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unfinishedlibrary2025-12-12 07:10 pm
libraryassistants) wrote in unfinishedlibrary2025-12-12 07:10 pm
The real alien abduction... LIBRARY RETURN LOG
Who: The Editors, and the Assistants
What: Library Return!
When: At the end of the Story
Where: The Library
Content warnings: Please put content warnings in the headers!
It’s been an eventful month in Woodhurst! The alleged alien abductions have caused tourism to absolutely boom. What was a small, peaceful town a few weeks ago has turned into a bustling hub. There are claims that the local bookstore has been run by an alien for the last 20-odd years - met only with mutters from the locals about having heard that one before - and a plethora of people taking to the internet to tell the stories of their own abductions.
With the return of most of the humans to Earth, the Wellbeing Group have recalled their agents to the SS Radiance. With a few exceptions, almost everyone should be back to where they were on that first day - November 14th, 2019. It turns out that the humans of Earth just aren’t ready for the Group’s efforts. Perhaps there’s something to be said for following protocol and allowing First Contact to be established… well, first.
Amongst all the chaos of reunions and goodbyes, Editors may miss the signs of the Story ending. It starts slowly, ramping up over a matter of hours. The smell of old books tickles at their senses, and the rustling of pages reaches their ears. There’s something like the scritch of pen on paper, like a bookmark being placed.
And then, between one slow blink and the next, Woodhurst and the SS Radiance begin to fuzz out of view. Like rubbing your eyes after a dream, the Stacks take shape around them; and with the thud of a hardcover closing, the Story comes to an end.
Welcome back, Editors
For some, recovering from the effects of the Story might be as easy as turning a page. For others, there might be a lot left to unpack. Readers - those who had remained themselves during the Story - will likely find it easier. Those who were Actors, fully absorbed in living another life, may need a minute to sort themselves out.
The Library itself seems to have some trouble shaking off the Story in full. Here and there are the same floral arrangements that had been on the Radiance, the scent of them much weaker now. There’s an echo of soothing music in the air, faint as if it’s fading out. And wherever these flowers can be smelled or the music can be heard, there’s an urge that is felt – a lowering of one’s barriers, a soothing sense of safety, and a compulsion to express oneself. So go on. Ask and answer the question. How does that make you feel?
The customary tea cart is set up in the Lobby again. It looks like it’s just recently been put out, with weak tea still only starting to steep. The coffee is as terrible as ever. Mismatched creamers and sugar packets sit in a neatly organised box, with a tin of butter cookies nearby. Paper cups have been replaced by ceramics with matching saucers, dainty napkins just waiting to be used.
Notably, there is no phone provided. Instead there is a sign:
Please direct all complaints to the Help Desk.
The Help Desk itself is along one wall of the Lobby. The large window, previously closed and locked, is now open. The ‘back in 5’ sign is gone, replaced by one that instructs you to ‘please take a number’. A stack of cards with bold numbers printed on them sits beneath it.
And behind that window, sitting at the Help Desk, is someone whose voice may have only been heard over the phone until now. He will not be assisting anyone who approaches out of turn, so you should get comfortable mingling while you wait.
Perhaps in the hopes that some people will get distracted and wander away, there is a poster next to the Help Desk window.
Skills 101
Learn from the best the Library has to offer!
Join the study group in Meeting Room 1.
No food or drinks permitted.
In case anyone would like to avoid the Assistants as much as possible, or would like something else to do after yelling at them, there is another display that can be found periodically outside one of the doors of rotating locations. It says ‘Seed Library’ and, as the name implies, has little packets of seeds that are available! When seen outside the door, it will always lead to the garden. Time to get your hands dirty!
Interestingly, it seems the garden seems to follow the same general rules as the rest of the library- whatever someone expects the weather or season to be is what will be reflected in that outside space, with a sunrise/set pattern to match. When two or more people with different ideas of what it should be occupy the space, however, it gets… muddled.
And for those with hands just itching to express themselves with violence… the Safe Zone awaits. The Library’s safety mechanism triggers as damage is registered, whether to an Editor or a piece of the Library. As if in anticipation of some long stays, the previously-empty yacht does now have a few creature comforts. Food, drinks, a place to rest. Just try not to extend your stay too long or your more peaceful friends might start to wonder where you’ve gone.
What: Library Return!
When: At the end of the Story
Where: The Library
Content warnings: Please put content warnings in the headers!
It’s been an eventful month in Woodhurst! The alleged alien abductions have caused tourism to absolutely boom. What was a small, peaceful town a few weeks ago has turned into a bustling hub. There are claims that the local bookstore has been run by an alien for the last 20-odd years - met only with mutters from the locals about having heard that one before - and a plethora of people taking to the internet to tell the stories of their own abductions.
With the return of most of the humans to Earth, the Wellbeing Group have recalled their agents to the SS Radiance. With a few exceptions, almost everyone should be back to where they were on that first day - November 14th, 2019. It turns out that the humans of Earth just aren’t ready for the Group’s efforts. Perhaps there’s something to be said for following protocol and allowing First Contact to be established… well, first.
Amongst all the chaos of reunions and goodbyes, Editors may miss the signs of the Story ending. It starts slowly, ramping up over a matter of hours. The smell of old books tickles at their senses, and the rustling of pages reaches their ears. There’s something like the scritch of pen on paper, like a bookmark being placed.
And then, between one slow blink and the next, Woodhurst and the SS Radiance begin to fuzz out of view. Like rubbing your eyes after a dream, the Stacks take shape around them; and with the thud of a hardcover closing, the Story comes to an end.
Welcome back, Editors
For some, recovering from the effects of the Story might be as easy as turning a page. For others, there might be a lot left to unpack. Readers - those who had remained themselves during the Story - will likely find it easier. Those who were Actors, fully absorbed in living another life, may need a minute to sort themselves out.
The Library itself seems to have some trouble shaking off the Story in full. Here and there are the same floral arrangements that had been on the Radiance, the scent of them much weaker now. There’s an echo of soothing music in the air, faint as if it’s fading out. And wherever these flowers can be smelled or the music can be heard, there’s an urge that is felt – a lowering of one’s barriers, a soothing sense of safety, and a compulsion to express oneself. So go on. Ask and answer the question. How does that make you feel?
The customary tea cart is set up in the Lobby again. It looks like it’s just recently been put out, with weak tea still only starting to steep. The coffee is as terrible as ever. Mismatched creamers and sugar packets sit in a neatly organised box, with a tin of butter cookies nearby. Paper cups have been replaced by ceramics with matching saucers, dainty napkins just waiting to be used.
Notably, there is no phone provided. Instead there is a sign:
The Help Desk itself is along one wall of the Lobby. The large window, previously closed and locked, is now open. The ‘back in 5’ sign is gone, replaced by one that instructs you to ‘please take a number’. A stack of cards with bold numbers printed on them sits beneath it.
And behind that window, sitting at the Help Desk, is someone whose voice may have only been heard over the phone until now. He will not be assisting anyone who approaches out of turn, so you should get comfortable mingling while you wait.
Perhaps in the hopes that some people will get distracted and wander away, there is a poster next to the Help Desk window.
Learn from the best the Library has to offer!
Join the study group in Meeting Room 1.
No food or drinks permitted.
In case anyone would like to avoid the Assistants as much as possible, or would like something else to do after yelling at them, there is another display that can be found periodically outside one of the doors of rotating locations. It says ‘Seed Library’ and, as the name implies, has little packets of seeds that are available! When seen outside the door, it will always lead to the garden. Time to get your hands dirty!
Interestingly, it seems the garden seems to follow the same general rules as the rest of the library- whatever someone expects the weather or season to be is what will be reflected in that outside space, with a sunrise/set pattern to match. When two or more people with different ideas of what it should be occupy the space, however, it gets… muddled.
And for those with hands just itching to express themselves with violence… the Safe Zone awaits. The Library’s safety mechanism triggers as damage is registered, whether to an Editor or a piece of the Library. As if in anticipation of some long stays, the previously-empty yacht does now have a few creature comforts. Food, drinks, a place to rest. Just try not to extend your stay too long or your more peaceful friends might start to wonder where you’ve gone.
no subject
Mina Harker is a woman of her era, if one of the most enlightened and valiant of them. Min'a Ha'arker was accepting of - there must be a better word for it than 'egg' for the unknowingly transmasculine, given that the closest spear counterpart for the 'well a chick comes out when it hatches' pun is obscene, surely? - but there is a chance, however slim Hikaru thought it, that her as herself would not - was not equipped to - understand.
But she has faced worse horrors than a man who realized he was a man later in life.
So he goes, and accepts the tea, and sips it, and thinks of where to begin.
"...I suspect my distaste for black tea was because I've never had a proper cup, this is quite excellent," Hikaru says as his deep and subtle mind struggles with turns of phrase.
no subject
Whatever is in Hikaru's past, it's his business.
"Thank you," she says graciously. "It's still not quite the thing, if we were in London I'd find some good tea, but it's better than -"
Whatever that is on the tea cart.
no subject
His hand creeping up to his forehead.
“…I feel we need to talk about… our shared experiences in the Story… somewhere we cannot be overheard,” Hikaru says. “I’ve learned how to attune the door to the various spare rooms to the one I actually want. Would you prefer the gardens or the artisans atelier?”
no subject
"Very well," she says, setting her cup down. "How about the garden? I feel as if I haven't been outdoors in an age."
no subject
Later, he is there, tending to a lovely bush of pink roses.
no subject
"I suspect this is more a greenhouse than a proper, outdoor garden," she remarks. "But it's the closest we have at the moment."
no subject
He sighs.
“Earlier, before the Story began, I told you how good it was that you enjoyed being a homemaker and helpmeet. That you wore femininity well and comfortably, as Jonathan wears the mantle of manhood. And I spoke of it as a heavy burden, for those who did not enjoy it.”
no subject
But her expression gets more serious as he begins speaking of womanhood and manhood. Her experiences during the story certainly gave her a slightly new perspective on things, though she still doesn't begin to understand it.
"Indeed you did," she says, not really having an opinion or response to him. She'll let him continue, say his piece, whatever it is that he thinks he needs to say.
no subject
He brings his hand over his eyes and runs them down his face, so that this woman cannot see he is wiping away a tear. Deep breath. Get it together, Akira. Hikaru.
"The young Tsukuda's role in that story was shockingly accurate to my teenage years in San Francisco, the same year of 2019," Hikaru manages to say with only a waver in his voice. "I am lucky it was in San Francisco. Testosterone is not a fraction so difficult for a young transgender man to obtain there than it was in a United Kingdom already sliding into theocratic tyranny."
no subject
"Transgender"? "Testosterone"? Such words simply aren't in her vocabulary.
But she has other words. Hopefully words that can soothe.
"I'm sorry that you faced such difficulties, at such a young age," she says. "And yet, it seems you overcame them. I'm glad of that."
no subject
For all that Hikaru hopes she will understand - will explain in whatever language she needs to understand - it is enough for her to, uncomprehending, accept him, support him.
“So now you know,” he says, “the secrets that the Story revealed against my will that I could not for the fear of you thinking less of me. Your Role helped the young Tsukuda. I hoped this, too, was -”
He laughs.
“- shockingly accurate to the real you.”
no subject
Mina smiles faintly. "But she certainly had the best of intentions. She wanted to do good. As do I."
She studies Hikaru for a moment, considering.
"I appreciate your trust, I hope you know. This knowledge of your past - it is private, and it should never have been forced out of you like that. But I won't violate your trust."
no subject
He takes a deep breath.
"You may ask me any questions you have."
no subject
"Are you happy, now, as you are?"
no subject
And thank the Gods of Earth and Mundus for that.
no subject
She suspects the intricacies of what it all means, the theory, the terminology, the medical information - she suspects that is far more complicated than she could ever understand, even if he was inclined to share it with her.
But she understands that Hikaru is a man. That is what makes him whole, and happy. And so he is.
no subject
He tips his hat.
"Well. Perhaps one more thing. Have you met the lady Siobhan?"
no subject
no subject
His grin reaches from ear to ear.
no subject