entranceway | sixth ➛ video

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sixth ➛ video

Hey... so, I totally missed my one-year mark. Pretty sure that was right in the middle of the Infected shit storm-- that couldn't be related, could it? But, anyway, I'm hoping someone just forgot to come by and give me my special badge or whatever you get for this illustrious milestone? I forgive you for being late, since I completely forgot, and you can come by with that prize anytime. Unless it's just for the five-year guys, and if that's the case, then... booooo.

[ Ellie pulls a face, offering a helpful thumbs-down for the camera. ]

Anyway! "What I Learned on My Wonderland Vacation"... I'm way less likely to drown now! Thanks, Jo. [ ... ] Uh, I know way too much about a lot of your personal lives, which is... gross, sometimes. There are kids here, people. [ Some of you are just nasty. ] I figured out exactly how much molten chocolate cake I can down before I get sick. That's three, and I'd say they're all big accomplishments. ... Except that middle one.

[ There are a bunch of other things, too, but her attention is already wandering and she yawns to prove it. ]

Does anyone have a Mirror who isn't extremely creepy? Inquiring minds want to know.

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Deep breaths. You'll get through it, I promise.

[She grins. Knowing Simon is an experience for most people-- Jo is pretty sure he can do worse than mermaids.]

Yeah, when the world comes to an end, you make due with what you have, but hell if he didn't try, anyway. Sam let me in on some of it. Yoga lessons, protein powder, vitamins if he could get his hands on them. Not saying it was easy, but I guess some habits die hard. This place is great for him, really. All the protein powder he wants, although I do get harassed to take vitamins before I can touch my coffee in the morning.

Hey, if the worst thing happening right now is that you're being bullied into taking vitamins, then that's not too bad.

[ Really, Ellie's glad that Jo and Simon are doing well. That they're safe, healthy, and happy. ]

I'll take it. I've definitely had worse.

[Vitamins beats living off food from gas stations and vending machines, that's for sure.]

I never did answer your question about Mirrors, did I? Although I'm not sure you'd like anything I have to say. Mine is one of the nasty ones.

I know. [ She knows. She knows because she knows a little about Jo's life and because she knows firsthand that there are worse things. ]

Is she? Ugh. [ With how great Jo is, it isn't hard to imagine what her opposite would be like. ] Mine's just a weird, paranoid loner. ... I think. I've only seen her once or twice. She hides, I guess.

[ beat ]

What's yours like?

She's a demon.

[Quite literally. Jo's never had the opportunity to find out whether or not her Mirror is meant to be some possessed version of her, or another Jo that actually became a demon herself, but either way, the result is the same. Violent, zealous, unpleasant.]

She's a piece of work. Jumped into my body during an event a couple of years ago-- Halloween. I had to watch everything she did while she was in it. [She grimaces; they aren't pleasant memories, but they're important ones.] She hurt a lot of people. My mom. My friends. Stabbed the guy I was dating in the shoulder, really fucked him up. He never really healed all the way.

[ Ellie's about to ask if Jo means that literally... but, then she says "jumped into my body." ]

The fuck? They can do that? [ Suddenly she looks more alert, nervous. ] I thought the Mirrors couldn't be on the same side of us. I don't want to meet mine in a dark hallway.

[ Her Mirror would probably kill her in a second without any hesitation. Well, she'd have to work for it, at least. ]

Shit. Sorry. [ Sorry she brought this up, for one. ] I can't even imagine what that must've been like.

I haven't seen it happen any other time. It was pretty common that Halloween, happened to all kinds of people, but some were worse off than others.

[Jo would put her situation on the "worse" end of the scale, without a doubt.]

As a rule, they can't be on the same side of the glass as we are, but there have been exceptions. Even Wonderland breaks its own rules sometimes.

[She shakes her head at the apology, however, discouraging it.]

You don't have to apologize. This is important stuff to talk about. People should know. That's how you prepare.

Just then, though? They can't usually do that, right?

[ Jo confirms it, but it still has her on edge. If Wonderland "breaks its own rules," then what's the point of the "rules" in the first place? ]

Who makes those rules, anyway? [ Ellie mutters. ] The Queen of Hearts is in charge of the Mirrors, right?

Only time I've ever seen it happen like that, yeah.

[She's not interested in any repeat performances, if they can be avoided.]

Who knows. She's in charge of them, but I feel like even she has to follow the rules to a degree. Except for the human chess game, I can't think of any other time I've seen her on this side of the glass, and I've been here more than three years.

Hopefully it's the last. [ She mutters. ]

Human chess game? [ Ellie groans, planting her hands on her hips. ] That's just-- I mean, taking this to the extreme. The whole theme. [ And she waves a hand out to indicate everything around her. ] Did that really happen? Come on.

Sure did. I wasn't a piece in it, but my Mirror was.

[As flippant as that statement started out, her expression darkens, turning grim.]

It was to the death. People were killed on both sides. ... not pretty.

Ugh. [ Ellie wrinkles her nose in disgust. ] There's enough death around here without ruining chess for it. That sounds exactly like the kind of... shitty, messed-up thing that would happen in this place, though.

[ At least Jo didn't have to play. ]

What about Simon?

His Mirror?

[Actually, that's an excellent question.]

To be honest, I've never seen any sign of him. I don't think Simon has, either.

[Given the darker parts of Simon that a Mirror could potentially embody and amplify, maybe that's better for all of them.]

It's probably safest to assume he's not friendly. Most of them aren't.

That's... either really good, or totally creepy. He might just be good at keeping hidden.

[ Or he doesn't exist. Is that possible? ]

Are there any friendly ones? Or even just not-hostile ones?

Some, I think. Emma Swan-- the last time she was here, she had a Mirror that wound up switching to our side, according to an event. It's complicated. We got a glimpse of the future-- or a possible future, anyway. There were other Mirrors, too, who did the same.

[Or so they'd been told.]

I think the decent ones probably keep their heads down most of the time. Try not to attract attention.

But, if she switched sides, then she probably didn't start out good. I was just wondering if they can ever be made not crazy.

[ Doesn't seem that way, anyway. ]

That's how I'd do it. [ Ellie mutters. Her own Mirror keeps a low profile, but that doesn't mean she thinks the Mirror is 'decent.' ] Seems smart.

It's hard to say, isn't it? If they start out on that side of the glass, it's not like they have any choice but to serve the Queen. But either way, yeah, I think it's possible that they can start out mostly normal.

[It's complicated. Nature versus nurture, right? Even the ones who start out normal could easily end up cracked after living in those conditions.]

Good survival tactic for anyone, really. Mirror or otherwise. It's what I would do, too.

[Or so she'd like to think.]

Does she offer them something, or do they do it out of fear, or are they... mind controlled, or something? [ Ellie sighs shortly, thinking that there's too much that they don't know about the Mirrors, about Wonderland at large. ] Ah, forget it. Maybe there's some stuff we'll never know.

[ About this place, anyway. It's got enough mysteries to last them a lifetime. ]

They're good questions, though. Ones I wouldn't mind knowing the answers to, either.

[Unfortunately, that would probably mean coming across a Mirror who would be willing to discuss this kind of stuff with them, and that doesn't seem likely.]

You never know. Maybe we'll get the chance to find out.

We should kidnap one and ask it. [ Ellie mutters. ] But it'd probably just... be creepy, ask riddles, that kind of crap.

[ huff ]

Here's hoping.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for any opportunities.

[Maaaaybe not for kidnapping, though.]

I'll let you get back to talking with the other residents, but if you want to go over what you've found together later on, you know where I am.

[ Why not kidnapping?? ]

Alright. Yeah. [ She brightens, grinning. ] Same with you.

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