libraryassistants: (Default)
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.
ugh_emotions: (Drone 01)

The Lobby

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-12-21 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
In the Lobby is also a small, tiny mechanical drone. This being DoorMonitorDrone, its actual function was to watch the Staff Only door at all times. Just in case anything started happening with it.

The bot that watches the desk for five outs is, technically, not something its meant to be looking for. But it's also kinda fucking notable.

Two hours, forty-six minutes, and seventeen seconds into the bot's wait, he receives a greeting ping.
cheersforthetinman: (Default)

[personal profile] cheersforthetinman 2025-12-21 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
He looks up at the floating drone.

"Hmm."

He stands up, coming to stand just before the drone.

"What are you, tiny machine?"
ugh_emotions: (Drone 01)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-12-22 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
Hopefully the bot has some kind of feed connection, otherwise, this attempt at communication is going to go real poorly.

It's just a drone, SecUnit says. (How the hell does a bot not know what drones are?)
cheersforthetinman: (considering)

[personal profile] cheersforthetinman 2025-12-22 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
He is, alas, one hundred percent analogue. Though he can receive AM/FM radio transmissions.

He holds out his hand, palm up.

"Would you like somewhere to land, little robot?" he asks. "You must use a lot of fuel."

It's too beautifully designed to be an Axis weapon, he's decided. All of their technology is as ugly as their souls.
ugh_emotions: (Drone 02)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-12-22 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
SecUnit tries a range of different protocols and system languages. Nothing. Not a response to any of them.

Does this bot not have any kind of feed connection? Who the fuck builds a bot like that?!

Fucking hell.

Reluctantly, SecUnits starts moving towards the Lobby.

(The drone does not land. It doesn't need a rest; it can take recharge cycles and has more than enough energy right now.)
cheersforthetinman: (listening)

[personal profile] cheersforthetinman 2025-12-22 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
He watches the drone for another long moment, not receiving any response from it. And then, since it doesn't seem to acknowledge him, he starts to wander away.

After all, there might be Nazis in the stacks. They hide everywhere, the bastards.
ugh_emotions: (Neutral 02)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-12-22 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
The bot starts moving away right as SecUnit steps out of the Stacks, and into the Lobby.

(Shit, it should have just waited for the bot to leave the drone alone...)

So now its just kinda of...standing there. Looking awkward.
cheersforthetinman: (neutral)

[personal profile] cheersforthetinman 2025-12-22 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
And he looks upon what, to him, is indistinguishable from any other human.

"Hello," he says, with a slight wave. "Can you please tell me where I am? The help desk appears unavailable, and I have pressing questions on the nature of reality and my existence."
ugh_emotions: (Annoyed 04)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-12-22 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
Oh no.

Oh no.

It was going to have to fucking explain shit, to the weird bot.

(It has all available drones - the one already in the Lobby, the one hovering over its shoulder, and the three Scout Drones currently moving through the Stacks - searching for a nearby human that it can make do this instead. But the universe apparently hates it, because there are no such humans nearby. Fucking hell.)

"...The Library," it says stiffly. "You've been kidnapped. Sorry."
cheersforthetinman: (Default)

[personal profile] cheersforthetinman 2025-12-22 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
"Huh."

He takes this on board rather easily, all things considered.

"I believe this unit was terminated - how was a Library able to reassemble me?"
ugh_emotions: (Neutral 09)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-12-22 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
"I have no fucking idea," it says. And then it sends a drone - the one that had been hovering over its shoulder - to go look at the bot closer.

(Eye contact with bots isn't as weird as it is with humans. But its still a little weird, especially with humanform bots. So it still avoids looking directly with its onboard eyes.)

"...Did you have a backup?" it asks.
cheersforthetinman: (listening)

[personal profile] cheersforthetinman 2025-12-22 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
"What's a backup?" he asks.

Which rather answers the question as it stands, really. But he looks at the other drone, then back at the apparent human.

"Oh, those must be yours. Do they think like me, or are they remote controlled cameras?"
ugh_emotions: (Weirded out 01)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-12-24 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
SecUnit stops, as its expression shifts into one of pure, abject horror.

(What's a fucking backup!?)

"They're just drones," it says. (Its face is still doing that thing. It knows its face is still doing that thing, it can see it with its drones, but it can't seem to stop.) "They're not bots."

(How does a bot not know what a backup is? What idiots made this bot?!)

"You seriously don't know what a backup is?"
cheersforthetinman: (Default)

[personal profile] cheersforthetinman 2025-12-25 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh," he replies, giving them another look before facing SecUnit directly.

"Is it like a retreat?" he asked. "G.I. Robot has never retreated - though I have made the enemy retreat in panic."

It's said in total innocence. His programming is clearly simple, but he also can clearly think and theorize.

It may also become clear, up close, from his construction that his technology is vastly older than any robot's should be. The faint smell of gasoline being used for fuel, too...
ugh_emotions: (Weirded out 01)

[personal profile] ugh_emotions 2025-12-26 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
This statement is so ridiculous that SecUnit has to stop, and stare incredulously at a point just to the left of G.I. Robot's head, for an entire 3.2 seconds.

(Was this was bots were like, when humans first made them? Is this what happens when someone creates a Machine Intelligence without any idea what the fuck they were doing?)

"...No," it says finally. "It's a copy. Your code, your logs, your systems. The backup is an older instance you can revert back to."