libraryassistants: (Default)
Unfinished Library Mod & NPC Account ([personal profile] libraryassistants) wrote in [community profile] 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.]
aetherialshackles: (005)

[personal profile] aetherialshackles 2025-11-17 07:01 am (UTC)(link)
"Humans..." He corrects himself immediately before nodding in the miqo'te's direction and trying to offer some sort of support. "I can only imagine the level of frustration for someone like you, but for what it's worth... should anything come your way, I will stand between you and them."

He's... probably not the best option as a defender, but Erich wants to at least sound as confident as he can (who cares if he's the first one doubting himself?).

"Mh? A similar place, you say? Your future certainly seems... unique." A short break, looking down in the other's direction "So many colors, noises and smells, I've only ever seen Pandaemonium and my kin's capital, this is nothing like either place. Would you like to tell me more?"
aetherweaver: (serious)

Dawntrail Spoilers

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2025-11-17 07:06 pm (UTC)(link)
He presses his hand to his forehead. "It's something of... a piece of another world was merged into mine. The technology level of it is quite far advanced compared to mine." He looks up at the other and takes a deep breath.

"But Solution Nine has a lot of things with screens like..." He tilts his head towards one of the other patrons that has a smartphone. "And coffee shops and stores like this, and bars and places to go. Add more purple and a fighting arena and it's reasonably close."
aetherialshackles: (027)

[personal profile] aetherialshackles 2025-11-18 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Solution... Nine. What a non-poetic name for a place. He's not going to dig too deep in the whole 'another world' department for now, leaving proper investigation for when his friend is a little less.. distressed.

"I do admit I wonder what your world is like now. Perhaps one of those days we can talk about it? Or how different this other world is?"

A small tilt of the head. Purple, not Erich's favorite color... nor his kin relied too much on screens, not when crystals were a much better way to store data and read it. There's no comment, he just attempts to take another sip of the latte and then exhales. Still too sweet... he does offer the straw in Nara'a's direction in case he's more inclined to indulge into sweet things.
aetherweaver: (eh?)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2025-11-21 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
"We can, yes." He glances down and smiles, taking a sip of the coffee. His eyes widen a little and if he still had his tail it would be wiggling.

Very sweet, but very... nice, actually. "I'm trying to think of what to do next... at least no one seems to mind if I linger here. I suppose if I were taking a seat in a crowded place it would be different, but..." The whole village is a little light on people compared to how big it is.
aetherialshackles: (Default)

[personal profile] aetherialshackles 2025-11-21 09:27 am (UTC)(link)
Ah... he likes it? Erich takes mental note of that, it may be too sweet for him but not too sweet for his friend. The drink stays there between the two of them, a silent offering for Nara'a to take more.

"For what it's worth, I've been wondering what to do for... quite some time now. Since I arrived to the library. But maybe we've been taken here for a purpose and we just need to figure it out." Both out of time and space, taken to unfamiliar spaces with unknown goals... at lest Erich could say he had a friend by his side. "I do not mind less crowded places, I'm... not used having so many people around." A pause, glancing around "Did anything catch your eyes, perhaps?"
aetherweaver: (serious)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2025-11-22 06:42 pm (UTC)(link)
He'll get some more in a bit. But hm... of course Erich is more used to quiet places. That makes sense, given Pandaemonium in general. "There's a school, but I don't think we're going to be able to walk right in. I did... meet a young man in some amount of trouble, but it's parental trouble which is... delicate." He glances at his friend - he's not really sure how to even explain how he met Athena, so he'll leave that be at the moment. The point is still made well enough.

"There are a few of us from the library here, though several of them do not seem to remember it. So I'm not certain how to proceed... there doesn't seem to be some kind of conflict we need to resolve to my knowledge, but... perhaps one will make itself known."
aetherialshackles: (026)

[personal profile] aetherialshackles 2025-11-22 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
He's just there, so no hurry in any sense. The latte is still sitting there between the two as the man nods and listens. A school, he saw one of those from the outside even if it felt quite different from what he was indirectly familiar with back 'home'. As for the young man's troubles..

"Oh..." A pause "I'm... not exactly sure I'd be the best choice to help in that sense." former Daddy Issues and still lowkey Mommy Issues Erichthonios didn't exactly have much experience with a healthy family dynamic. Not that his kin had much going on that resembled modern families but that's beside the point.

"I thought I saw some familiar faces... given my size, thought, I do tend to keep my distance from most people so I wasn't completely sure." One hand is brought to his chin "Perhaps I should try to approach more people to see if there's any hint on why they apparently forgot the library. As for the conflict... it seems rather peaceful, yes. People here are incredibly friendly, actually, I kept being offered free things even if I'm aware I should pay goods with some form of currency."
aetherweaver: (neutral)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2025-11-24 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
"I assumed not. I'm not the best with that sort of thing either, for the record... but I'll do my best if I can." He listens to Erich and nods. Familiar faces... definitely helpful.

But... free things? "I'm not certain... I've had a few people do that too. I'm not certain why, and I'm not exactly complaining, but..." Hm, what to do. "I'm keeping my eyes out for anything that seems out of the ordinary... but I"m not certain what the 'ordinary' is."
aetherialshackles: (026)

[personal profile] aetherialshackles 2025-11-27 08:03 am (UTC)(link)
"Doing our best is what we can do, right? I... fear that, well, given my personal family experience I wouldn't be of any help. I barely started speaking with Lahabrea once more before things started to fall apart." A pause, then "That being said, wouldn't it be a good idea to, uhm... perhaps follow those who are from the library? We may find out why they don't remember the place."

He crossed his legs, resting one elbow against his knee and glancing around "Back in my world I barely had any real idea of how currencies worked, I lived in the Pandaemonium so all my needs were covered and while I'm aware some tribes exchanged coin for goods this... I think I'd require a crash course in how this kind of things properly work should it ever be a necessity for me." A pause as he brings one hand to his chin. "I'm not sure either. But... huh... maybe we could try to follow the familiar faces? And keep an eye on each other, just in case we start to lose ourselves or something? We're still aware we're from the Library, but what if things start to slip away?"
aetherweaver: (smile)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2025-11-29 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
“I think you’re right. We need to find more allies. … I can help with the societal issues to some extent…” Money and such things is something he’s at least familiar with. “We do need to keep an eye on each other. It’s not unreasonable to think our memories could be altered.”

He puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “The familiar faces… I’m just glad you’re one of them. You needed to get out to see the world, too. Even if this is not a familiar world… you deserve more.”