for all the world's a stage - LIBRARY LOG

[libraryassistants]

Who: The Editors
What: The Library changes once again...
When: January 9- January 22
Where: The Library
Content warnings: Please put them in the comment headers!

The Assistants have vanished into their backroom once again, leaving only the increasingly unbelievable “Back In 5” sign on the Help Desk, but at least they have attempted to impart some knowledge on the Editors before departing (or… attempted to do anything but, depending who you ask). The customary tea cart with drinks and increasingly stale biscuits is parked in its usual spot, though it seems that the quality of the tea at least has improved some. (Still waiting on coffee improvement.)

There’s a new crafting setup in the Maker Space, a table with an iron and machine for making vinyl designs, along with the instructions on how to use it, and a stack of t-shirts in various sizes. Usually there’s something in the correct size, but, well, mistakes happen. While this addition to clothing is a boon, there is the problem that the t-shirts can’t be taken out of the room until some sort of design is put on them. Get creative! Show off your style! Or maybe just steal one of the shirts that are there for display purposes. It’s fine, the Library can make more.

In the second week as the Library begins to change once more, the Lobby’s wooden floor shines with extra polish. The walls make an odd creaking sound as they shift, warping into brick covered with velvet drapings in a rich, dark red. Gold thread twinkles in the stitches, a sense of opulence woven through. The sound of ballroom music drifts by and, while in the Lobby, characters will be taken by the unusual impulse to dance.

Outside, in the Garden, the day/night cycle has paused firmly on a cloudless night. A full moon hangs in the air - literally. About the size of a basketball, it follows the first person who enters the Garden; hovering a couple of meters above their head. A white aura spreads from them, powered by the moon, and those who are caught in its light will find themselves unable to speak anything but the truth.

When the person to whom the moon is attached leaves the garden, the moon and its aura will leave them; and the moon will attach to the next person to enter instead.

On the circulation desk, there is a sign: “This Week’s Recommended Reading: Twilight!” The accompanying sign up sheet waits next to it for those wishing to check it out- though some will receive the movie instead of the book, with no particular rhyme or reason to it. Periodically someone might also receive something else entirely. Whoops? The Assistants at least will fix that quickly. Richard will be embarrassed, while Phillip will be trying not to cackle.

While not advertised, various iterations of different stories will be available throughout the Library. In particular, someone seems to have left the projector in one of the meeting rooms running, with a variety of different recorded plays. These range from professional productions, to parodies, to what appear to be high schoolers (of which one production features a sixteen year old version of Phillip running around being an absolutely nuisance.

Comments

[shakenit]

"Well, I'm glad it's improved, at least." She'd be trying to figure out how to fix that, if it hadn't already been addressed.

Sumire sighs. "I've... heard about that. I can't say I like the idea of being someone else again."

[terraboo]

"You've experience with something like this, then?", Laina responds. "E-er if I'm being too invasive, lemme know! (Sorry)."

and here comes the mental manipulation cw

[shakenit]

"Not... exactly like this. But I spent most of the last six months confidently asserting I was my dead sister."

[terraboo]

"... This... Mmm. It's your choice if you want to go further, but, if we need someplace quieter... My room isn't too far away? Or there's other places we can head."

Laina's tone has gone quieter. "It sounds like this is a long one, though. 'Confidently asserting' implies you believed it?"

[shakenit]

"I did. And I didn't understand why no one else seemed to believe it. And the problems I have were still there, just... papered over."

It was a weird time.

[terraboo]

"... This sounds like there was something more complex going on, for sure," Laina replied. "Like what caused you to believe it, for one."

She was aware of the existence of compulsion magic on her world - one of She Who Must Be Abjured's nastier choices.

If it was something like that...

[shakenit]

"My parents were worried enough about me to seek out a therapist. And he took me at my word when I said I had no worth if I couldn't be Kasumi, and had the ability to make me think it was true. Some friends helped me dig myself out of my own head."

[terraboo]

"... To use Earth vernacular, oh lawsey what the fuck. That's... That's terrifying."

That was NOT the acceleration she'd expected.

"I can only imagine what it took to... Oh hell."

She shuddered. "... You're okay now, but... Damn. And then there's the risk of the books drawing you into a role. That's... Not great, no."

[shakenit]

"It's been a weird school year." And yet, she's still vastly understating it.

Sumire sighs. "And none of my friends are here, so... I figure some people need to know the basics. In case that does happen and I can't handle it afterward." Or in case she's shunted into reliving the trauma she's barely started processing.

[terraboo]

"What I can offer, for sure, is healing magic, a stick to bonk certain kinds of problem with, a metric butt-ton of Internet memes... And someone who can listen," Laina says. "That last one may be the most valuable."

The smile is a bit quiet. "Though I guess I shouldn't underestimate the power of dumb humor, either. It... Uh, right. You should be aware of the oddity of my own situation, if nothing else because it's fair."

[shakenit]

Sumire nods. "Someone who can listen is what helped before I was ready to face things, so it definitely can't be undervalued. But go ahead."

[terraboo]

"Mundus. A fantasy realm, of foxgirls and pixies, magic and lots of mayhem. Also incidentally the setting of popular fantasy virtual reality online roleplaying game The Wonders of Mundus: Mundane Fantasy Historia. I'm, uh, an NPC from that game. Except that, when everyone on one server got trapped here, we of that server experienced the Awakening; unbound from the plot et cetera. I think the Earth meme I know best for this is Last Thursdayism?"

She shrugs. "Anyways, I was a comic relief girl, armed with Internet memes and such. From my perspective, I kept finding weird books about stuff from Earth - the Earth the players of the game came from, probably but not assuredly not the same as yours - and kept reading them. There's... More going on, but the big thing is, girl who was purely written for a fiction, suddenly all active and mobile. Fortunately, I'd like to think I'm still cute."

[shakenit]

"Oh. That... that sounds awfully complicated."

And like another potential recipe for disaster with being shunted into another life.

[terraboo]

"Eh. I'm still me, just unbound by scripting. There's... A lot more going on - we were created by extremely complicated artificial intelligences who basically function as gods of our world to be complete beings, which is the only reason the Awakening could happen. So the girl who read too many Earth memes is still the girl who read too many Earth memes."

She smiles. "It makes for one bright spot in being pulled here - and some others from my world, including my closest compatriot, are here too-"

Well that explains the upper bed, which clearly has some use.

"- which is getting to experience places that aren't just Salzstadt. Sure, we have to deal with all kinds of other crap in the process, but... There's at least one best to make of it, you know?"

[shakenit]

"There is that, I guess. It still sounds like it would've been quite a shock."

[terraboo]

"Yeah, can't exactly say it's smooth sailing, just, there's at least some upside."

[shakenit]

"You said people playing the game got trapped in it?"

That's an experience Sumire will definitely pass on. No thank you.

[terraboo]

"Yeah. That's a whole other aspect to the situation, to say the least. I... Don't have a full handle on all of what occurred there as yet."

She sighs. "But yeah. Mostly just letting you know, my perspective is, like, hella skewed. Soooo if I say something insensitive please call me out on it."

[shakenit]

"I don't think you have so far, but I'll keep that in mind."

[terraboo]

"Thanks, seriously. My whole thing makes it really easy to go too far because I'm raised on memes that were often raised on anime and stuff, so... Gotta watch out. I better watch out. I better watch out."

She sings the last "I better waaaatch ouuuuuuut," as if to illustrate the point.

[shakenit]

At least it's funny. "I... can see how that could be a problem."

[terraboo]

"Yeah. It's a whole thing, so..."

She shrugs. "... Vampires, traditional plays, and a bit of werewolves. Curious how that'll all turn out for sure."

[shakenit]

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Sumire would be lying if she said she wasn't a little nervous. Why her, of everyone? Surely one of the others would be better suited to this?

[terraboo]

"Yep..."

Laina paused, glancing at Sumire a bit.

"You're probably thinking why you wound up coming here of all places, huh? Wish I could tell you. But... I will say, the weirdoes we have so far, myself included, made the last story work out. Don't doubt your ability to figure things out."

[shakenit]

"I'm not--"

Stop Talking Shit About Yourself Challenge, she can all but hear Futaba-senpai say in her mind. Sumire sighs. "I don't know if my strengths are going to be at all useful here."

But there's really only one way to find out, isn't there?