It's a beautiful day in the village - TAKE A LOAD OFF, LOG 1

[libraryassistants]

Who: Readers and Actors
What: Beta Story Start - At the start of any particular Story, characters will be drawn to a section of the Stacks. Those inclined to resist will find themselves there anyway, through the shifts and changes inherent to the Library's structure. The Story manuscript will be laid out neatly on a side table, its pages lit by a faint aura that draws focus and beckons insistently to the Editors. Touching it will bring them into the Story.
Characters can either voluntarily touch the Story to enter it, or the Librarian will eventually sweep them in. Regardless of how long it takes them to enter, everyone will arrive at the same point in time.
When: November 14- November 27
Where: Woodhurst (UK) and the SS Radiance (in space!), 2019
Content warnings: Please tag warnings in comment headers!

In Woodhurst

It’s another Monday morning in Woodhurst, and as is often the case for the United Kingdom in the fall, it is raining. It is, all in all, a rather typical Monday morning. People shuffle off to work, dropping by the various cafes and shops for their morning caffeine. Polite (if meaningless) greetings are exchanged, vague comments about the weather are made. Heads down, trudging along, just keeping things going.

By midday, it’s clear that this Monday is a little bit… different. There are some people who seem especially cheerful and helpful. Perhaps you’ve just been served a free upsize of your morning coffee. Or a stranger held an umbrella up for you. People keep talking about the benefits of yoga? And it’s not just a bunch of people seeming to be having an especially good day and paying it forward (that would be strange enough). Some of your friends and loved ones aren’t acting like themselves, aside from being remarkably cheerful. They don’t seem to remember basic things, don’t know their normal rituals, and are generally just very off. You think one of them might have blinked sideways? Whatever it is that’s happened, it doesn’t seem right.

As for those ‘friends and loved ones’… The novices from the Interstellar Group are largely inexperienced with such a thing as covert operations. Fresh off the ship and with no frame of reference, their human disguises may have a few significant flaws.

However many fingers it is they have, they’re keen to help - perhaps a little too much so. Whatever it takes to make these human lives easier, whatever they can do to help them relax - the Group are on it! Hopefully they’ll catch on quietly.


On the IMW Group Supply Ship: Radiance

No plan survives contact with the enemy, is how the saying goes. But within the Interstellar Mindfulness & Wellness Group, the concept is usually applied to patients. Patients are, almost entirely across the board, unpredictable creatures - and while the science behind wellness is robust, there’s simply too much individual variation for a standardised approach. That being said, this particular plan seems to be going… rather more poorly than expected. It starts to break down once the word ‘kidnapping’ is brought up. It’s such an ugly word to use. The Group tries to avoid it. But in some of these cases, the humans need the Group’s own facilities! The idea was to convince the humans to follow them to a very not suspicious space capsule, or to get them to touch this particularly strange teleportation device, and they’d be on their way to recovery. However, most if not all the humans seem to be reacting… quite negatively to that. It’s almost like they don’t understand that this is for their benefit!

The ship is very nice, and perfectly designed to relax and comfort (--for the species the Group are familiar with, at least). Soothing music plays along the spaceship’s halls, which are lit in a soft violet glow. Potted plants are artfully displayed, though none of them are recognisable as any species found on Earth. For those with a sensitive nose, the flowers give off a bright, delicate scent; not unlike that of lavender and lemon myrtle. An entire stretch of glass is dedicated to the view outside, the Earth looking so serene from this distance; stars shining in the space around it.

For those Aliens aboard the mothership, maybe you’re delivering this hour’s yoga session. Maybe you’re leading a group chant or meditation. Are you perhaps talking humans into resting in the healing spa, or - for those so inclined - are you delving deeper, forming a connection, and really getting to know these humans? For the humans… well, at least the spa looks really nice, right?

[Space Spa Features:
Yoga - you’ve been herded into a room where a flexible alien encourages you to breathe deeply; holding it in your stomach and feeling your heart beat before letting it out in a big sigh. The routine is not very different to yoga on Earth, except… well, if you can’t find your proboscis, maybe that particular pose won’t work for you.
Sauna - the heat promotes circulation, but the temperature in here seems to be a little off.
Spa - you know what a spa is. Or, you thought you did. It looks like the aliens aren’t quite on the same page. Where there would normally be cucumbers, there’s a strange pink fruit. Where you’d expect water, there’s… a viscous fluid, gently rotating through a myriad of colours, that seems to soften and soothe your muscles as you soak in it.
And Others - the aliens have no shortage of remedies for what ails you! Since this is their first time experiencing humans, results may vary.]


Optional prompts (player-run):
An alien adrift, unsure what task to complete? Seek guidance from your leader.

In Woodhurst, unnerved and skeptical? Drop in at your local seedy bookshop to chat with some alien enthusiasts.

[Have a plan to drive the Story direction? Let us know, and we’ll add it to the list!

Info post can be found here.]

Comments

Sanguinius ACTOR who is ACTING

[angel_of_baal]

Radiance
Tsang may be a little nervous. It's its first deployment to an actual alien planet, the first time to smell and touch and see things firsthand!

Its outfit has been vetted by Kai himself, and it is ready to go, in an entirely generic jeans/hoodie/beanie combo. Kai was right: classic and timeless. The only issue is its antennae keep popping up, from excitement, from under the hat.

"Does anyone have some tape or something?"

Downtown Woodhurst
Woodhurst is not a touristy spot, but Tsang is treating it like one, holding a period-accurate sketchbook and doodling as a cover while it looks for good deeds to perform. It has helped several old ladies to cross the street, one of them protesting that she didn't want to go that way, and another who had tried to hit it with an umbrella when it helpfully went to carry her groceries.

It got the hint, later on, and spent some of its human money (look at the little coins!) on some playing cards and a 'chess' set and set them in front of it. Come play and talk about feelings!

Or maybe you're obviously having a bad day--mad, sad or just weirded out. Have a mid-century average man appear beside you. "Do you want to talk about it?" Of course you do!

Wait, why are you running?

Radiance back aboard
As a Revanian (and Blood Angel but shhhh we don't remember that) Tsang's therapy is all about art to get in touch with your FEELINGS. You may find yourself in a smock (yes) in front of an easel with paints and pastels, or if you look like you might prefer more tactile stimulus, don't worry, there's clay to play with and work out your Minnesota Nice feelings on.

Or maybe, you know, music calms the savage beast, so if you seem particularly upset, have some child safe musical instruments, like rattles and drums. We're here to explore the amazing tapestry that is YOU!

((ooc: If you need a visual on this madness, Tsang looks like, acts like and talks like Mr Luke from TikTok , so get ready, little legends! ))

Oh I just had too - Downtown Woodhurst

[holiestlove]

Jonathan had returned to the park where he had seen some other readers go. He had been sitting before one of the chessboards reading over one of the yoga flyers he had tried to take some notes in the margins of. Would the notes stay? Absolutely not, but he had to try.

A touch irritated by the lack of information and just the oddity of it all. He had let a huff of annoyance escape before hearing the voice. A new person far too close for comfort. Snatching the paper up and shoving it in his pocket. "No. I am quite fine, but thank you, sir."

[angel_of_baal]

Yoga is highly therapeutic, so Tsang would encourage him to heed the flyer!

"Are you certain? You seem...agitated." It couldn't be the SUDDENLY TSANG only inches away because Revanians don't believe in personal space whatsoever. "What troubles you?"

[holiestlove]

He is far too Victorian for Yoga.

"I am not agitated, and I would ask you to please take a step back." His tone was a little firmer than one might expect. It was not a threat; Tsang was just far too close for comfort. "Is it a crime to take time to read?" Yeah, that's a lie. He was writing more than reading his notes.

Downtown Woodhurst

[flantastic]

Rakia is fine, thank you, just severely annoyed by his circumstances. Being pulled into some freakyass library and then getting dumped into the human world for no apparent reason is not his idea of a good time. All he wanted to do was sit on that bench and people-watch and maybe take a nap, and then there's just some guy showing up asking if he wants to talk about it.

Rakia stares at him for a moment, then heaves a sigh and goes back to staring off into the distance pointedly away from the nosy guy. "This sucks." Ignoring the weirdo is a valid method of dealing with this, right? Right.

[angel_of_baal]

Tsang would agree with the annoyance and frustration, if it had any memory of any of that. But right now, all it wants to do is HELP!

But it is persistent because some people do not open up immediately. "What, in particular? That tree?" It is trying to follow Rakia's eyeline to see what the other is looking at. The tree seems normal???

[flantastic]

Rakia does not want help. Even if he did, this conversation was not helpful. It was almost feeling like an extremely clumsy 'make human happy, then kidnap for use as candy flavoring' scheme he might have seen back home. The thought does not spark joy. "...you ever hear of the Stomach Company?"

He supposes an inept part-timer could have missed the 'management is dead, production has stopped' memo, but he kind of doubts it. Couldn't hurt to check. His gaze briefly flicks down to the weirdo's stomach, checking for signs of the second mouth that would mark any Granute who's taken human form, like himself.

Downtown Woodhurst

[fearinahandfulof]

Cassandra stares at him for a long moment. "About what?" she finally asks.

[angel_of_baal]

Ooooh, a Prospective Patient!

"About your feelings, of course!"

[fearinahandfulof]

What? "Why?"

let her HELP!

[starandhope]

"Oh, I think I can help with that!" Min'a says, and she absolutely has some sticking plaster that she will be attempting to tack Tsang's antennae down with.

"Perhaps the humans will think it's some sort of fashion statement?" she offers after a moment. "They seem to wear all sorts of things and call them fashion."

Help is what makes the world go round!

[angel_of_baal]

It bends down lower for proper placement. It did pinch a bit to pin the antenna back, but that was only temporary, and surely the discomfort would fade.

"They do, but Kaiisterion has advised me to not try to be too fashionable." Something like a look of horror and an absolute NO.

"Have you ever been on a deployment before? It's my first time." As if that wasn't blindingly obvious.

[starandhope]

"Honestly, I think Kai is being a little bit too picky about dress codes," Min'a says with a shake of her head.

"It's my first time, as well! I'm so excited to do my own therapy sessions! I hope I do all right."

woodhurst .. at night. /ominous

[curzed]

Thoroughly unfond of the searing brightness of daytime even WITH the cloudcover and rain, Curze has only really been venturing out at night, following the strange behavior of individuals in this town that the natives swear shouldn't be acting this way. Barefoot, with dark pants and a dark raincoat and little else, he doesn't look like he's slept inside a house in years, picking his way silently through town with patient deliberation.

He's followed by a pair of dogs, one spaniel-ish and the other a yellow supermutt with one down ear and one up ear.

The dogs are not his, he acquired them passing by somewhere on the outskirts of town from a house that apparently thinks leash laws belong to other people, and the dogs simply followed because he smelled both utterly foreign, thus VERY SUSPICIOUS to alert dogs, and like he might have something interesting to eat by that lingering raw meat smell. They never get too close, just in case.

Know what's even more unfamiliar and thus suspicious? Aliens. Tsang looks human, more or less. Doesn't act it. and CERTAINLY doesn't smell it. One dog brakes off to warily sniff after the alien instead of the .. heavily modified human it had been following.

suitably ominoused

[angel_of_baal]

Tsang's human disguise is wonderful. At least, no one had commented on it, except the man in the bookstore who called Tsang a 'hipster', which it assumed meant 'creature with hips' which all bipedal things had, really, so it had jotted it down to ask later.

The point WAS that Tsang was absolutely a convincing human being.

Except for the fact it hadn't been briefed about the dogs. When the creature comes snuffling around, circling it warily, Tsang forces a smile. Very big. Very plastic looking, flattening its spine against its back. "Hello, friend." Because everything here is a friend, just some of them are friends you haven't met yet!

[curzed]

The dog is not terribly convinced here. Tsang sounds friendly but everything else wasn't right enough where it really, REALLY doesn't want to get within reach, creeping just close enough to stretch as far as it can and sniff again, fur rising along its back in a bristly hedge of alarm.

When the second dog gives a single bark, the first yelps in alarm and scrambles back like Tsang had just handed it a live snake or something, Curze reorients to the sound of nervous followup barks. He's going to watch for a moment or two.

There'd been plenty of dogs on Nostramo, stray or otherwise. How people reacted to them tended to be universal.

Downtown Woodhurst

[ugh_emotions]

Having learned that the coloured structures in parks were a bad, bad choice for hiding, SecUnit had found a superior alternative.

Some of the humans had little storage huts next to their houses. One of the humans was also sharing some media, and somehow Siobhan and Laina had ended up invited. SecUnit certainly wasn't going to come and hang around a bunch of strange humans, even for media, but they had a storage hut. It could hide in there, while one of its drones watched the media.

The storage hut was full of human tools and vehicles with very outdated tech, but whatever, it was a place to hide and that's all it cares about.

So it might be a bit weird when Tsang passes by a shed and senses flickering emotions coming from within it. It feels like the kind of emotions that result from someone watching a piece of media that they like, with a current of chronic anxiety running underneath it.

[angel_of_baal]

Tsang was looking for places to hang its latest flyer. This place was going to get the full force of its training, meaning the full weight of every activity it could think of. The flyer it was posting right now was one for a drum circle for later tonight.

Who wouldn't want to strip down half naked in an isolated spot in the woods with some strangers? So HEALING. Everyone should come. There will be snacks! Everyone loves snacks!

But...what was that? The emotive spines on its back twitched, which probably looked like a whole body shiver. It didn't make sense: how could someone be entertained and anxious at the same point? Unless it was using entertainment for...coping.

But coping never addressed the real issue!

But you know what did?

THERAPY!

Tsang circled the shed, trying to figure out an approach. "Are...you all right in there?" Uninspired, but a good start.

[ugh_emotions]

(Who hates snacks? SecUnit. SecUnit hates snacks.)

(It also hates its hiding spaces being discovered.)

At first, it's just plain baffled. The human can't see it. And humans don't live in storage spaces like this. There's absolutely no reason for the human to suspect anyone was in here.

It's also certainly not going to confirm that anyone is in here. No, it's going to stay silent, and hope the human gets bored and goes away.

Above all of this, a drone flying above the storage unit watches. But there aren't any emotions coming from it.

art """"therapy"""" - back aboard the Radiance

[unsheathedfromreality]

It's hard to tell if Tsang's latest "human" patient is engaged in malicious or merely apathetic compliance with the goals of art therapy. Hard to tell -- even for a Revanian -- because there's something seriously wrong with the man's emotional state, like there's a yawning great chasm where his heart should be. (Though ... something ... lurks on the other side of the chasm, bright and terrible but suppressed and bent like light lensing around a black hole.)

"Forster Green" has been sitting in front of the same canvas for the last half hour in total silence, methodically stippling it with individual black dots in perfect rows and columns. He's resisted all attempts at conversation -- but is at least ... doing the activity? And is nearly done.

Putting the last dot in place, he sets the paintbrush down and asks, polite as you please, "May I go now?"

Hurray! let's self-actualize through art!

[angel_of_baal]

It's true, the newcomer felt...strange, it almost felt like vertigo trying to get a read on him. Perhaps if Tsang could take off its human disguise and use all of its emotive spines, that might help but...Tsang wasn't entirely sure it wanted to feel what this one was feeling.

But still, he'd sat down and took his art supplies. Well, the black paint, at any rate. Perhaps a limited palette represented his self-perceived limitations?

Tsang looks at the work, tilting its head one way, then the other, trying to make sense of it. Very uniform, every dot almost exactly the same size and placed evenly..."What were you thinking as you made this?" Art time is over. Now it is time for WORDS.

h-hurray!!

[unsheathedfromreality]

No luck, then. Illarion thought getting out of this one might have been as easy as simply finishing the painting -- but it appears more than that is required for compliance with the exercise.

He doesn't sigh. There would be no point to that. But he does take a long moment to regard his finished artwork.

"Each one of these is a hundred deaths I was responsible for."

There's hundreds of dots on the canvas. He looks away from them, regarding his tormentor ... therapist? ... with a sidelong look. Watching for reactions in the disguised creature.

"That's all."

Downtown

[codeswitchcraft]

"You!" Siobhan says, spinning around and reaching for an arrow from the quiver at her back. "Take me to your lair, bodysnatcher, or I will show you fear in a handful of dust."

(Someone may have witnessed Tsang abducting Murderbot earlier.)

[angel_of_baal]

EEP!! That's what Tsang thinks, and also what it says, the word squeaking out is it raises its hands. "That is a weapon!" Tsang is shocked. "There is no need for weaponry! All conflict can be settled through calm mediation!" Also, please don't shoot it.

[codeswitchcraft]

"You took someone from Michiko's parents' shed," she says, stubbornly. "You're definitely a bodysnatcher. And if you take me to your lair so I can find Michiko, I won't actually shoot you."