love need me.

And third, if you think giving me a bunch of free clothes and a nice room is going to make everything okay, you’re out of your mind. [Her attempt at being intimidating falls slightly short, considering she doesn’t even know who exactly she’s supposed to be addressing in regards to all this.] This is still kidnapping, no matter how you try to spin it. I’m not about to thank you and turn into some Stockholm Syndrome case.

Comments

[video]

[littledhampir]

[It took Rose all of three seconds to decide that she liked the redhead already. Anyone who arrives here scowling and mouthing off was going to be okay by her, lets be real.]

I should warn you now. [Tone dry.] Some of the people around here are at scrapbooking levels of into this place.

[video]

[graphis]

Sounds like someone fell for the Stockholm thing, after all. Definitely not comforting.

Re: [video]

[littledhampir]

Try a lot of someones. There's at least a handful that didn't lose their brains when they landed her so that's something.

video

[krmvgivv]

Well, I have good news and bad news.

[Mostly bad news. Dipper spreads his hands in front of him.]

Unfortunately, it's less a who so much as a this entire place and the odds of leaving on your own terms are pretty low. I mean, we're all working on it, but so far no luck. But on the bright side? No time will actually pass on the outside while you're here, so when you do get spit back out the people you love will be no worse off than they are now!

[Comforting....]

So, uh, welcome to Wonderland? I'm Dipper.

video

[graphis]

How do you even know that if you're stuck here? Did someone tell you that or are you just assuming?

[Also she's not sure that qualifies as good news. Decent, maybe. If she can even believe it. Also what the crap kids are getting kidnapped too? That's horrible. Never mind that Clary is barely an adult herself hush.]

You say you're 'working' on it, but what does that even mean? How long has this been happening?

video

[krmvgivv]

Well, Alice has been here for a century and a half. So at least that long.

[They know so much less than what they don't know.]

We're stuck, but people do get sent home. And then sometimes they come back. Also, because I know people here from before or after my point in time and they didn't notice us vanishing for over a year so that's... a pretty good indicator.

[A beat.]

This all makes a lot more sense if you don't think of time as a fixed thing.

[video]

[punful]

[Oh hey, a skeleton.]

so you haven't seen the pamphlet yet? we've got pamphlets.

[video]

[graphis]

[Hold on. Give her a second.

At least she's seen some shit. Weird isn't so weird anymore when your best friend gets turned into a vampire, among other things.]

Uh, no. Not yet. You mean like they have at tourist attractions?

[video]

[punful]

[Aww. No commentary. That's a shame.]

heh, yeah, pretty much. tells you everything you need to know about this place.

[He sends a link.]

text

[rosswood]

[Boy oh boy, another newbie rolls on in. Alex is bored, per the norm, so he decides to do what he usually does in these cases, which is be an insufferable troll.]

sup i'm the resident lovecraftian entity how's it going

[Said the genuinely ordinary 20-year-old film major. Seems like he's springing for a kind of James-Woods-Hades vibe this time. Because he's an asshole.]

text

[graphis]

i'm pretty sure cthulu doesn't say sup, js

[I'm sure this will go well, since her sense of humor/patience is totally intact right now. Except it's totally not.]

text

[rosswood]

how would you know
you ever met him?? you think all unearthly cosmic horrors are exactly the same across the bored?

wow.
think before you talk shit, yeah?

video;

[littlestreetcat]

[ Cute.

Selina is almost impressed with the message. ...Kind of. It'd be more impressive if she actually seemed fully confident because there are already so many people who come on over the network to yell at Wonderland when they first show up.

But still. She can appreciate the attempt at spunk. ]

Actually? It can keep you here. You're not the only one who has people back home, but no one else has managed to get back by tossing threats at Wonderland.

[ Eyebrows raising, there's a slight smirk on her face. Amused, she waves her free hand so it's visible on screen. ]

Sure it's kidnapping, but there's no person behind it, just fyi. Consider it a magic kidnapping by a world where nothing makes sense and you'll have a better shot at accepting everything else about the place.

video;

[graphis]

[She had to at least try. Playing 100% nice has never really gotten her anywhere in these kinds of situations, and it's...not really her style, anyway.]

How can a place have a mind of its own?

video;

[littlestreetcat]

[ Fair enough. Playing nice never works, really. ]

I'm guessing you won't accept "it's Wonderland" as an answer to that.

[ Unfortunately, that's pretty much all she's got. ]

I don't know how, it just does. Sure, the characters from the books are here, but none of them seem to actually control the place. Everything just kind of happens, and sometimes it really feels like it's only being done to play with us.

video

[tremoring]

You're in Wonderland. Welcome to the fun. There are weird "events" sometimes where things temporarily change on us and Shit Gets Real. [yikes.]

So, Clary? I'm Daisy, hi. [introductions are nice.]

What's your qualifier for not "totally crazy"? [serious question.]

video

[graphis]

Admittedly, the bar is pretty low.

[Talking about her own life would make her sound batshit crazy to most people, lbr.]

No evil psychopaths or murderers is a good start. Anyone who isn't on the side of whoever or whatever's behind this? Bonus points for people who actually know how to work in a group and aren't a jerk about literally everything.

video, to end }

[deathlessness]

[Well, that is certainly curious.]

You've been to other worlds before? How did you travel between them?

[graphis]

Only one and not for very long. It was exactly like mine, just...[without all the demons]...different. This is a little stranger than that, honestly.

Well, a Seelie friend of ours opened a portal on the edges of his people's territory. After that, all I had to do was walk through it.

[deathlessness]

Seelie. Like faerie?

[They're not exactly prominent creatures in her world, if they exist at all, but she's certainly been alive long enough to hear the stories.]

[powerofmabel]

Don't listen to Rose. My scrapbooks are an important resource. [:|]

[graphis]

[Oh. It's another kid. That at least makes...slightly more sense.]

Do you use it for, like...taking notes kind of or something?

[powerofmabel]

Kiiinda. People sometimes lose their memories, so it's like a way to prove stuff happened.

video;

[noble_son]

The people you're angry at probably aren't paying attention to this.

[Just to get that out of the way. He replies in the dry, low voice he has that constantly suggests not being impressed with anything that's happening around him.

Contrary to popular belief, however, Nathaniel does have a personality. His eyebrows lift slightly.]

I don't know of anything called 'Stockholm Syndrome' but I can infer by context. Most people here don't want to be here any more than you do.

video;

[graphis]

So I'm learning, but thanks.

[So bitter.]

I would hope so. Most doesn't mean all, though. I'm just saying that someone is trying too hard to be accommodating and it's pretty obvious.