TEST DRIVE MEME #2

[libraryassistants]

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.

Comments

[extrasaltypotato]

“A clever bit about language where Sio suggested Michiko Tsukuda assume the name Hikaru, not knowing you could remove one glyph from Michiko and that would result.”

He demonstrates, writing these:

光子

“These are the glyphs for light’s-daughter, Michi-ko. But if you erase the final glyph -“

光

“- it leaves only the glyph for ‘light’ which can read as Hikaru. Or as the name the youth in the story chose. Akira.”

He twirls his hand, leaving it palm up.

“And then the visitors released their charges and recalled their fetches, the Tsukuda’s welcomed back their child as their son, the Editors departed the story to return here, and while I will not pretend they lived happily ever after, they lived more often happily than before.”

[juniorarchivist]

Rio pauses, studying the little glyphs, then Hikaru, then the little glyphs again.

"That's where it ends? What about Siobhan and Hikaru's future relationship, if any? What about the aliens? They seem to be .. a vague side story at best, but it seems like perhaps arrivals from another world should be much more important?" The scroll is waved a little bit. "Is more being left out than the tyrant??"

[extrasaltypotato]

“I intend to write the rest of the story of my and Siobhan’s relationship… she only had six weeks there, all of us did, and we knew it. She said her farewells, and when she left, I woke up from a dream of being young Akira. I do not know what happened to him after save that he reconciled with his parents, and bid tearful farewell to Siobhan… while I was reunited with her and had to tell her I felt much the same. The point might not be clear.”

At mention of the tyrant, he snorts. “I do know what happened to him. The visitors, realizing that asshole’s torments on his wife and children were subtle enough for him to be above the law, spirited him away from the planet, never to be seen again. I hope they threw him out an airlock to save on oxygen. And not having a father was, sad to say, an improvement for his son.”

He sighs.

“But I may have buried the lede.”

[juniorarchivist]

"You certainly leave something to be desired for your storytelling," the dragon mutters, though he's still writing things. "You have this ... entire plot, which you lived but didn't, which you say is a side story to the primary act, won't tell me what the primary act is beyond there's a tyrant, and visitors from another planet, manage to nearly entirely gloss over that last one, and then decide the story is concluded because the admitted side story was kind of finished?"

The quill is set down. "I appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness to tell me this much, genuinely, I am. But that explained absolutely nothing, about stories, about the aliens, about the entire purpose of all of this!" And now the scroll is waved around. "Is the entire purpose of this tale really an extended Visage Day?"

[extrasaltypotato]

“Ah, I did bury the lead. Let me try again,” Hikaru says, and sighs.

“Once upon a time there was a pixie named Hikaru and another named Siobhan who both were keeping secrets from each other and the world.

One day, both were drawn into this Library, and it’s Librarians bid them to be their Editors without explaining what that entailed.

Two weeks later, they were thrust into the Story, Siobhan as herself but taller, me unaware as the young and miserable Michiko, when I had been concealing that I was a transgender man from all the Editors here out of concern for my safety, and this is how Siobhan and others learned that secret from me, and how I learned secrets not mine to divulge, and that another friend had an appalingly abusive father.

And six weeks later we are abruptly ejected from the story before we can learn more, because apparently the Librarians were satisfied with my reliving being a fucking… bean you grind to get some hot Joe… and the visitors spacing that echo of my friend’s tyrannical father.

So the moral of the story is: now that you’re here you also can get sucked into a tale mirroring moments you would rather no one see at the bidding of the Librarians, and furthermore, I got off light.. I was in a coming out drama - or in the drama about my friend getting out from under the asshole’s thumb. Imagine us risking life and limb in an adventure - or our SOULS in a horror story or tragedy. And gods forbid I end up in a romance between myself and Not Siobhan and need to explain myself six. Weeks. Later.”

[juniorarchivist]

The appallingly abusive father is not connected to the aforementioned tyrant, but it's made note of anyway. The quill is picked back up, and notes continued. "And this .. 'transgender' ... is the gnomish or the human transmorgrification process of that planet?"

Could be both but he's pretty sure gnomes have machines for that kind of thing these days. Or a good spell. Why would anyone bother with potions?

A clawed hand is waved negligently. "I'll keep the moral in mind, but I'm not sure it should be added to the story as a post-script, it's generally better if a reader draw their own conclusions. From a narrative perspective, the discomfort you endured did end well eventually, now you have this relationship to grow through, and no longer need to hide what you are. Not that you should to begin with, the visage you choose to present is yours alone."

[extrasaltypotato]

“I am trying to warn you what will happen to you personally, you -“

Deep breaths. In, hold 2, exhale 4. Repeat. Before he says something he regrets.

“Put down the quill and the scroll and listen to me, in the name of Gnomon, who knows all things that are written. You are not in your world anymore. You have been trapped here to act as Editor. I am trying to warn you what awaits, because I did not receive that courtesy!”

[juniorarchivist]

Rio looks up over the rim of his glasses. "Yes, I understand that perfectly. This is not Azeroth. The magic tastes different, I knew as soon as I arrived. But I am an archivist, sir. It is the role I have dedicated myself to since I was a whelp. It doesn't matter to me personally if I am performing that role in the Azure Archives or here."

He taps the scroll with the quill, it rolls up and disappears in a spark of arcane power. The one that remains is picked up and added to. "I appreciate the warning but I do not share your distress. This kind of thing happens sometimes. Now." He dips the quill in the ink again and prepares to continue writing. "That doesn't mean the warning isn't useful for others, who might share your alarm! And thus having the entire story in its narrative context is very important! What good is half a tale? Part of a warning?"

"Every story is worth hearing. But incomplete ones.. defeat the purpose of a library, don't you think?"

[extrasaltypotato]

Hikaru’s sigh of relief is palpable.

“Forgive me. I mistook your composure for ease and pray your pardon. And I wish I could be of more help, truly. All I know personally is my part in that Story, and in the one of me and Sio still being written. I will endeavor to help you make it a… more prescient warning.”

“And it is the Unfinished Library for a reason: the stories in the stacks are incomplete… until we Edit them. It is good to have you.”

[juniorarchivist]

The way this too is easily waved off may suggest exactly how often this kind of thing happens or is at least heard about. Arcane magic was reasonably stable but sometimes had side effects. As did anything that involved the bronzeflight. Or mortals. Or all of the above. "No need for forgiveness, I imagine for most all of this is very strange and new, and your warning would be very important indeed."

But he's still making notes. Things to be investigated further before the story can be called complete, a space for further potential warnings for readers.. "I suppose all that can be done is asking around! Someone surely has more information on what happened to the Tyrant, and of course, what the aliens were up to and if they succeeded. Or if anyone got hurt, what with showing up armed and all to rescue captives.." There's so much more that needs to be noted! "... Though I did notice every book is incomplete. Every single one. Are we allowed to finish the ones we know personally?"

[extrasaltypotato]

Something about how he’s speaking of Charles father clicks and he laughs.

“Ah, that will teach me to use metaphor where simile is clearer. I spoke of that tyrannical father metaphorically. He treated his wife and son as a cruel warlord treats his serfs and soldiers. It was a peaceful town, the conflict thankfully interpersonal and under the surface, which is what I meant when I said we got off lightly.”

He’ll get to the other points once that’s clarified.