Unfinished Library Mod & NPC Account (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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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.]
no subject
"So the effects may be lost once you leave this... place," K said, referring to how they were apparently within one of the unfinished stories in the library. "Is there a way to make it more portable so you could take it with you?"
no subject
"It is a large bowl made of solid crystal. Technically, I could take it to other places, but trying to carry it around with me is not something I can manage without looking like a weirdo with a bowl."
So it was possible that he would be able to keep it outside of this particular Story, but doing so was going to be difficult.
no subject
True altruism was such a foreign concept to him that he couldn't help but assume such assistance came at a cost Viktor wasn't yet aware of.
no subject
Viktor didn't know it, but he would have been kept alive, yet always in that sickly state. The wellness group really was about improving health.
no subject
"But then they might've considered you less useful to them. Have you been asked to do anything?" He cast a brief glance down the corridor before looking back to Viktor, offering, "I haven't." A beat. "Other than the yoga class I was asked to attend. But I had the impression that was a suggestion, not an order."
Which for him was probably the most unusual aspect of being here — not being expected to serve and obey. Yet. But he'd opted to attend the yoga class as though it were an order, to be safe.
no subject
And Woodhurst was its own set of confusing memories that were conflicting with Viktor's memories of the library. Call it a messed-up result of the weird magic that both wove Viktor into this Story but didn't incorporate him fully. The memories of Woodhurst were like trying to remember a dream, and they were becoming more vague the harder Viktor tried to focus on them. But, for right now, Viktor frowned at K.
"Are you expecting to get orders somehow from these aliens?"
no subject
The question seemed to surprise him.
"I'm not sure why else they'd want me here."
For his entire short life up until this point, his worth had been measured by how useful he was to others, and by how much could be taken from him. It was difficult trying to wrap his head around the thought that maybe not all societies were going to treat him like a tool to be used.
no subject
"Do you measure your worth by how useful you can be to others?"
no subject
"It's why my kind exist. To serve humanity in any way they require."
The aliens obviously weren't part of humanity, but he didn't know enough about them or their culture to really make any meaningful distinctions at that point; thus, he had no reason to believe their benevolence was genuine or safe.
no subject
"Are you saying in your world that humanity was able to create the perfect life form and relegate that life form to being just a servant?"
To Viktor, there was something deeply wrong with the idea of turning any sentient life form into a servant class, even ones that were born already human or even human adjacent.
no subject
"... What would you have done with us?" K wondered, though he could scarcely imagine any other kind of life. He would never be allowed to be anything other than what he was created to be. It was dangerous to even be entertaining these thoughts.
no subject
Viktor knew what it was like to be treated as something less than human if not ignored outright. He had very strong opinions about the necessity of personal freedom.
no subject
"You're very different from any humans I've known," he eventually replied, and wondered about Viktor's life before this place, what his upbringing had been like. "Does the world you're from not have anything like me?"
Were such prejudices inevitable in universes where androids and adjacent beings existed, or were the humans of his home universe just exceptionally unenlightened?
no subject
The humans that he was used to may be so unenlightened because they were the only species that was sentient on the planet. Where Viktor was from, there were at least four, if not more, species other than humans.
"And based on what you said about the humans of the world that you came from, I will take that as a compliment."
no subject
"It's a compliment." This was probably the longest conversation he'd ever had with a human who wasn't his handler without being told to fuck off or being called a slur.
... He liked it.
"The way you talk. Are you a scientist?" he guessed. Or some manner of academic, he was sure. It wasn't just that these were the sorts of details that he'd been specifically programmed to pick up on — his interest was more personal.
no subject
He has yet to realize that it was an element of true chaos, bending time and space along with the Elements of Nature. But he has always been drawn to mechanical things ever since he was a child, and made his own toys out of metal rubbish.
no subject
"That explains your interest in the garden's door mechanism." The hint of a smile grew slightly, becoming just a little teasing. "And android anatomy. You've invented things?"
no subject
"Ahem. Yes, I have. I was working on a way to make magic into a safe form for use with portable devices."
no subject
"Will you continue your work here?" K asked before glancing out the viewport again, taking in the vast expanse of space. "...At the library. Assuming we're not trapped on this ship." Or trapped in the Story.
no subject
Viktor sobered and frowned as he looked out the viewport, too.
"I don't think that keeping both memories of the library and my memories of Woodhurst was supposed to happen. Well, sort of keeping my memories of Woodhurst, anyway."
no subject
In K's case he hadn't received any memories of a life in Woodhurst, and had only retained his memories of the Library, so that was new information to him.
no subject
"It's the place down there that I was supposed to be a professor at a university, I think? There are a bunch of urban legends about the place being visited by aliens previously. Which, given where we are right now, I think that is probably a true story."
Viktor looked away, raising a hand to massage his temple.
"But trying to remember that is like trying to remember a dream. It all slips away the harder I try to hold on."
no subject
To help Viktor better blend in, maybe? Or had Viktor been meant to play a certain role?
"...What did you teach?" he asked curiously.
no subject
"I honestly don't know."
no subject
"I hope your memories of the Library remain intact."
He hoped Viktor wouldn't forget him.