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unfinishedlibrary2025-11-14 08:20 am
libraryassistants) wrote in unfinishedlibrary2025-11-14 08:20 am
It's a beautiful day in the village - TAKE A LOAD OFF, LOG 1
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.]
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.]
1C
"Those boys started it," she says under her breath. "I don't see why we are here just because we finished it."
She'd been about twenty feet away when the rugby thug had tried to smash Michiko's face into her own lunch and as soon as she'd saw it, she'd started grabbing whatever could be thrown and aimed it directly for the rugby creep's head, concentrating her fire on him and only him. Given that it had included another thermos, the results had been rather unfortunate.
Re: 1C
“Oh it’s bollocks. Complete bullshit,” she agrees. “But we can’t do anything about it so as I said to mum: shikata ga nai. It is what it is. Good time and place to get homework out of the way at least.”
She offers her hand - she bows mostly as an excuse to keep her distance from strangers.
“You were brilliant back there,” she says. “My name’s Michiko, can I ask for yours?”
Re: 1C
"This is my first time in this village," she adds. "Are all the boys here so awful?"
Re: 1C
Michiko breaks it first and puts that hand behind her head, averting her eyes, still smiling enough to crinkle the corners of her eyes.
“Nah, only the rich, successful ones whose folks let them get away with murder,” she says, completely honestly if a tad… shall we say oversteeped. “The blokes who end up in the afterschool cram club with us are quite decent once you get to know them.”
She shakes her head. “God, that stupid sub. It’s not even a hard name, just pronounce each syllable and don’t stress any one in particular. …Shivhohn, huh? It’s lovely. Is it Welsh?”
Re: 1C
Re: 1C
It is a pretty name, Michiko agrees. So why does it grate on her?
“Mum and dad came moved here from Tokyo in I think the late 80’s? Da’s good with cars, and mum translates and sells books. Picked up a bit of Dad’s talent with a wrench.”
She pauses for a moment and her smile shifts, no longer quite reaching her eyes.
“Mum wants me to learn how to keep home, though, like she does. Still can’t quite properly sew.”
Re: 1C
Which is a totally normal thing for earth people to have! She knows this from Mina!
Re: 1C
In the end her crush leaps off the top rope like a bolt from the blue for the hurricanra and the pin, and she nods.
“Sure thing,” she says. “…you could come to my place. Mum likes seeing my friends, and I’ve got a Swop and a ton of dvd’s and tapes.”
She shakes her head. Focus. No time to lose your nerve now.
“A trousseau sounds fancy. Harder than some of my work with costumes. What is it?”
Re: 1C
It may be becoming increasingly clear that Siobhan's dad is more old-fashioned than Michiko's parents.
no subject
“That working out for you?” she asks, trying not to be too judgey. “I think my folks would prefer I go for a boy heading for law or medical school, but their folks trusted them to find each other and they trust me to find someone sensible too.”
She does beam at her other question, though. “Oh yeah. I made a killer Space Force uniform from out of the 90’s Ad Astra reboot. Not many local cons to show it off in, but there’s always Halloween.”
no subject
But then she brightens. "Ad Astra? I have a friend who likes Ad Astra. Maybe it's Ad Terra? Would you show it to me? And-- other media? So I can see what kinds I like?"
no subject
“I hope you and this Konrad boy are still friends after all that,” she says. “If he’s worth your time he wouldn’t make his dissapointment your problem, I don’t think.”
She’s glad of the change of topic, though, and literally leans into it.
“Ad Terra’s the prequel,” she says. “We should watch it first if we’re going to watch them.”
She considers for a moment.
“Though… you ought to know it’s dreadfully (or delightfully) 60’s at times. Just know a miniskirt meant something different back then, and I promise Captain Jones is way less of a horndog than the fandom says, just… very enthusiastic about women.”
no subject
But then she shakes her head again, as eager as Michiko to switch topics.
"I don't know anything about what fandom says," she promises Michiko. "I want to see it, 60s and all. Please. And any other media you would think I'd like."
no subject
She wants to pump her fists and whoop at Siobhan’s enthusiasm for spending time and geeking out with her but decides to play it cool and close.
“I like to get some friends together to watch things. Most in here if not skating. Punks, sweeter than they look to a one. I’d l…ike it a lot if you’d join us after school,” she says.
no subject
no subject
Don’t say it’s a date then Michiko. Don’t do it. Do not fuck this up.
She writes down her name and address, cell phone number and email address on an index card and hands it over, because pretty senior girl has got her acting at -1 to all Mind based defense rolls.
“Looking forward to it!”
Nailed it.
no subject
And then, after a moment, she adds, "Oh, do you have a display surface?"
incredible. scene?
But she gets over it fast, and says, “Yeah, we’re covered, I just use my monitor. Say 7?”
SCENE