libraryassistants: (Default)
Unfinished Library Mod & NPC Account ([personal profile] libraryassistants) wrote in [community profile] unfinishedlibrary2025-10-31 06:42 pm

Careful of the stacks - LIBRARY LOG

Who: EVERYONE!
What: A bunch of Editors walk into a library...
When: October 31st - November 13
Where: The Unfinished Library
Content warnings: Please add them as needed in the comment titles!

Welcome to the Library, Editors.

As the new residents drop into the Library, they are bound to have questions. Unfortunately it seems no one (except perhaps someone on the phone) appears to have any answers. But there is a nice little cart with a carafe of too weak coffee, a pot of too strong tea, assorted creams and sugar packets, and what appear to be leftover boxed shortbread cookies. There’s a sign inviting people to help themselves but reminding them not to take any food or drinks into the stacks, or touch any of the books with their grubby cookie hands. But aside from this little display and the nametags they’re all given, which do reappear whenever removed for the first week (where do they keep coming from?), the Editors are more or less left alone.

The Library is eternal, or at least it seems that way, unbothered by its new inhabitants. It certainly does not seem like this is anything unusual within its operation. Are there other sections of the Library with Editors, tucked into a different part of the stacks? Have there been Editors here before, and the ones here are simply a replacement? It’s impossible to say, just that the Library seems quite prepared for them. The refrigerators are stocked with appropriate (if generic) foodstuffs, any tantrums in front of the circulation desk are completely ignored, and attempts to set the Library on fire fizzle out before anything can even catch.

However, after a few days, some of the scenery in the Library seems to be changing. Little singing bowls and white noise makers pop up on various shelves and counters, yoga mats appear tucked under the bunk beds (plenty for everyone, somehow), and some of the rooms have started playing relaxing, meditative music over unseen speakers. More confusingly, there are also small UFOs hanging by string from the lower ceilings of the contained rooms, which on closer reflection are revealed to simply be two paper plates glued together and painted silver. In the beginning they’re quite sparse, but by the end of the second week they are everywhere and impossible to ignore.

At the start of the second week, there is a possible hint as to why, for at least part of it. On the table by the circulation desk there is a sign: “This Week’s Recommended Reading: Invasion of the Body Snatchers!” Next to it, there is a sign up sheet: a waitlist to check-out the ‘reading.’ (There is no explanation or apology for it actually being a movie.)

[ooc note: The Library prompts from the TDM can be considered canon to the game. Remember any of the locations listed in the setting are fair game. Have fun!]
ugh_emotions: (Pensive 06)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-02 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
(A hundred and ninety four? That...is really old, for a human. Somehow, it hadn't expected that humans built like constructs would live longer.)

"...I don't want you to get punished," it says. It didn't want to see any of the humans here to be punished. And the fact that it didn't know what form that punishment would made it nervous.
monstrous_bride: (calm)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-02 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, wouldn't be the first time, certainly won't be the last time," she replies. But something inside her - which she swears wasn't put there by her - rears its head and prods at her.

"Though I suppose the sentiment is in the right place," she adds.
ugh_emotions: (Neutral 03)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-02 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
It makes a face at the word sentiment. Ugh, does she have to call it that?

"I'm Security," it says. "I'm supposed to keep people safe." You know, because it was its job. And not because it cared, or anything.
monstrous_bride: (Default)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-02 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
And some small part of her is very pleased to get that reaction. She does enjoy needling people. Even people on her side.

"Well, good of you to qualify me as people," she replies, with the slightest hint of a smile.
ugh_emotions: (Pensive 01)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-02 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
Perhaps unfortunately for the SecUnit, it could be extremely easy to needle. All you had to do was mention feelings, of any kind.

"...You are people," it says quietly.

(It felt...weird, needing to tell her that. Was this what it was like, for its humans? When they went out of their way to tell SecUnit that it was a person?)
monstrous_bride: (calm)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-02 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
"Glad we agree," she replied. "You'd be amazed - well, probably not - how few people are with you on that one."

She stopped moving, looking back at it, with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You're a very unusual sort, you know that?"
ugh_emotions: (Concerned 03)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-02 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
(...Shit.)

It tries so, so hard to keep its face neutral. To not look at all alarmed at being called an unusual sort. From what it can see of its own expression through the drone, it doesn't entirely manage it. It just looks...uncomfortable.

It really doesn't help hat she keeps looking at it.

"What do you mean?" It says, trying not to sound like that's a major fucking concern.
monstrous_bride: (not buying it)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-02 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
"Going out of your way to assure me of my personhood. The drones keeping an eye on me. Frankly, most people don't give a shit whether I exist or not, unless they can make use out of that fact."

She tilts her head.

"Actual concern is rare."
ugh_emotions: (Considering 02)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-02 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
...Right, that. Guess she wasn't actually somehow figuring out that it was really a SecUnit. She just thought it was like its Preservation humans.

(It had to take 1.3 seconds to have an Emotion at that thought.)

"That sounds like the Corporation Rim," it says. "It's...not everywhere's like that. Even though I know that's hard to believe."
monstrous_bride: (Default)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-02 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
She's never met an artificial being that advanced - G.I. Robot is the only one she's met and he's a tin man from the 1940s. She has no frame of reference for something that advanced.

"No idea what that is," she replies with a shrug. "But no, something's..." she wags a finger at him. "Something," she finishes, with a sigh.

But she huffs a bit, with a partial smile.

"But everyone should have secrets, I suppose."
ugh_emotions: (Neutral 09)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-02 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
Right. She came - somehow - from a time and place before humans could even get to space. Which was still fucking weird.

"The Corporation Rim isn't a secret," it says, deliberately misunderstanding her insulation and hoping she won't poke at it. "It's...corporate space. The planets and stations that the Companies own."

And if the Corporations on her planet are anything like the ones where its from, well, she can probably guess living in a place they own really, really sucks.
monstrous_bride: (not buying it)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-02 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
On anyone else, it might work. But she's sure of her words, and she's had a long, long time to get to know people. But for now...if it's that defensive, well, it's that defensive. Nothing to be gained by pressing. So she'll hold a moment of silence a bit longer than she needs to.

Because she will make it sweat a little.

"Sounds like shit," she replies. "Worse than the companies on my Earth."

But there's one thing she can't put off, because it's bothering her.

"But while I'll drop this line of conversation - what am I supposed to call you? Not Name Scribbled Out, surely."
ugh_emotions: (Neutral 01)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-02 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
"It's shit," it agrees. Understatement of the fucking century, that was.

And right, it hadn't given her a name, had it? Humans had names, and they always seemed to insist on knowing everyone else's name.

"I'm Rin," it says, giving her its current alias.
monstrous_bride: (Default)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-02 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, good," she replies feigning relief. "I thought you were going to say to call you by job description and I'm not doing that in a pinch."

Then the teasing bit, with a slight twinkle in her eye. "Thought I'd have to pick a name. Something annoying or weird, like Huey. Or, no, better: Chad."
Edited 2025-11-02 06:10 (UTC)
ugh_emotions: (Neutral 03)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-02 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
"You can call me Security Consultant Rin if you want to," it says, being a little shit. Because it can.

"Those names are stupid," it adds, because they were. Also, none of them were the names of characters from Sanctuary Moon.
monstrous_bride: (annoyance)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-03 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
"The day I call you that is the day you know I've been replaced by a horrid copy," she replies. "and of course those names are stupid - nothing good has ever come out of Chad," she finishes, with a slight smirk.
ugh_emotions: (Dubious 02)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-03 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
"...Okay?" it says, looking faintly puzzled. Mainly because, while it agrees that Chad is a stupid name, it doesn't have the context for why she's objection to it specifically so strongly.

(It had no records of ever having met a human called 'Chad'. Guess that's one way its home university is actually an improvement)

"Do I call you The Bride?" it asks. The 'the' was a bit unusual, as far as human names go. It wasn't entirely sure if it was supposed to say it, or just assume it was implied, or whatever.
monstrous_bride: (Default)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-06 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
"Or Bride, doesn't bother me either way," she replies. "Tried a few names over the decades, they never stuck."

She may be somewhat obscuring the truth, or is she?
ugh_emotions: (Neutral 09)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-06 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Okay," it says, making a note in her profile. It doesn't matter if she's obscuring the truth; it will call her what she tells it to call her. That's what it does with any other human - it's just that here, there's an irritating lack of feed profiles to reference for that information.

"What pronouns?" it adds. Might as well update those too.
monstrous_bride: (confidence)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-06 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
"Badass/Violent," she replies with a smile, striding off again and - once again - not letting it just take point.

There's a story, popularly told in some universes, of a battleship in its last war. Of it being fired on by a puny shore battery, and replying with the full, appallingly destructive volley of its sixteen inch guns. A level of fire and fury vastly out of proportion to necessity, economy, and perhaps even common sense. And that the escorting destroyer, witnessing this, signaled over: 'temper, temper.'

There is something in that story that is, to her very core, who the Bride is.

Some sum it up rather succinctly as: 'prickly, uncooperative.'

And, from in front of it, "she and her! Extensively!"
Edited 2025-11-06 04:15 (UTC)
ugh_emotions: (Annoyed 05)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-06 07:23 am (UTC)(link)
For a moment it looks faintly puzzled, as it starts updating her profile to list her pronouns as badass/violent. (Those were just...normal words? Affixes or whatever they were called. It didn't think humans used those kinds of words as their pronouns.)

And then she goes and changes them fucking immediately, and it realises she was messing with it. For fuck's sake.

(It updates her gender tags. Again.)

Then it scowls, and starts following her down the corridor - and again sends a drone to go before the both of them.

"They/them," it says, giving her the pronouns it uses when it's pretending to be human.
monstrous_bride: (neutral conversation)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-09 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
"Right," she says, absolutely hearing that scowl in it's walk - at least she thinks so.

"I don't need protection, you know," she adds, pointing at the drone. "It's why I usually handle my jobs alone."

And absolutely not because she doesn't want to risk anyone else anymore, goodness no. People are all terrible and to be avoided except when necessary.
ugh_emotions: (Dubious 02)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-09 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
"Refusing additional intel would be stupid," it retorts back. Like, say, a drone. That can fly ahead of you and gather information. Without risking anyone. It was the most basic of security measures.

"If you're stupid, I'll be very disappointed," it adds dryly.
monstrous_bride: (annoyance)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride 2025-11-11 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
Her initial response will consist mainly of a rather rude gesture that she's hopeful is still clear even in whatever weird future it's from.

"Bookshelves from above, such thrilling intel you must be gathering," she replied.

"Also," she added, almost conversationally, "if this place is powered by some bullshit magic - what makes you think the drones will see anything?"
ugh_emotions: (Neutral 13)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-11-11 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
"What, you think security work is meant to be exciting?" it snorts. "Most of it is boring. You want it to be boring. If it's boring, nobody's dying."

Plus, when nothing particularly noteworthy was happening, it could watch its media.

That last thing she says, though, does make it fall silent for a moment. It...hadn't considered that possibility. But it should have; it's encountered things that could cloak themselves from drones before.

"If there is something like that, it's still useful having the drones up," it says eventually. "Even if they can't see something, if one of the drones suddenly disappears, that tells me something."

(no subject)

[personal profile] monstrous_bride - 2025-11-15 03:56 (UTC) - Expand