libraryassistants: (Default)
Unfinished Library Mod & NPC Account ([personal profile] libraryassistants) wrote in [community profile] unfinishedlibrary2026-03-27 07:21 pm

so good night unto you all - LIBRARY RETURN

Who: The Editors, one and all
What: The fight is over, the pieces remain... and the Editors head back 'home'
When: Dawn of the Final Day Sunrise after the attack
Where: Leaving Montica, back to the Library
Content warnings: Please make sure to put CW in headers!

By the time morning comes around again, the fires are beginning to die down, thanks to the many efforts of the citizenry to keep them under control. The rebel vampires too have been largely dealt with. These two seemingly insurmountable obstacles were only possible thanks to a combination of factors: the Umbra not being as blind to their human servants as their opposition would have thought, defectors from the Orlocks who were able to counter-act some of their magic, the following Amalia gathered and deployed from Laurelthirst, some suspicious (though welcome) help from suspiciously new arrivals, and of course, House Guildulf throwing their own into the fray to ally with the vampires for this confrontation.

A unity the likes of which Montica has never truly seen.

As the sun rises, there are few left who are able to fight at all; the rebels are beaten, and even the forces built up by both the vampires and werewolves are exhausted or diminished, leaving no one able to take advantage. Citizens of both sides flee indoors, and the remaining rebels are forced to vanish into the woods once more, weakened and unable to strike again any time soon. But there are still repairs to be done, physically and otherwise. Will this unity last beyond tonight? Will young love and youthful hope prevail? Those are the questions that settle over a weary Montica, as light pours into the city once more.

And then, the world begins to fade, static taking over the senses, as the Editors return to the Library.

Welcome back, Editors

It looks much the same as they left it, though the makings of a masquerade are no longer arranged as finely, a few scorch marks here and there, and for some reason there’s some amazing optical illusions on the floor panelling that makes them look like actual manhole covers. Alas, no sewers lay beneath. It may still take Actors a bit of time to shake off the old-new memories, and for some reason the fluorescent lighting seems harsher on the skin than it has any right too. Good thing that the stacks cast long shadows.

The customary tea cart is set up in the Lobby again, and it seems some improvements have been made. The coffee still isn’t strong, but’s far more drinkable than it has been, and there’s an added decaf option now! The tea has still been overstepped, and the stale cookies have been replaced by scones that are hard as rocks, but clearly someone’s getting the message that there are improvements needed. Clearly the tea cart was the place to start.

If someone for some reason doesn’t want stale scones, there’s also a child sized food truck in the lobby, with a sign out front boasting a variety of tamales, including: black beans and cheese, birria, chicken, fire scorpion, man suffering to death via battle wound, and beef. Upon approach, what look like fuzzy puppets pop up to… take your order? They don’t say much, or rather, they make a single noise over and over that seems to be them communicating, but the tamales are good. Just… don’t try to look in the truck. They’ll screech, vanish, and then no tamales for you.

Meanwhile, the bulletin board has a cheerful sign decorated with colorful blocks, declaring: “Join us in the Children’s Area for Lego Club!” Upon locating the room in question, Editors will discover boxes among boxes of legos of various shapes and sizes. There are some ‘how to’ guides for various builds (including a ‘research space ship’ and a ‘vampire’s castle’), but also plenty of encouragement for people to make their own creations! Unlike normal creations, these will actually stick around for a while after they’re finished, and there’s a nice little table where people can display and share what they’ve made.

The Assistants, it seems, are nowhere to be seen: the ‘back in 5’ sign is still in place at the help desk. Still, even without their ‘helpful’ guidance, some facets of the Library may come more easily to some in the aftermath of Montica’s troubles.

[Due to the resolution of the Story, any skills tagged Archivist in the skill tree cost one less skill point (minimum of 1) until the next Story. This can stack with a normal Archivist bonus!]
aetherweaver: (surprised)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-03-29 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"I see." It definitely reminds him of Honey B. Lovely, but he has no idea if the comparison would go over well. "Coordination for most things is pretty difficult to work on. I can't imagine the kind of training it takes to be an idol... I don't think I could do it. Even aside from the singing and dancing I... I'm not that much of a people person. Or... well, it takes me some recovery time after dealing with a lot of people."

His tail flicks uncertainly behind him. "I mean there were songs, a little bit of instrumental stuff... not a lot, though. It's not like there was music playing in our home like some people have. We didn't have an orchestrion. And we didn't live in a village or a city where there would be other people who would play music."
awreck: (I will always want you)

[personal profile] awreck 2026-03-29 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"You'd be fine" says Wreck with a quiet laugh. "I'm not much of a people person either, even if I did enjoy making people happy. The best and worst part about being an idol is that you don't get to be yourself. You're supposed to be an entirely manufactured persona, who's always beautiful for the cameras, and who's never angry or sad. Someone who makes things look effortless."

B is for beauty both devious and sweet. Beware the sting of your pitiful defeat. help

When N'ara mentions not having an orchestrion, Wreck suddenly seems to be viewing Nara'a as if he's 2,000 years old. Some songs, some instrumentals. Sure, that checks out. That's normal. The orchestrion, though?

"Is it... normal for people to have an orchestrion where you're from? Those fell out of use ages ago where I'm from." His tone is amused, if only because he just didn't expect to be reminded that orchestrions exist.
aetherweaver: (eh?)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-03-30 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
"... I know what that's like, to some degree." Being a hero... people expect things from you. Not always things you can deliver.

But then he's questioned on the orchestrion, and... "Yes? You have music rolls you can put in them and it will play music for you. They're quite common where I'm from, though I'm not certain how they're made... I'm not quite good enough with intricate parts like that."
awreck: (All you ever did was wreck me)

[personal profile] awreck 2026-03-30 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
All the more proof Nara'a would have been a perfectly fine idol. Perhaps even one who could manage to maintain some semblance of integrity in a cutthroat, exploitative environment. Then again, hasn't he already done that by being a slayer of gods and stopper of world-ending events? To Wreck, it sounds like Nara'a is at the very least a world-famous celebrity. As he should be if he's consistently saving the world.

"Wow.... We used to have CDs for music, but that's kind of been abandoned in favor of having music be digital and portable. I'd say I'm old-school because I own a vinyl record player, but an orchestrion is wayyy, older than that."

Wreck taps his chin as he tries to date them, but he has no idea when they fell out of use. He certainly wasn't born before then, though.

"These days, you can really only find them in a museum. And I can't even say it might be because your world is full of magic and aether or whatever when my own world is full of its own version of magic."