[Open Mini Mingle] Welcome to the Library

[cattegorical]

WHO: A mingle so anyone
WHAT: What happens in the Library
WHEN: December-January
WHERE: Amberfall Library and the Underground Library beneath it
WARNINGS: please warn where necessary

---

A giant library with a lot of mystery surrounding it. It's said that any book you're looking for can be found from here, but that some books require you first to be lost in the various hallways of the library. Luckily the library is inhabited by fairies that will help those who get lost. They, however, can also make someone even more lost if they're not nice to the books.



An ancient, magical library that evacuated itself underneath Amberfall Library when the darkness came. Discovered in May 2024. Ancient knowledge can be found there, dating to before the Darkness came. All of the vitally important information has already been found, but there's plenty of other stuff there (like fancy Ellipsan recipes).

Comments

Aimoto Rinku | D4DJ (Dig Delight Direct Drive DJ) | Summer

[roundandaround]

[So Rinku might have been eating in the library. And maybe she even spilled crumbs on the books. And the library fairies like to use magic books for punishments.

So she and whoever else might have gotten in trouble for something today (or just been unlucky enough to be around, if the fairies were on a power trip) are currently in a collection of fairy tales. Rinku, dressed as a prince (pantaloons and all), sighs at a window.]

Why are my parents so picky about who I marry? They've turned away so many people. At this rate no one will pass their tests of who a real princess is!

[Have fun in "The Princess and the Pea".]

[bombdemon]

[ And there's Katsura -- or maybe Zurako, because he (she) is currently in a princess dress and wearing it surprisingly well, along with an intricate, flower-adorned braid. ]

My, that sounds quite troublesome. [ Does his voice sound higher, too? ] Have they disclosed how exactly are they measuring princesshood and where the participants have fallen short? Otherwise perhaps they simply do not like the suitors that have stepped forward.

[roundandaround]

Oh, hi!

[Rinku waves and smiles, taking Zurako completely in stride. And maybe sparkling over his hair.]

I dunno! I just know they have a bunch of secret tests and stuff. I guess if I knew what they were, I'd help, though... I know they want me to find a "real princess," but who knew there were so many fake ones?

G'raha Tia | Final Fantasy XIV | Autumn

[cattegorical]

Regular Library

[A]

[G'raha was short (160cm). There was no denying that. The library shelves? High. Of course he could reach most of the books, but somehow all of the interesting ones were always on the top shelves.

So he found things to climb on. Chairs, even unoccupied tables. Sometimes it was just boxes of random stuff in it.

Then, most of the time, he ended up perching on his "throne" and reading something he took from the top shelves, completely drawn to the book and not even realizing he should probably put the things he used back.]


[B]

[Apparently the library fae weren't really pleased with him redecorating, so he's still hanging on a bookshelf, as if he's been put on a coat rack. He looks kind of pathetic and his staff is out of his reach.

Help a cat out? The fae likely won't turn their wrath on helpers.]

B

[roundandaround]

...eh?

[Rinku slowly tilts her head... and then panics.]

Whoa, are you okay? Did someone bully you or something?

[cattegorical]

[He looks kind of pathetic here, but also a bit embarrassed.]

Ah.... I think this is some form of fae punishment? They didn't exactly like that I moved things to make platforms for myself.

B

[orangebrained]

[He doesn't say anything at first. G'raha will just hear a certain orange-haired Warrior of Light trying very hard not to laugh.

Sorry, not sorry.]

[cattegorical]

[Even without the sound, G'raha can sense him.]

I would appreciate it if you helped me down before bursting into laugh.

B

[unnecessaryflourishes]

[For all that Emet-Selch would certainly expect to see the Exarch (though he is certain the man has a proper name he has never learned it, though largely for lack of opportunity) in the library, finding the man hanging from a shelf is hardly what he would have expecte.]

I assume this was not intentionally done?

[cattegorical]

[G'raha is certainly aware that Emet-Selch was around; Kayan's told him that much. But this was not the way he expected their first meeting to go. Of all the situations that could have happened.

There was still a lot of mixed feelings about this guy, but that only meant he wasn't entirely unwilling to talk with him.]

I like hanging around the library a little less literally.

A

[snekeyes]

Um...

[Just watching this guy stack up a pile of things to stand on... she wasn't much taller than him (173cm), but it was enough of a difference to make her feel self-conscious.]

Do you need help?

[cattegorical]

[G'raha looks at her and smiles.]

I should be fine, I just need to get this here and I should be done.

Maes Hughes | Full Metal Alchemist | Autumn

[pictureperfectmaes]

[Hughes had learned, in the last three months, that the safest way to approach Amberfall Library was with patience and empty hands.

Not because it was dangerous—no, the danger came later—but because the contents had a way of not being where you expected them to be if you were in a hurry. Tonight, at least, it behaved.

Inside, the air was cool and dry, smelling faintly of old paper and something floral he still couldn’t identify. Maes stepped in, letting the doors close behind him with a soft, final thump as he wandered deeper.

Fingers trailing lightly along the spines of books as he went—never pulling one free unless he meant it, never pressing hard enough to be rude- he looked through each of the shelves. History first. That had been his rule from the beginning. If Ellipsa was falling apart, the reason would be buried somewhere in what it remembered.

He found the section easily enough: A History of the Seasons, Borders Before Darkness, On the Fairy Kingdoms (Fragments). The books were heavy, well-used, and—importantly—agreed with one another. Power holders once existed. The Tragedy of Greed happened. Darkness spread. Lands were lost. Summoning rituals followed. Clean lines. Clean causes.

Too clean, maybe—but not wrong.

Maes settled at a long table beneath a floating lantern and opened the first volume, scanning dates and names with practiced ease. Earthquakes intensified after the disappearances. The fairy kingdoms fell beyond the borders. The mermaids held their lake. The world shrank.

Everything matched what he’d already been told.]

Katsura Kotarou // Gintama // Autumn

[bombdemon]

--1.

[ Zura is a regular at the library, and he doesn't usually get in trouble with the fairies or librarians either -- at least when he's not there together with Gintoki, since that tends to devolve into small fights or yelling matches often enough. But a lot of the time he comes by on his own, and today is no exception. ]

[ He even has a "regular" desk by one of the windows -- find him scribbling some observations into his own notebook while carefully browsing through a pile of giant, dusty, magical looking tomes. He seems most interested in Ellipsa's history, books on local fauna, and various Autumn power training manuals, but it's possible to catch him with a fairytale or a romance novel, too. ]

[ He's also got a thermos with him. It smells like... ramen? ]


--2.

[ Have you wandered into the labyrinth of shelves and gotten lost? Well, you might not be the only one. There's a figure ahead, like a lone traveller staggering through the desert, that trots toward you with renewed energy as soon as they spot you. ]

Excuse me! Do you have some water? I've been lost here for ages.

[ It's really impossible to tell whether "ages" refer to minutes or actual days from the way he's acting, though something about the franticness of his movements does almost suggest dehydration. ]


--3.

[ Eventually, he does get in trouble -- whether it's making a too loud exclamation over a void cat picture, getting into a fight with someone or pouring some of this thermos ramen on a book. Bottom line is, he's been placed in a fairytale to cool off -- the role of a princess, to be exact, including a pretty dress, pearls weaved into his now-braided hair, and a swarm of tiny woodland creatures following him -- and, perhaps, so have you. ]

Ah... this is quite troublesome. Would you happen to know where I can find the Seven Dwarves? Or, better yet, the handsome fellow calling himself The Beast?..

[ Somehow, he's still mixing up his fairytales... ]

--2

[star_touched]

[ Luckily, he had encountered Aaravos while they were both lost. The lost part wasn't much of a concern for Aaravos' since he did not need to eat or drink, though he would do so on occasion to enjoy the taste of something. ]

I could summon water for you, but I have no bottle to put it in. It wouldn't do you very much good if it just splashes you in the face.

[bombdemon]

[ In other scenarios, perhaps Katsura would have been more reluctant to approach someone who looks so... blue (that's clearly an Amanto, right?) but right now he's just happy to see another person, whoever they might be. ]

[ Apparently, the fairies got really pissed at him for whatever reason. ]

Oh, please do not worry about that. I have something you can use.

[ He reaches his right hand into his left sleeve and procures a simple Japanese tea cup. Why does he have one on him and how on earth has it survived in his sleeve through all the shenanigans and explosions he seems to go through on the regular? Don't worry about it. ]

1

[snekeyes]

[This was someone she'd seen a few times in the library- much like he had a 'regular' desk, she had a 'regular' reading chair not too far away where she could curl up with a book. Something else caught her attention today, though. That smell...]

...ramen?

[Don't mind her snake-like tail swishing behind her-]

[bombdemon]

[ He's trying not to mind. His eyes might be following that tail, though. Nevertheless, he tries not to let it distract him for too long and resumes his notes taking, then takes a good sip of broth from his thermos-- ]

There are no regulations against having ramen or soup in a thermos.

[ He says, a little testily, because he has been unjustly apprehended by the staff here before (more like Neuvillette told him and Gintoki off for being too loud). ]

Neuvillette ❖ Genshin Impact ❖ Spring

[inexorablejudgment]

[These days, Neuvillette's presence in Amberfall library is something of an expected thing. He took a job there early on and over time has won the trust of most of the fairies who roam the halls of both the upper areas and the underground, as well as the high regard of other employees. He holds strictly to the rules that govern conduct in the space and doesn't hesitate to remove people who break them, whether or not they believe they have some kind of god-given right to be there regardless of their behaviour.

Most of the time, there's no trouble. He spends his shifts browsing archives and cataloguing, but sometimes...

Sometimes he has to actually take action.]

They were pulled into what..? [Neuvillette is talking to a fairy on his shoulder as he makes his way through the library towards the underground section.] And you didn't try to stop it?

[A jingling reply. Neuvillette sighs.]

No, of course you didn't.




((note: catch him along the way, be the person he's trying to rescue, or wildcard it!))

[snekeyes]

...I should thank you for dealing with them.

[This would be after Neuvillette gave some strong words to the latest rude person who was causing a disruption near where Rider had been trying to read. Good riddance...]

[inexorablejudgment]

Ah?

[If he seemed annoyed by the disruption, he doesn't carry it over to the next person who speaks to him. He regards Rider mildly for a moment.]

I consider it to be part of my job here. The library has rules of conduct - those who refuse to abide by them can spend their time elsewhere.

Alhaitham ❖ Genshin Impact ❖ Summer

[linguaphilia]

[As someone with a deep passion for learning Alhaitham is often in the library, plunging its depths for the more complicated volumes. If he finds something new he might disappear for a few hours, having located a quiet corner to sit and read his new treasure.

He's most often found anywhere in the place dedicated to linguistics - a broad topic which can be spread across several areas depending on what angle he's currently attempting to approach it from. As someone tall, and also capable of telekinesis, he doesn't mind too much about being asked to get things down from high shelves.

That is, if you can get his attention. Those headphones over his ears aren't just for show.

Occasionally, while reading a book, he might be heard muttering to himself in a different language. It may or may not be the same language as the book he's reading.]

[laterose]

[Even with the ladder, it seemed Laterose still couldn't reach. And she hasn't been here long enough to learn flight. Alas, what was a poor girl to do?

Why, bother her favorite reticent person, of course!

She climbed back down the ladder and approached the man, she could faintly hear the music coming from his headphones and tilted her head to listen for a moment. A nice melody from what she could discern. Laterose shook her head and carefully waved her hand between his face and a book.]

Apologies, I don't mean to bother [this time] but could I get your assistance retrieving a book?

Rider | Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel | Winter

[snekeyes]

[Rider herself was a regular at the library. Her granny-bike could often be found parked up outside when she had a free afternoon, so she could spend her time relaxing with a good book- and even since her appearance had become less human, she'd still developed a friendly relationship with the fairies and librarians there.]

Legends

So there are even records of my own legend here... interesting.

[Rider had been reviewing some older books in the library, delving into the mythologies about the world of Ellipsa- and yet, this one book focused on stories from the world she knew... well, that was a little uncomfortable. She wasn't sure how she felt about people reading her story.]

Reading Nook

[Later, Rider had found a comfortable corner of the library to curl up with a book and read, snake-like tail swishing slowly as she settled into a comfy chair.

If anyone comes by looking for a place to sit nearby; ]

...Oh. Yes, I have no objections if you want to join me.

[Or, if someone's being particularly noisy, they'll be getting a glare; ]

Please be quiet...

Lost?

[Rider had spent so much time at the library that she'd long since learnt her way around- as best she could, given the library's fickle nature. As she's filing away a couple of mislaid books where they're supposed to go, she'll approach anyone who seems a bit lost.]

Um... are you lost? I can help, if need be...

[Or, maybe someone just needs help getting something down from a high shelf... those requests do seem to make her sulk, just a little, but she'll do it anyway.]

Wolfram von Bielefelt | Kyou Kara Maou! (Novels)+{Somarium CRAU} | Summer

[bielefelt]

{ Since Wolf will be slightly out of commission ICly until the event's music-spreading effect is near-fully over at least until Wolfram needs some Touch magic then too-- and basically will be in a Deep-sleep state ( while NOT!/Wolf's Dream!/""Yuuri""{??} [or basically, a ""Yuuri of Wolf's Dreams"" manages Keeping Wolf Alive/Unaffected by Outside Powers]) until closer to the 6th~7th, if you want your character to meet/interact with Wolf in-person before then this is your chance! You can also catch Wolf possibly with Not!Yuuri but only in the Back of the Mind, too anytime between Wolf's Network post {which can still be tagged into if you prefer!-} and to not long before the event starts or after Wolf reawakens, but if it's the latter, without Wolfram being affected by anything further to do with the event/people singing/etc. }

A. Romance Section {Or, Let Wolfram Say Fuck}

[ If you find Wolf in this section, Wolfram will be casually leaning against one of the shelves when he thinks no one's looking. ]

( a small stack of books are on the small table nearby, a number of them being quite lengthy romance novels, but also some certain guides on Keeping Yourself Safe when Doing The ThingTM etc. Those are more buried at the end of the stack; the top shows a romance novel with an intricate image of a king with black hair and black eyes and his... male... Spouse.... in a bit of an interesting romantic hold position. .. . . )

{ But the book Wolfram's currently holding is definitely much more implied, with a raunchier cover. Is it from the same series?? There seems to be a preference for covers with black-haired, black eyed protagonists, regardless of looks otherwise. }

( No one is around right now, so Wolfram was casually reading out loud to self in a low but Involved tone ):

1.

content warning: implied M/M NSFW but written in an over-dramatic tone

( If your character is younger, Wolfram's voice will come out sounding more mumbled with blanked-out parts. If they're old enough, ... Well.
It's up to you if you want to fill in the blanks or?!?? )

" The Demon King ran his finger up his consort's xxxxx, {/thigh??}, trailing it lightly... "

" ' My dear ' [ ' Anata ' if your character is hearing this in Japanese-- ], it is much too dangerous to remain here, as much as it pains me... you must go to the Earth of the future with the four keys and hide them where no human can ever find them -- or you... you must lock your memories away as well... "

" But, YOU!! If they FIND you, they'll kill--!! "

" It means nothing if I can have you just for tonight ... .. . "

2. B. (+Historical) Drama{s} Section{s} {Or, Let Wolfram Say Fuck, Continued}
( Can be continued from the above portion, just note if you'd like to try that! )

" I'm screaming. "

Spoiler'd for Length+Kyou Kara Maou Novel 5 Chapter 8 "Spoilers" involving vaguely defined "???" and "???", content warning: descriptive destruction scene involving water/potential drowning, implied character death of both 'character's and the narrator having rather clear suicidal ideation/depression

My whole body was in pain. My arms and legs were being pulled hard enough to tear off. Blood sprayed from my fingertips. ... All of my fingernails felt like they were about to rip off. My spine was bent too far backwards. My head hung so far back it was about to fall off. I was yanked back by the hair. Something shot hot and cold through my throat, my windpipe, and my organs. Claws gripped at my heart and my head felt like it was on fire.

But, I wasn't screaming in pain.

'This' is probably anger.

One side of my vision is pure white, the other side is clear.

It's like there are four scopes or cameras on top of my head.

Like I was in the middle of a huge wave, everything around me was being swept along by the raging water's pressure.

Even though everything was being broken, smashed, and washed away, there was a soft and invisible wall around me that was around the same height as a man. Rather than a wall, it seemed more like a curtain.

There was something... my male lover clinging to my waist so I had to be a little careful that they stayed inside my shelter.

If not then that... he would immediately be swept up in the flow and get smashed against something and be broken.

And, 'IF HE left me, I wouldn't be able to 'SCREAM' anymore.

I would lose my anger if I couldn't scream anymore, BUT if I lost my anger, I wouldn't be myself anymore.

If I'm not myself and I go back to being just water, I WON'T BE ABLE to 'feel' 'pain' and 'sadness' anymore. ...

... Quiet water that can no longer feel anything just keeps on flowing. "

{ Disclaimer the Nth: I do not own anything from Kyou Kara Maou! Novels.
Although here it might not be called 'Kyou Kara Maou!',
maybe it's more localized with a slightly different title format... }

( and when Wolfram pauses in the quiet narration, deep emerald eyes like the bottom of a dark lake just slightly a bit misty { GLASSY?? },
takes a deep breath, and begins relaxing limbs to hold the book as if to turn just one more page... )


.... FUCK.

( Wolfram hasn't exclaimed a single word, Wolf's voice still as carefully neutral as possible, but it's definitely just slightly louder the closer you are. )

3. ( The Aftermath )

[ Once having settled down, Wolfram has definitively chosen the other novel, which might take place a bit earlier in the same "series" or not.
Wolf's still mumbling-narrating to self but... ]

content warning: implied M/M NSFW but written in an over-dramatic tone

" ( If your character is younger, Wolfram's voice will come out sounding more mumbled with blanked-out parts. If they're old enough, ... Well.
It's up to you if you want to fill in the blanks or?!?? )

And then he xxx {/ran?} his xxxx {/hand and/or Get Creative} in his prince consort's gorgeous xxxx {/bush or Get Creative} of dark blond curls,
twisting his fingers gently inside them aND ... .. .

He looks up at his consort under dark bangs of pitch-black hair, and his dress full of white frills like rustling curtains on a Spring day shifts slightly...

'Did you prefer to take a bath? Or eat? Or do you want...' "

( .... )

It can't be... when he thinks of me at night it's in ways like these tOO?!?? Hah... hahahaa.... .. .

( after letting out a nervous but slightly oddly gleeful-sounding laugh ):


... FUCK!! ( It's said under the breath too bUT--!! )



B. Fantasy Section {Or, what do you mean Every Other Earth Country's Not Like Shin Makoku At All???}

( And if you catch Wolfram equally casually thumbing through these, pages flipping one by one... )


... But why is everything pertaining to castle life in the fantasy section?!??


He told me there's royalty even on "Earth" too, so surely here...!!

C. History Section {Or, Finally We're Getting Somewhere}:

( Wolfram, too, has found Most of the Significant Books the library has to offer and there's a HUGE Stack on the table now. )


... I still don't understand why everything that's like our land is in the 'History' section ....

... but at least there's some semi-useful information here.


... But it's still not enough....


( The most significant books might be buried a bit more Underneath still...?? ? )

D. Law/Politics Section {Or, Wolfram's Two Months in that Apartment are Almost Up}

( Honestly, Wolfram looks a little bored here compared to the other sections )


[ But the huge stack of books is by no means less impressive. ]


( If you catch Wolf here Wolfram's probably holding a book on

Housing & Moving Out/Building Your Own Home 101-- )

E. Wildcard

( If you want to encounter him after January 7th at basically any given time, pick here;
You can also ask me privately if you have plotting ideas/etc.! )