***EXCERPT FROM THE CHRONICLES***
"Come forward, Mad Hatter's Daughter. You have created this remarkable suite of illustrations and lavish art, doing honor to the site. And now it is time that you are honored in turn." The queen nodded slightly.
She came forward, up to the podium that had been hastily thrown together by the great throne of bone. She lowered the microphone and tapped it a few times.
"Lady Mad Hatter's Daughter, daughter of the Mad Hatter," improvised the herald.
"I just...assumed she was a sort of function of the site. Like you write something and sometimes a picture comes up that sort of looks like what you wrote," whispered someone in the crowd. "I just assumed Alex programmed that in."
"No, she's a person. A real person, with dreams and hopes and ambitions." This point was hotly contested and argued back and forth by several people.
"Well, I don't think so. It's like...whenever you write to her, she's just there. I think she's an AI. Last time I played AI Dungeon, she was in my adventure. It was creepy," one fellow claimed, a contention that was met with nods and thoughtful "huhs."
"Silence!" said the queen. "Mad Hatter's Daughter, we are assembled here for the unveiling of the art that you have spent years on. Slaving away, no doubt, on your back, Michaelangelo-style, like, using a stylus."
"She likes whales, and the Wizard of Oz, and rabbits, and other things that one can discern from a five-second glance at her online portfolio," added someone in the crowd. "And that should be recognized or something."
Twenty brazen horns blew the anthem of CYS.
There was silence.
"Chamberlain Killa, the art," said the queen. "Bring it forth."
"Ugh," said the chamberlain. "Uh huh. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of effort."
"Bring it forth. It's right there. By your elbow."
"Heh."
"The art that we are gathered here to see. It's right there. Just lift it up and bring it forth."
"Uh, yeah, I should get around to that at some point lol."
"It's fine," said Mad Hatter's Daughter. "Honestly. I don't expect the hard work I do to be seen or anything. I just like doing it for the sake of having it be wasted effort."
"Well, fine," said the queen. "This concludes the honoring of you. Oh, wait, actually we had a trophy for you. Killa, it's there. Bring it up here."
"..."
"Seriously?" the queen said.
"It's a .png. Those are highly complex."
"Well, here's a commendation, I guess," said the queen. "You can have one of those." She tossed it to Mad Hatter's Daughter, who pinned it half-heartedly on her hat. "Sorry. Any day though."
***END OF EXCERPT***
