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Unfinished Library Mod & NPC Account ([personal profile] libraryassistants) wrote in [community profile] unfinishedooc2025-12-20 09:27 am
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TEST DRIVE MEME #2

Welcome to the Library

Those who are new awake in the stacks.

You’re not sure when you fell asleep, and the memories of the last things you were doing are hazy at best. But now you’re here, and all you can see is books in every direction, the bookshelves teetering high enough above you to reach to the sky.

A helpful sign points you in the direction of the main circulation desk, and even if you try to ignore it and go in any other direction, the desk is where you will find yourself. A figure sits behind the desk, not even looking up as they sort through books and other media; they look, to your character, to be the exact picture of what they expect a Librarian to be.

Trying to ask the Librarian a question will get them shushed, but they’ll point down a hallway to the side, leading to a kitchenette and what appears to be a dorm room, where they’ll find they’re not alone in this strange place. But once they’ve looked away, when they look back, the Librarian is gone.


The Lobby

Those who are already familiar with the Library will see the Lobby change for the second time. It’s not paper plate UFOs and metal walls this time. Instead there are cheerful garlands strung about, and a stack of books shaped into a Christmas tree taking pride of place. The Help Desk is closed, the ‘Back in 5’ sign once again a bald-faced lie, but there is a menorah sat behind in the window, conveniently just out of reach of anyone who tries to get it. The candles are lit in a… somewhat sporadic fashion, the correct order but with no rhyme or reason to what ‘night’ is being represented. Either time is strange here, whoever’s in charge of it doesn’t know what day it is either, or they simply don’t care. Or some mix of the three.

Those two particular winter holidays are not the only ones represented either; characters will find a smattering of decorations or festive accessories from a great number of holidays, from their own worlds and beyond. There is what looks like a cabinet with instructions to pick your fortune from one of the many drawers. For some reason, there are a number of what looks like a child’s toy ponies placed on and around the cabinet. There are also some posters declaring in bold, decidedly upsetting typeset: “THE GOD-EMPEROR WISHES YOU A FESTIVE SANGUINALIA!” complete with a picture of a certain Library resident in all his feathered, shining glory. (The poster is not remotely shiny, but there are helpful accent lines to show that he should be shining.) And, for some reason, there is also a giant straw goat in the garden now, surrounded by festive strings of lights. Please do not set it on fire.

The Kitchens

It seems the decorations are not the only thing in the holiday spirit. The kitchens, usually bereft of anything but the most basic foodstuffs, are now full to the brim with a variety of holiday foods. There is always a tureen with hot mulled wine and a try of sweet pastries near by it, there’s ham and latkes in the fridge to be heated up, jelly doughnuts, moon cakes, pies, and an assortment of other delicious things. If your character would expect to find a certain thing within the stash, they do, regardless of how niche it may be. Christmas chili? Of course there’s christmas chili!

Oh, and that mulled wine isn’t the only alcohol around either- champagne, sake, hard cider… again, anything anyone might expect to find. Just try not to overdo it too much, alright? Everyone still has to sleep in the same room, and the Assistants aren’t going to show up to hold your hair back.

Crafts and More

What good are holidays without crafts? The Maker’s Space has been specially supplied with anything you might need to make your festive crafts- this includes everything you’d need for a gingerbread construction! (You’d think this would be in the kitchen, but don’t kid yourself- those things are not for eating.) There’s strips of colorful paper rings and instructions on how to make your own, little things of clay and paint and directions on how to craft your own dreidel, ’stained glass’ paper lanterns, and more. Oh, and glitter. Obviously there is a lot of glitter available.

There are also snow globe kits, mostly generic winter themes- trees, presents, and the like. Strangely enough, however, when they’re complete and shaken, they’ll show a memory from the person who shook it- a memory of a holiday, or snow, or generally something that invokes the feeling of the season- light, and hope, and togetherness. It’s fragmented, almost stop-motion in between the falling bits of ‘snow,’ but once it has settled the normal, basic scene inside returns.
shakenit: (you and no one else)

[personal profile] shakenit 2026-01-03 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Definitely glad I missed it."

Dr. Maruki isn't all bad either, and yet.
codeswitchcraft: (Default)

[personal profile] codeswitchcraft 2026-01-03 07:32 am (UTC)(link)
"Supposedly they were councilors, but I never saw the noble or monarch they served."
shakenit: (you and no one else)

[personal profile] shakenit 2026-01-03 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
Sadly, Sumire is very well-equipped to explain the difference there.

"Counselors. Technically it's a different word that sounds the same. In theory they're supposed to help you talk through things going through your head, and find ways to deal with it. In practice, I spent six months convinced I was my dead sister."

SHE'S VERY GLAD SHE MISSED THAT STORY.
codeswitchcraft: (disgusted)

[personal profile] codeswitchcraft 2026-01-03 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
"... that sounds like an even stupider way to help people than the body snatchers we dealt with."
shakenit: (Default)

[personal profile] shakenit 2026-01-03 07:45 am (UTC)(link)
"It was really stupid."
codeswitchcraft: (Default)

[personal profile] codeswitchcraft 2026-01-03 08:02 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, if your councilor comes back to try it again, I'll shoot him."
shakenit: (find your way to the door)

[personal profile] shakenit 2026-01-03 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
That at least startles a laugh out of Sumire. "You sound like Akechi-san. In any case, I don't plan on letting him get into my head again."

It's... not exactly easy, being in her own head. But it's better than where the alternative was getting her.
codeswitchcraft: (Default)

[personal profile] codeswitchcraft 2026-01-04 04:33 am (UTC)(link)

"Akechi-san?" Siobhan asks, curious. "And— I know, but if you ever do need my bow, just call out? I think at this point if any of us are going to eventually get home, we'll need to do it together."

shakenit: (Default)

[personal profile] shakenit 2026-01-06 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
"He's... a friend of mine, though I think he'd hesitate to say he has any friends at all. But he was a big help in getting me back to being myself." The biggest, really. She needed someone to say that it's not the end of the world if she resents Kasumi, and she's not sure any of the others would have thought to say it.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you."
codeswitchcraft: (smile)

[personal profile] codeswitchcraft 2026-01-06 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm glad you have a friend like that," Siobhan says, sincerely. "With the way that everything seems to work around here, remembering who you really are is important. So I hope that even if he's not here, you can remember what he'd say if he were."
shakenit: (find your way to the door)

[personal profile] shakenit 2026-01-06 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
"That apologising so much isn't warranted, mainly."

Gods, he'd hate absolutely everything about this. But at least it would give him a break from dealing with - well. Politics.
codeswitchcraft: (Default)

[personal profile] codeswitchcraft 2026-01-06 07:04 am (UTC)(link)

"That is good advice," Siobhan says. "It can be easy to get trapped into endless apologies if you're not careful."

shakenit: (back where you were before)

[personal profile] shakenit 2026-01-06 07:11 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, I know. I've apologised for apologising before. It's... a work in progress."
codeswitchcraft: (smile)

[personal profile] codeswitchcraft 2026-01-06 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, I'm not your friend Akechi-san, but I'll try my best to help you with that," Siobhan promises. "And I can try and introduce you to people here. I've been lucky enough to have two dear friends from my home here, Hikaru and Laina, and I've made newer friends too, like Mina and Mei and Rin."
shakenit: (Default)

[personal profile] shakenit 2026-01-06 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
"I'd appreciate it. I... Futaba-senpai calls it the 'Survive To The Next Day Challenge.' Where my head is, I mean. Not apologising so much would probably fall under the 'Stop Talking Shit About Yourself Challenge,' and she says that one's harder." It is harder, especially when the depression didn't go away with her Palace.

It's only going to be harder still with none of her friends here.
codeswitchcraft: (Default)

[personal profile] codeswitchcraft 2026-01-10 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, it sounds harder," Siobhan says, sympathetically. "Still, I'll try to help with that one too."