Episode 3: The Library's Opening

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Episode 3: The Library’s Non-Opening

How many things have broken today? How many of them mattered? Does forgetting erase sin? Take a breath and break what holds you then. What comes next is here now.

Gensokyo welcomes you.

The Unmoving Great Library unofficial opening has passed. It passed long ago. There was no great event and there will be no great event as is the nature of unofficial things beginning. But regardless of its mysterious beginnings, it is official! Gensokyo now has a library!

Who knows what this will do for literacy rates? As they say, words are knowledge, knowledge is power, and therefore, words are what shape the fabric of this reality we live in and to know the right words at the right time can bring about right strange things that all of us will live with regardless of whether we like it or not.

Power is there if you are brave enough to seek it.

The Unmoving Great Library is, sadly, only a collection of non-fiction, though I am informed by Luna Child, Fairy of Silent Moonlight, that there are some great collections of myths and legends for those interested. She seems to be in good spirits after her spontaneous discombobulation a few weeks ago and is attempting to apply to become an assistant librarian at the Library.

We wish her luck!

Now, let us look at the sky. Specifically the sun.

Look at the sun. What do you see? Blinding light.

Look away. What do you see? An empty black circle.

An empty black circle that grows, filling your vision. It reaches the edges and it does not stop. You feel the darkness creep around, wrapping your mind lovingly, cruelly, tightly. You know not how you know, but your eyes are black. Everything is black.

Blink. Color returns. Now you know why we do not look directly at the sun.

Dreamers, it appears that my sessions are ‘misinforming’, scary’, and ‘dangerous’.

Evidently so as the Hieda Family has placed a bounty on the being responsible for these podcasts, stating that “This is encouraging reckless behavior.” and that “My motives are unknown” and “My ideas are dangerous”.

Nonsense and hogwash I say. I am a perfectly reasonable Fool with a Voice and if anybody were to so choose, they could simply leave their queries in the box at the foot of the Dragon God Statue.

Or they could if the Hieda Family had not so rudely confiscated it. Worry not, Dreamers, my best Fairies are working on making a new and improved one to be left in the same location.

That being said, my mission is to inform and entertain the public. I endeavor to do my best with this matter and may or may not mix up the two. A slight exaggeration never hurt anyone and I believe that it is good training for skepticism.

Having said that, do not take risks that you are not prepared for. Train yourself and find knowledge to give yourself the best chance to survive, live, and eventually thrive.

Friendly reminder to begin preparing for the harvest. The Aki Sisters are preparing to make their final rounds soon, so please be sure to prepare offerings and faith in thank you. They enjoy fall themed nicknacks, but also enjoy roasted sweet potatoes.

They will come when you least expect it and leave when you search for them. Look away from the fields and marvel as the heat of summer turns the leaves into fire as fall comes. Then work hard to bring in food for winter.

A large crowd has gathered at the gates of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, overwhelming the Colorful Rainbow Gatekeeper, Hong Meiling. A mixture of humans and yokai, they are all clamoring to be the first to obtain great knowledge and power.

Patchouli Knowledge has issued the following statement on the Unmoving Great Library non-opening.

“We have not and never been open to the public! This is my private library and you may not borrow any books from it because they are all mine! This is private property and what is that Chinese Girl doing!? Several manuscripts have already disappeared from the shelves and all I have are IOUs with witch hats drawn on them! What is an IOU!?”

Patchouli ranted in this vein for a few more minutes before collapsing into a wheezing fit and had to be led over to a table to rest by her assistant Koakuma. As she tended to her master, Koakuma had this to say on the Head Librarian’s impassioned speech.

“Please return the books as soon as possible! in safe condition please! They’re all rare manuscripts and irreplaceable! Miss Patchouli gets very anxious about her collection when they’re out of order and it is very rude of you to sneak in and simply steal things! Actually, we’d prefer if you not come in at all!”

It appears that the Library is not a lending sort. Probably for the best as many, if not most, of them are dangerous books that hold powerful knowledge on esoteric magics. Or may simply possess you.

Books are full of words and, as mentioned before, have power. Sometimes power takes a mind of its own and then you have ideas possessing people. Best to learn in a safe, controlled manner.

In other words, do not take books out from the library. Read them there and remember to be quiet in the library. Copying and taking notes on personal notebooks and spare sheets of paper should be fine.

Also! To be so personal, I would like to answer Patchouli Knowledge’s question on IOUs. Luna Child, Fairy of Silent Moonlight, has informed me that the IOUs are from Marisa Kirisame who appears to have borrowed several of your books. The books in question are Necromancy: The Misunderstood Fetish, Eyeballs of Various Species, and Mushrooms: Decay as an Extant Form of Life.

Luna Child would also like for me to be a reference for her-- Oh, I am being informed that I was not supposed to say this bit out loud.  Apologies. If everybody listening could erase the past minute from their minds, it would be greatly appreciated.

As of this moment, Marisa Kirisame is the only patron to grace the Unmoving Great Library. While we applaud her strength, will, and curiosity for knowledge, we would also like to remind her that libraries are where you borrow things.

And things that are borrowed must be returned. They will be returned. With force if necessary.

For the rest of the eager crowd, they have been remarkably polite and are now following Hong Meiling’s instruction on a Tai Chi kata. How health-minded of them!

The first ever Gensokyo Transmission Associations Lottery has been drawn! The lucky number is 1 5 Sunflower Icecube 8 Sigma 12. I repeat, the lucky number is 1 5 Sunflower Icecube 8 Sigma 12. Your prize of 55 yen, some twigs, and an everlasting ice-cube will be left at the foot of the Dragon God’s Statue.

You will be notified when to pick it up. Do not ask how or when. Just know that you will be notified. Picking it up is optional, but there are consequences to inaction.

Rumia has been wandering the Youkai Trail. She has been hanging around Mystia Lorelei’s stand. As they are both known man-eaters, it is recommended that you bring along packets of raw pork or beef to appease and/or distract them with.

After some studies and personal experimentation, I recommend pork to distract man-eating yokai. While beef is visually similar to human flesh, pork tastes the most like it and is much healthier than human meat.

Full disclosure, I am not a yokai. I am a human. I have simply had stranger experiences in life than most, some of which I wish I did not take but was forced by circumstances at the time, some of which were borne out of stupidity, and some of which were born out of idle to strong curiosity, all of which I would like to not repeat.

Upcoming events.

...There are none. There is nothing occurring in the near future beyond the constant passage of time as always. Nothing special in the days to come. Nothing save what you make of it. Can you feel it passing? The time? Night falls, day rises, time is passing, passing on and on and on.

And yet nothing is happening. Why is nothing happening? No one is doing anything. Time is dying, existence is fading, and we all go through routines made by ourselves for ourselves.

Is this it? Is this all there is? Perhaps. Perhaps not. That is something only we can answer for ourselves as individuals.

We should make events. Fun ones where we can bond and get to know each other! We are all living in this strange world of ours and I, personally, think that there is much that human and yokai have to offer to one another. Beyond being food and foe at least. Any and all suggestions are welcome and, as always, please place all correspondences in the box at the foot of the Dragon God’s Statue.

Strange things are happening at MahoTech. That is all. I do not wish to cry tears of blood. Do check them out though as they hold knowledge stranger than that at the library. The more you suffer, the more you learn, and tears of blood, while painful, has taught me many things. Such as how to wash blood out of my tenuguif.

Soak in cold water for an hour and scrub vigorously with soap. Determination is key to washing the evidence of lost life from your cloth.

Speaking of which, the Library is now closed. This is an official announcement, a marked change from the unofficial opening of the library, so we shall simply have to see if it truly is closed.

After all, it could be a test, dear Dreamers! A test to see who is truly worthy of entering this domain of knowledge and power! One curated by a most powerful magician! Who knows what secrets lie!? Who knows what price must be paid!?

Enter with respect and remember to be quiet though. It is a library after all.

Still, the library is closed for now, so best be off until this all gets sorted out. My fairies on the scene will give updates as the story progresses.

As it is, the front of the gate of the Scarlet Devil Mansion has turned into an impromptu gatherings of sorts, with yokai and humans alike milling about and waiting for grand reopening. I can only assume that if it reopens, if ever, it shall be just as unofficial as the first.

Many of those who have gathered there have brought out their own books to read there, a strange thing to bring to a library, but perhaps they simply wanted to read in a quiet place. Ah! Book trades and discussions are happening!

Even with the closing of the library, its spirit shall live on. The spirit of sharing and storing knowledge, collaborating and building on foundations, and learning how to create and plan large heists to steal books.

...Dear Dreamers, I feel as though you do not understand what a Library is. It is a repository for knowledge and things can be borrowed, but in doing so, they must also be returned. Something must be returned, whether it be knowledge, power, or life, everything must be returned.

That being said, do not steal from libraries. Borrow! And return. Do not forget to return them.

Let us now go to the fortune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88W0K3DEknE&ab_channel=Alice_FELT

Fortune has smiled upon us today! One of our Fairies, Luna Child, Fairy of Silent Moonlight, has been successfully hired as Assistant Assistant Librarian! She is very excited to learn how to read.

We at the association will miss her dearly as she leaves our group and enters gainful employment, but we wish her good luck on her future endeavors as a Librarian. Learning how to read has been our dear Mocha’s dream for quite some time and we are so very happy for her.

We would also like to remind her that any and all secrets of the Association are to remain secret. Even the ones that seem obvious. Especially the ones that seem obvious. Not that we have secrets. We are a humble radio station that simply enjoys meddling in things.

Still, should you need it,the Gensokyo Transmission Association will gladly help.

Other than that, good luck on the job Assistant Assistant Librarian Luna Child, Fairy of Silent Moonlight!

In other news, the Library is now open again. Evidently, even the great Patchouli could not bear to keep eager seekers of knowledge from her amazing library. Indeed, there is now a very quiet, but robust celebration and exploration of the library.

Head Librarian Patchouli had this to say to the curious crowd, “You lot of thieves are persistent and extremely annoying! The China Girl is useless for stopping thieves! Why was she teaching you Tai Chi!? I  refuse to wast any more time on this stupid siege, but the lot of you seem determined to gather no matter what, so against my immense and innumerable protests, the Library is open to the public.”

“You may come inside, read, and study so long as you keep the peace and keep quiet and treat these books well. There will of course be restricted sections that you will not be allowed in. Do not take it as a challenge, these books have minds of their own and will devour yours if given the opportunity.  Any and all books will stay inside though and there will be absolutely no IOUs. Marisa Kirisame will have her day in the lab. There will be wards to detect if a book is taken outside of the library and there will be consequences. Oh yes. There’ll be consequences.”

Here she cackled for a worryingly long time, the crowd chuckling at her joke before quieting down when they realized her utmost seriousness. Then face drawing back into a mask, she continued laying down the law.

“I expect common courtesy and discretion. There will be no food or drink in my library and there will be quiet. And so help me, if you dog ear any of them, damage any of them, misplace any of them, you will be my next experiment, danmaku rules be damned.”

She then lowered her eyes and muttered darkly to herself, “Mark my words though, I shall find whoever forced this farce upon me and there will be consequences.” Miss Patchouli then cocked her head to the side in an alarmingly perpendicular ninety degrees fashion, staring off into the distance in a manner that I felt in my soul. She then whispered, “Oh yes…. I will find you, Fool with A Voice. And there will be a reckoning for this.”

Hm. I appear to be in danger.

Ah well, such is the way of life here. So long as it is not too permanent, I shall take my punishment like a coward and avoid it for as long as possible. It is a jolly good thing nobody knows what I look like at all.

To be clear, this is not a challenge for people to find me, just myself marveling and praising myself at my excellent foresight of staying hidden. I plan to stay hidden for as long as possible and would like for all of you to assist me in staying hidden by not attempting to find me.

Please do not find me. There will be much regret. I shall not clarify on who will hold it in the end, but there will be much regret.

Come now, dreamer.

It is time to go.

Till next we dream.

Today’s Proverb:

Skip leg day. It’ll only hurt once. Once and only once. Skip it. It’ll be fine.

AN:

Sorry for the late post! I'm a bit busy as of late and my old laptop just commited seppuku. Got a new one, but money's tight so I'm taking more shifts! Which may or may not cut into my writing time and I have homework assignments and I am slowly dying on the inside! Kek. Anyways, enjoy! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Some... not spoilers, but heads up exclusive to patrons only! I'm currently in the process of commissioning art for a later chapter, out of my own pocket. You guys will get to see it first, of course since it does relate to this fic, but it's for the next chapter. Why am I telling you this? No real reason beyond it's done by a friend of mine who's very talented in her skillset! I shall be SHILLING her! She's very good!

Now pardonez moi, I must go take a nap. Here's hoping I can finish chapter 3. If not, I shall post the introductory snippet of chapter 3 in two weeks.