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☆ The Living Library ☆
The life that Alyce knows is in a higher realm. She exists on the 8th Dimension-- a plane of existence where all timelines and universes meld together around you. Her 8th Dimensional home is called the Grande Library, or sometimes "The Living Library." It is a strange space that would defy all your understanding of how the Omniverse should be perceived. All you need to know is that it is where all Universes, and all of their alternate timelines, are kept.
Know as well that Alyce was born for this place. Whenever this Grande Space loses its guardian, it creates a new one. They are born like a baby chick: Having grown in an ignorant shell and then hatched. When Alyce 'hatched,' she already looked to be ten years old. However, despite her tiny appearance, she was given a very important Omnipotent duty: To guard the Library, and its books, and make sure no one tried to "play God" with them.
At this point, let's pause to acknowledge a few things. Starting with what kind of environment Alyce grew up in. The Living Library looks like a fairytale garden. Shelves are smooshed between thick trees, which grow into the 'sky' and block out the 'sun.' The Library provides for Alyce's mortal needs. She is, after all, a human at her core. The Library had a kitchen area that provides all of the food Alyce imagines herself wanting, a sleeping area with the bed she dreams of, and plenty of single player games (mostly of the board or card variety, not digital,) to amuse herself with.
The Librarian's greatest threat comes from other Omniversal Beings. These "Ascended Magicians" are beings that have transcended their mortal limits and made it to the 8th Dimension. They are on par with what you might expect from a demi-God. They are classified in three ways:
The first is the highest tier. Higher than Alyce. They are called "Concepts," and they exist everywhere and everytime. They have names like "Hope," "Love," "Calamity," and "Destruction." You might write essays in English class about how they are a theme in a novel you were forced to read. They are Omnipotent, 10th Dimensional Beings. This great status comes at the cost of their ability to interact with any dimension below the 10th. Time and Space are invalid at the 10th Dimension, which means you cannot interact with things or other beings. So in order to influence the world, Concepts will sponsor an Embodiment.
Embodiments are the second classification that Alyce needs to worry about. They are beings like herself that transcended to the 8th Dimension. They can interact with worlds and each other, unlike Concepts. However, they are not all powerful. In order to remain on the 8th Dimension, where they technically cannot exist, they get 'sponsored' by a Concept. This creates a unique cycle. Concepts get more powerful when their concept (i.e: "Hope.") is a strong influence in a World. So Embodiments go to worlds and make that influence.
For example. If we look at Madoka Kaname as an Embodiment of Hope, then her role in Madoka Magica made the Concept of Hope more powerful.
Embodiments often have their own agenda, but it co-en-sides with their Concept. They exist peacefully among themselves, following the careful rules of the Omniverse so that all of existence doesn't fall apart. Even an Embodiment of Hope and Embodiment of Despair would be expected to get along, at least at a professional level. Both Embodiments and their Concepts respect the Library and would never edit a book directly.
Which brings up the last classification, and the most worrisome: The Irregulars. They are Ascended Mages on a similar level to an Embodiment, but they do not have Sponsors. Because of that, they usually have a powerful flare and then expend all of their energy. And because they are not bound by a sponsorship, nothing stops them from wrecking havoc on Alyce's Library. Irregulars are usually very emotional and, though briefly, very powerful. Alyce frequently has to deal them coming to her Library and demanding to destroy a 'world' or edit its written record.
Knowing that, it is alarming to know that Alyce herself has no magical powers to protect herself. All Alyce can do is open books and edit them. The Library is also limited in how much it can protect her, especially when her and the Library are the targets. What the Library can do is Sponsor "Attendants," to protect Alyce and itself. Attendants do not have any of the Librarian's book privileges, but do have a desire to protect her. They are much like familiars. The Library can only Sponsor one or two at a time, but when one Attendant is destroyed then a replacement will be automatically assigned.
Hi, are you still there?
Reading all that tl;dr?
I'm so sorry.
Thus, let us dive past that headache of a world overview and take a look at Alyce's own story.
The previous Grande Librarian had been murdered. She lost sight of her job and saw herself as the God who ruled all of the books/worlds at her fingertips, and wanted to eliminate the Embodiments who threatened that narcissistic view. The Library may seem Omnipotent in how it protects its Librarian, how it had no power to destroy its own crazed protector. The Concepts and their Embodiments took it upon themselves to kill the last Grande Librarian.
This was the 76th Grande Librarian to develop a God Complex. It's quite common, and everyone expects it to one day develop in the new Librarian.
Her name was Alyce. She appeared in one of the Library's gardens within seconds of the old Librarian's death. The concept of Alyce's life was mirrored from a ten year old girl who had just died in a car accident in 4th Dimensional World. Alyce herself really doesn't remember this, but the outline of her personality was borrowed from that little girl.
She was born into the guardianship of the remaining Library Attendant, whose name she never really cared to remember. The other attendant had been very loyal to the previous Librarian and died to protect her, leaving only this one attendant behind. She was a kind and beautiful woman with long blue hair like Alyce's. Her loyalty was not to the Library, but to the ability to read and guard every world where her unborn child was, in fact, born and alive.
She taught Alyce how to manage the Library and took care of the quickly maturing girl. Alyce's body grew with her emotional development, and that seemed to come very quickly. Alyce would read about the other worlds in the books and chose to study the backstories of every Embodiment that visited her. It was while reading up on an Embodiment of Hope, "Satou," that Alyce discovered the most precious soul to her. She read every world in which the human boy "Shi Yamato" lived and died. Alyce was struck by his multi-layered personality and tragic backstory, much like how a reader falls for their favorite character.
But despite having the power to do so, Alyce was not able to break the 4th wall and reach out to any of the "Shi Yamato"s in her stories. She just followed along his life story, crying and laughing for him. Also, feeling unnecessary jealousy and heartbreak whenever his story ended with him finding his true love, Hana, and ultimately living out his life with her.
"Down with that canon ship," she wanted to say, if not for how cute she found her Best Boy in Love to be.
This changed for the ??? when a Shi Yamato ascended to the 8th Dimension. For all of the Right-Wrong Reasons: He had been banished from his home world and therefore separated from his lover. When Alyce heard of this "Uai" and learned he was really Shi Yamato, she lost her shit like a fangirl. Though he was a potential Embodiment Candidtte, Alyce claimed him as her Library Attendant first.
Seeing Alyce in new, capable hands, the previous Attendant found peace. Alyce had thought that Attendants could only die by being killed, but apparently there was a loophole: They could also choose to pass on, like ghosts finding peace. In the case of her old Attendant, the woman realized that she had found peace by seeing her child happy and alive. She had been holding on to raise the little Librarian who looked like her, but now saw Alyce was in capable hands.
Alyce was torn by this on many levels. She regretted never paying attention to her old Attendant and taking the woman fro granted. She also realized that her Uai could find peace and move on. He was tormented by his love for Hana, and if he ever made peace with their fate then he might disappear.
So Alyce vowed never to let Uai find that peace. She didn't want to lose her favorite character now that he was "hers."
Uai was content to guard the Library, which held tales where other Hanas and Shis lived happily ever after. But he was strictly loyal to his Hana, and did not find any resolution in the other stories. Fortunate for Alyce, because she would not lose him... Unfortunate for Alyce, because he would not let it go.
It was Alyce who gradually came to accept and respect that she could never have her OC x Canon crackship. Uai and her lived peacefully in the Library, but Alyce's maturity never let her age passed 17. Even then, it was just a claim the petite girl made in order to feel closer to Uai, who was more likely 19. Uai became a very capable guardian and frequently defended Alyce from Irregulars, even garnering a reputation for being a terrifying guard dog. The two of them enjoyed frequent and long periods of peace, where Embodiments would come and spoil little Alyce like she was their only niece.
Time is honestly irrelevant at the 8th Dimension. To Alyce, it felt like her time with Uai was "forever." To Uai, it felt like an eternity. Quietly, he was still suffering from losing Hana. He knew from reading the books that she was going to wait endlessly for her "One True Love," and he had doomed her by leaving. However, Uai and Alyce both believed that Uai was the only "Shi" to Ascend. They were stupid and wrong.
Their peace was shattered when Alyce's Best Boy made another appearance. Another Shi, from another timeline, had Ascended. But in his timeline, he came to realize that "Shi" was the root of his world's problems. This creatively labeled "Z" was an Irregular, with no interest in rules or Sponsorship. He went straight for the Library and straight for Alyce.
She was the only one who could open the books and make it possible for Z to annihilate "Shi Yamato." She was also Shi Yamato's #1 Fangirl and not about to let that happen. Neither was her Attendant. Being the only one with magic between them, but also unable to defeat his double, Uai sent Alyce far away. Her dropped her into one of the stories where Shi Yamato lived with the mortal Embodiments. Alyce was helpless to resist as she was separated from the Shi Yamato she loved most, and helpless to resist the fact that Z most certainly kill him.
Know as well that Alyce was born for this place. Whenever this Grande Space loses its guardian, it creates a new one. They are born like a baby chick: Having grown in an ignorant shell and then hatched. When Alyce 'hatched,' she already looked to be ten years old. However, despite her tiny appearance, she was given a very important Omnipotent duty: To guard the Library, and its books, and make sure no one tried to "play God" with them.
At this point, let's pause to acknowledge a few things. Starting with what kind of environment Alyce grew up in. The Living Library looks like a fairytale garden. Shelves are smooshed between thick trees, which grow into the 'sky' and block out the 'sun.' The Library provides for Alyce's mortal needs. She is, after all, a human at her core. The Library had a kitchen area that provides all of the food Alyce imagines herself wanting, a sleeping area with the bed she dreams of, and plenty of single player games (mostly of the board or card variety, not digital,) to amuse herself with.
The Librarian's greatest threat comes from other Omniversal Beings. These "Ascended Magicians" are beings that have transcended their mortal limits and made it to the 8th Dimension. They are on par with what you might expect from a demi-God. They are classified in three ways:
The first is the highest tier. Higher than Alyce. They are called "Concepts," and they exist everywhere and everytime. They have names like "Hope," "Love," "Calamity," and "Destruction." You might write essays in English class about how they are a theme in a novel you were forced to read. They are Omnipotent, 10th Dimensional Beings. This great status comes at the cost of their ability to interact with any dimension below the 10th. Time and Space are invalid at the 10th Dimension, which means you cannot interact with things or other beings. So in order to influence the world, Concepts will sponsor an Embodiment.
Embodiments are the second classification that Alyce needs to worry about. They are beings like herself that transcended to the 8th Dimension. They can interact with worlds and each other, unlike Concepts. However, they are not all powerful. In order to remain on the 8th Dimension, where they technically cannot exist, they get 'sponsored' by a Concept. This creates a unique cycle. Concepts get more powerful when their concept (i.e: "Hope.") is a strong influence in a World. So Embodiments go to worlds and make that influence.
For example. If we look at Madoka Kaname as an Embodiment of Hope, then her role in Madoka Magica made the Concept of Hope more powerful.
Embodiments often have their own agenda, but it co-en-sides with their Concept. They exist peacefully among themselves, following the careful rules of the Omniverse so that all of existence doesn't fall apart. Even an Embodiment of Hope and Embodiment of Despair would be expected to get along, at least at a professional level. Both Embodiments and their Concepts respect the Library and would never edit a book directly.
Which brings up the last classification, and the most worrisome: The Irregulars. They are Ascended Mages on a similar level to an Embodiment, but they do not have Sponsors. Because of that, they usually have a powerful flare and then expend all of their energy. And because they are not bound by a sponsorship, nothing stops them from wrecking havoc on Alyce's Library. Irregulars are usually very emotional and, though briefly, very powerful. Alyce frequently has to deal them coming to her Library and demanding to destroy a 'world' or edit its written record.
Knowing that, it is alarming to know that Alyce herself has no magical powers to protect herself. All Alyce can do is open books and edit them. The Library is also limited in how much it can protect her, especially when her and the Library are the targets. What the Library can do is Sponsor "Attendants," to protect Alyce and itself. Attendants do not have any of the Librarian's book privileges, but do have a desire to protect her. They are much like familiars. The Library can only Sponsor one or two at a time, but when one Attendant is destroyed then a replacement will be automatically assigned.
Hi, are you still there?
Reading all that tl;dr?
I'm so sorry.
Thus, let us dive past that headache of a world overview and take a look at Alyce's own story.
The previous Grande Librarian had been murdered. She lost sight of her job and saw herself as the God who ruled all of the books/worlds at her fingertips, and wanted to eliminate the Embodiments who threatened that narcissistic view. The Library may seem Omnipotent in how it protects its Librarian, how it had no power to destroy its own crazed protector. The Concepts and their Embodiments took it upon themselves to kill the last Grande Librarian.
This was the 76th Grande Librarian to develop a God Complex. It's quite common, and everyone expects it to one day develop in the new Librarian.
Her name was Alyce. She appeared in one of the Library's gardens within seconds of the old Librarian's death. The concept of Alyce's life was mirrored from a ten year old girl who had just died in a car accident in 4th Dimensional World. Alyce herself really doesn't remember this, but the outline of her personality was borrowed from that little girl.
She was born into the guardianship of the remaining Library Attendant, whose name she never really cared to remember. The other attendant had been very loyal to the previous Librarian and died to protect her, leaving only this one attendant behind. She was a kind and beautiful woman with long blue hair like Alyce's. Her loyalty was not to the Library, but to the ability to read and guard every world where her unborn child was, in fact, born and alive.
She taught Alyce how to manage the Library and took care of the quickly maturing girl. Alyce's body grew with her emotional development, and that seemed to come very quickly. Alyce would read about the other worlds in the books and chose to study the backstories of every Embodiment that visited her. It was while reading up on an Embodiment of Hope, "Satou," that Alyce discovered the most precious soul to her. She read every world in which the human boy "Shi Yamato" lived and died. Alyce was struck by his multi-layered personality and tragic backstory, much like how a reader falls for their favorite character.
But despite having the power to do so, Alyce was not able to break the 4th wall and reach out to any of the "Shi Yamato"s in her stories. She just followed along his life story, crying and laughing for him. Also, feeling unnecessary jealousy and heartbreak whenever his story ended with him finding his true love, Hana, and ultimately living out his life with her.
"Down with that canon ship," she wanted to say, if not for how cute she found her Best Boy in Love to be.
This changed for the ??? when a Shi Yamato ascended to the 8th Dimension. For all of the Right-Wrong Reasons: He had been banished from his home world and therefore separated from his lover. When Alyce heard of this "Uai" and learned he was really Shi Yamato, she lost her shit like a fangirl. Though he was a potential Embodiment Candidtte, Alyce claimed him as her Library Attendant first.
Seeing Alyce in new, capable hands, the previous Attendant found peace. Alyce had thought that Attendants could only die by being killed, but apparently there was a loophole: They could also choose to pass on, like ghosts finding peace. In the case of her old Attendant, the woman realized that she had found peace by seeing her child happy and alive. She had been holding on to raise the little Librarian who looked like her, but now saw Alyce was in capable hands.
Alyce was torn by this on many levels. She regretted never paying attention to her old Attendant and taking the woman fro granted. She also realized that her Uai could find peace and move on. He was tormented by his love for Hana, and if he ever made peace with their fate then he might disappear.
So Alyce vowed never to let Uai find that peace. She didn't want to lose her favorite character now that he was "hers."
Uai was content to guard the Library, which held tales where other Hanas and Shis lived happily ever after. But he was strictly loyal to his Hana, and did not find any resolution in the other stories. Fortunate for Alyce, because she would not lose him... Unfortunate for Alyce, because he would not let it go.
It was Alyce who gradually came to accept and respect that she could never have her OC x Canon crackship. Uai and her lived peacefully in the Library, but Alyce's maturity never let her age passed 17. Even then, it was just a claim the petite girl made in order to feel closer to Uai, who was more likely 19. Uai became a very capable guardian and frequently defended Alyce from Irregulars, even garnering a reputation for being a terrifying guard dog. The two of them enjoyed frequent and long periods of peace, where Embodiments would come and spoil little Alyce like she was their only niece.
Time is honestly irrelevant at the 8th Dimension. To Alyce, it felt like her time with Uai was "forever." To Uai, it felt like an eternity. Quietly, he was still suffering from losing Hana. He knew from reading the books that she was going to wait endlessly for her "One True Love," and he had doomed her by leaving. However, Uai and Alyce both believed that Uai was the only "Shi" to Ascend. They were stupid and wrong.
Their peace was shattered when Alyce's Best Boy made another appearance. Another Shi, from another timeline, had Ascended. But in his timeline, he came to realize that "Shi" was the root of his world's problems. This creatively labeled "Z" was an Irregular, with no interest in rules or Sponsorship. He went straight for the Library and straight for Alyce.
She was the only one who could open the books and make it possible for Z to annihilate "Shi Yamato." She was also Shi Yamato's #1 Fangirl and not about to let that happen. Neither was her Attendant. Being the only one with magic between them, but also unable to defeat his double, Uai sent Alyce far away. Her dropped her into one of the stories where Shi Yamato lived with the mortal Embodiments. Alyce was helpless to resist as she was separated from the Shi Yamato she loved most, and helpless to resist the fact that Z most certainly kill him.