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!]
longnoseofthelaw: (Stressed)

Tamales

[personal profile] longnoseofthelaw 2026-03-30 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
Angua's time in Ankh-Morpork had gotten her quite familiar with dodgy food sold by street vendors, so when she'd smelled oil and grease and beans in equal measure she'd homed in on the tamale stand as a source of familiarity during what was proving to be a very strange day.

So, Laina isn't the only one chowing down on beans and cheese tamales right now. The tall, tired looking, blond woman was also eating one.

"...You know, these are actually probably much better than what I could find at home. It almost tastes like the cooks have heard of health standards."
terraboo: (Default)

Re: Tamales

[personal profile] terraboo 2026-03-30 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
"These are actually new to me, I will admit," Laina said. "... And admittedly I'm surprised I haven't had to pick out any, uh."

She glances at the serving puppets. "Fuzz?"

She sighs. "Don't think we've met. I'm Laina Guthart, ironically a librarian-cleric by trade."
longnoseofthelaw: (At Attention)

[personal profile] longnoseofthelaw 2026-03-30 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
"I didn't know there was a god of libraries."

But then, there were an awful lot of gods, so it wasn't a huge surprise.

"Sergeant Angua, Ankh-Morpork City Watch." She said, by way of introduction.
terraboo: (Hmm)

[personal profile] terraboo 2026-03-31 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Where I'm from, there's fourteen main gods. Easy enough to track for a scholar, and most people know as much as they care to. What of your world?", she asks, completely unaware that she's opened a bit of a can of worms potentially.
longnoseofthelaw: (Default)

[personal profile] longnoseofthelaw 2026-04-01 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
"I've never been particularly religious, but they say there are uncountable billions of gods. Only a few really make it big, though. Offler, Om, Blind Io, Anoia, and so on and so forth."
terraboo: (Hmm)

[personal profile] terraboo 2026-04-03 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
"'Blind' Io? I'm going to guess they're not known as The Worldsculptor nor the patron of navigation?", Laina asks. "Both titles that belong to the Io of my world, to be clear."
longnoseofthelaw: (Alert)

[personal profile] longnoseofthelaw 2026-04-03 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
“He’s a thunder god.” she explained.

“So what does the god of libraries demand? I figure keeping on their good side is probably a good idea right now.”
terraboo: (Base Smile)

[personal profile] terraboo 2026-04-03 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's definitely different, yeah. The Keeper of Records' most obvious priestly ritual is the storage and sharing of knowledge. For clerics, that means handwriting illuminated texts of all manner of sorts. Of course, a lot of what's here is printed..."

She shrugs a bit. "Sadly, I don't think he has influence here, beyond my presence and magics that is."
longnoseofthelaw: (Stressed)

[personal profile] longnoseofthelaw 2026-04-04 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
Angua took another bite of her tamale and chewed thoughtfully as she listened. Eventually she swallowed so she could say, "Well, at the very least I can do my best not to damage the books."
terraboo: (Who Me?)

[personal profile] terraboo 2026-04-04 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Honestly, around here, that's probably wise for reasons entirely independent of divine wrath or, more likely, petty annoyance. We've got magic books all over this place here, as evidenced by my several weeks as a mildly sexualized jester."
longnoseofthelaw: (Alert)

[personal profile] longnoseofthelaw 2026-04-04 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Angua stopped chewing for a moment, transfixed by the inherent contradiction of that statement.

Eventually she finished her bite so she could ask. “Who would sexualize a jester?”
terraboo: (Who Me?)

[personal profile] terraboo 2026-04-04 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"I mean... Tights and acrobatics and such."

She grabs some paper and hastily sketches out how she recalls looking like as Armin the Fool... Most of the time at least.

"I'm guessing it's different than on your world?"