#ilcharacterweek

[shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary]

Okay, we got everything from the character week in a house

No relationships are preset, let’s just let it roll and find out what happens

[withlovebinnie]

Day 1

Irene

The Invisible Library

Book 1

Page 299 - 300

[lumau]

Yes, Catherine has all the right to be sulking.

I had to take a break due to health and general life reasons and haven’t been able to write her chapter. 😭 To finish the others, I had to sacrifice one character... and Catherine it is. I’m sorry! (Might or might not add it as a bonus later. But I’m determined to finish Silver for tomorrow.)

[withlovebinnie]

Day 2

Kai

The Dark Archive

Book 7

Page 328 - 329

[withlovebinnie]

Day 3

Vale

Sherlock poster but it's Vale

This is just a "if Vale were the protagonist and the story was about him finding out about the Library" thought.

This will be my last post for character week, unfortunately, school is taking all of my time and tests are coming up. Hopefully, I will be able to post a sketch or two...

[withlovebinnie]

Day 6/7

Li Ming and Ao Shun

[shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary]

Day one: Irene

[withlovebinnie]

Day 5

Silver

I wish I had an explanation... but I don’t

[shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary]

Day three: Vale

[shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary]

Day two: Kai

[lumau]

Day 7 - Ao Shun

Same deal today - I haven’t connected this to the general story here, but wanted to already post it, because AO SHUN!

Careful, this is sweet!

❄🖤❄

╳

Ao Shun breathed in deeply. It was not quite as satisfactory in a human body as it was in his genuine shape. The light breeze of cool, salty sea air was still a welcome refreshment on this hot day though. He reclined in his deck chair and sipped from his cocktail.

The lives of monarchs were often painted as filled with riches and extreme splendour. The real luxury for him was this though. Time.

One should think that to an immortal dragon king time did not matter much, or feel abstract. However, his experience was quite the opposite. It was not his own life, his body, his years ticking away that made him aware of the passing of the centuries. It was everything and everyone around him, bound to change, decay and death, that made him very well aware of the time that passed indeed.

So yes, he valued these rare, quiet moments of peaceful calmness as well as anyone – maybe even more so. After all, those who only lived one short lifetime were easily tricked into the hope of “just one more day”, “just one more year”, “just one more list of tasks, and then I’ll make time for it”, while he had seen many lives pass in the blink of an eye that proved these thought illusionary.

“Ah, Li Ming!”

He felt the presence of the other dragon entering the terrace rather than hearing him. He was quiet and discreet as usual, but Ao Shun would always be able to tell if he was close.

Ao Shun pulled himself from his philosophical thoughts and sat up in his chair. He pushed up his dark sunglasses and turned around to look at Li Ming, who had stopped at the perfectly polite, appropriate distance.

“My lord, you requested my attendance?”

“Please, Li Ming, join me.”

Ao Shun smiled and patted the place on the lounger next to him.

There was an almost imperceptible moment of hesitation in the other dragon’s manner, not to his surprise. He could well imagine the rapid calculations his mind ran through.

They were not alone. There were several guards and servants on the terrace, and while it was a private vicinity, closed off to prying eyes from the ground and shielded by vast awnings, outdoors never felt truly private when one was a winged creature in one’s natural state.

It was not the appropriate behaviour to approach the King and sit in his company, let alone share a seat with him.

But not following his monarch’s wishes, especially in front of other servants, was just not done.

To an outsider there was no delay in Li Ming’s movement, but Ao Shun noticed his hesitation. Li Ming stepped closer and sat down on the edge of the chair, still and perfectly upright, his hands on his knees. Ao Shun could feel the tension in his posture and see the conflicted little line between his brows. Still, even now, after all these years…, he thought a little wistfully.

“That will be all,” he announced to the servants, and signalled the guards with a nod that he demanded privacy. They would still position themselves outside the door, of course, but that would do.

The two dragons sat in silence, until the door shut quietly. Ao Shun looked at Li Ming. There was still a moment of shyness when they shifted from their formal to their intimate relationship, but he could see him visibly relax. 

He leaned forward and pulled Li Ming close, enveloping his narrow shape in his arms. Li Ming returned the embrace and allowed himself to be pulled down with him as Ao Shun leaned back in the lounger.  They lay in each other's arms for a while, relishing the comfort. 

“Are you enjoying your day off?” Li Ming asked after a while. 

Ao Shun nodded.

“I would be enjoying it a lot more if you were to spend it with me.”

He kissed the top of his head, then continued earnestly.

“I don’t want to waste any more time. It is too precious. You are too precious to me. You stood loyally by my side for centuries. I don’t want to hide us anymore.”

Ao Shun felt Li Ming push his face firmer against his collar, holding onto him tightly. They sat in silence for another long moment.

“Is that what you want as well?” Ao Shun asked quietly.

The answer was a low murmur against his neck.

“What did you just say?” he asked, pulling back a little in astonishment.

Li Ming sat up and looked away, a flush high on his cheeks.

“I said, yes, my lord.”

“No. That’s not it,” Ao Shun cocked his head and frowned, a smirk playing on his lips, “I understood you quite well. But I want to hear it again.”

He touched his hand to Li Ming’s face to turn it back to look at him. Li Ming met his eyes and flustered.

Ao Shun smiled tentatively.

“Please?”

Li Ming took a deep breath.

“Yes, my love.”

Ao Shun simply pulled him into a long kiss.

“I love you, too,” he grinned against his lips, before breaking away, “and I will make this work for us. I am a King after all.”

[shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary]

Sims day whatever and we find a wild Li Ming in his natural habitat

[shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary]

Day five: Silver

[lumau]

Chapters: 1/7 Fandom: The Invisible Library - Genevieve Cogman Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Irene (The Invisible Library), Kai (The Invisible Library), Peregrine Vale, catherine (the invisible library), Lord Silver (The Invisible Library), Li Ming (Invisible Library), Ao Shun (Invisible Library) Additional Tags: ilcharacterweek, Angst, Some Humor, Some Romance, all a bit trippy, but it'll make sense, potentially additional tags per chapter, minor spoilers for the dark archive and all other books Summary: 7 chapters, each focussing on one of the main / favorite characters (written for 2021 Invisible Library Character Appreciation Week)

Chapter 1 - Irene

╳

 When Irene woke up, the first thing she noticed was the scent. It was odd, how the brain zoomed in on a specific detail, while still being unable to take in the general surroundings in a helpful manner.       She instantly recognised the scent, she knew it very well – books, paper, leather, glue and ink. Wood and fabric. Stone and dust.

It was the scent of home, the scent of the Library. Yet, there was something different about it. She could not put her finger on it, and found it was likely not immediately relevant. Opening her eyes and finding out what it was that was painfully digging into her back was.

She was in a corridor of the Library, there was no doubt about that. The pain in her back came from the edge of a shelf she was leaning against. Why was she on the floor, sunken against a bookshelf?       Irene looked around. This part of the Library didn’t seem familiar, not immediately. She carefully pulled herself up. Judging from the stiff feeling in her limbs she must have been out for more than just a minute.

 How did she get here? Somehow she could not remember anything.

The ceiling was not very high, and there were no windows in the corridor. On both sides the walls were lined with bookshelves, and, by the look of it, old ones at that. A few doors led to either side, all closed. It was dead silent.

 Irene rubbed at the back of her head. She had a low, throbbing headache. Maybe she had just passed out and knocked her head on the shelf.

She felt stable enough to walk, but wasn’t actually sure which direction she should choose, as she neither knew where she was, nor where she had been going. So she did what a Librarian, or any bibliophile, probably, would do in her situation – she pulled out a book at random from the nearest shelf.

Irene stared down at the cover, dumbstruck. She knew this book.

It was “Kinder- und Hausmärchen der Gebrüder Grimm”.

Irene almost dropped it. It was the same version as the one, the      only    one she’d always remember for the rest of her life. With shaking fingers she opened the book, carefully flicking through the pages. She did not want to know, but she had to know. It did not even surprise her to read the title, when she came to the 87th story. There it was, “The Story of the Stone from the Tower of Babel”.

Irene stood frozen, unable to make any sense of her situation. There was such a thing as coincidence, but she knew this was not one of those moments. She shot a glance around her.       The corridor, the shelves, the books… Everything seemed perfectly ordinary. Yet there was a sudden prickle in the back of her neck, an uneasy feeling of another presence, of being watched.

The endless halls of the Library could be erie at times, but to Irene, they had always felt like home. Now she could sympathise with depictions of protagonists, who suddenly noticed a slight difference in their decor, or heard a creaking noise upstairs, or felt the touch of a breeze while knowing that  all the windows had been closed just a moment ago.

And then she heard it. Just a whisper at first, almost inaudible even in the silent corridor. It was the lowest of whispers, and still it hit her like a blow.

 “Ray...”

 Irene did not turn around to look for the source of the voice. She simply ran.

Irene did not know what or who was chasing her, but she knew that she had to keep running. Alberich, the name was of course the first to come to her mind. But she was inside the Library, and the one thing she could rely on was that Alberich could not enter the Library.

She felt the itch of the mark on her back, whatever it was that came after her – its presence was undeniable, old and vicious, wild and primal, more dangerous than either fae or dragon she’d ever faced.

 “Ray!”

Her name, billowing and thunderous, almost made her lose her step. She was still clutching the book in her hand. Blind panic pushed her onwards, but the corridor would come to an end in a t-junction just a few more paces ahead.

Left or right, left or right…       In the sudden clarity that came after passing through horror and arriving at desperation, she knew it didn’t matter. She didn’t know where she was and all that she wanted was to get away from whoever or whatever was chasing her. As far and as fast as possible.

Without a split second of hesitation, Irene turned the corner to her right and ran ahead through the open doorway into the room that lay beyond.

╳

“Winters!”

Irene was vaguely aware of being briskly shaken by the shoulders. Her back hurt… and her head… Oh god, her head!

“Winters, for goodness sake! Are you alright?”

She blinked her eyes open, as the shaking didn’t cease, and looked up into Vale’s face above her. His frown showed deep concern, but at least he stopped yelling.

Irene found that she was lying on the floor. A dark wooden floor, and there were shelves and stacks of books close by. She was inside the Library, and, after a moment of disorientation, she recognised the room as one close to the gate to B-395.

She propped herself up with a grunt and rubbed at her temples. What was she doing on the floor? And Vale… right, Vale!

“I think, I’m okay,” she muttered, still glancing around in confused bewilderment, “But what happened? I can’t seem to remember anything.”

Vale sat back on his heels and gave her a measuring glance down his nose.

“I was going to ask you the same. I found you here, unconscious.” His frown deepened. “Where is Strongrock?”

Irene tried hard to think, but there was a buzzing in her head that made it almost impossible to focus.                “I don’t know. He isn’t with you?”

 “I expected to find him with you. You asked for us all to meet here.”

 Irene paused, as something occurred to her.

 “Vale, what are you doing here? How did you get inside the Library?”

“You brought me in yourself.” Vale raised his eyebrows and closely scrutinised her. “Winters, are you sure, you’re alright?”

Irene shrugged, as, in fact, she was not sure. Her head was swimming, and she had the urgent feeling that she forgot something important she had to do, or somewhere she had to be.

Vale stood up and offered her a hand.

"If you can stand, then you should better see this.”  There was suddenly a cold undertone to his voice.

 Irene was thankful that Vale gave her his arm to hold onto, as she swayed a little upon getting up. What she saw immediately brought her back to her senses though. Close to one of the doors to the adjoining rooms a dark stain marred an otherwise spotless floorboards. It glistened in the overhead light, and she did not have to investigate it closer to recognise it as blood.

Vale always scolded her for jumping to conclusions, but as far as she could see, neither she nor Vale had any injuries that would account for the blood. If Kai wasn’t here, but was supposed to be with her, did that mean… Irene’s throat tightened.

The feeling that she had to do something, that she forgot something important, grew more pressing. If only she could remember…

Vale’s grip on her arm tightened.

“Do you know anything about this? Anything helpful at all?”

Irene could not look away from the stain on the floor. She feverishly tried to pull herself together, to remember, but any time she grasped for a thought, it slipped through her mental fingers. She knew she was blankly staring at the blood, but she couldn’t… she didn’t...

“For the love of god, Winters! Focus, woman!”

Vale firmly gripped her by the shoulders, his fingers dug into her arms painfully. He turned her around to face him.

“Look at me!”

The sharpness in his voice made something click back into place inside Irene’s head. She looked up at Vale. Their eyes locked for a moment. Irene felt a rushing sensation, as everything went very still and clear. The only thing that mattered were Vale’s eyes. And what lingered behind them.

“Look at me, Ray.”

Irene knew that it was never a helpful reaction in any genre of story, and generally prided herself in knowing better. But at this moment, as Vale’s mouth twitched into a fully uncharacteristic smirk, she screamed.

 ╳

[lumau]

Day 6 - Li Ming

Okay, here’s the thing - under no circumstances did I want to miss Li Ming day today! But to fit his chapter into the arc with the others, I still need to write an interlude which I haven’t yet found the time to do.

However, this part also works on its own - so unless you rather want to wait, here’s already the main part of Li Ming’s chapter.

You can also read it as a stand alone! ❄🤍❄

╳

Li Ming could make out the pulse under his fingers, present even through the cold. He felt it slowing from a rapid race to an unsteady rhythm. They were knealing in front of each other, hands on each other's necks. But the other hands began to loosen their grip, shiver and cramp away from his skin. Both men were perfectly still, like a set of statues in the snow swirling around them, the frost slowly crawling up and across both of their bodies. But while the other’s heart was stuttering, Li Ming’s was racing. 

The sound of a large bell rang out across the square, and it took a few seconds before Li Ming registered that it was over. With a conscious effort he pulled his hands away, and the other body slumped forward without his support, gasping heaving breaths into almost empty lungs. Li Ming looked down on his opponent. He would live, for now. It was not his choice to end him - should his family require it, it would be their responsibility. 

Only now that he stood up, Li Ming felt how the pain began to spread from his own injuries. They had started their duel with swords, and while they had dropped them pretty quickly to exercise their natural abilities, he had received a rather deep wound from a cut down his arm. 

He himself was panting heavily, still full of adrenaline from the fight. Blood had sputtered onto the white floor around them, and it continued seeping through the fabric of his robe on his left shoulder. Li Ming had to consciously fight back the dizzying feeling of nausea. His body was on the verge of collapse after a week of excessive strain, but he would not allow it to slip one bit. Not yet, not now.

He only had to hold on for a little longer, while the results would be declared. They had spent the last days and nights in the examination cells, working on various written tests. From there they had been lead right to the plaza to face off against the other candidates, and there had been no time to rest in between. Li Ming was fairly confident that he had done his best in the academic and cultural examination conducted by the Ministry of Rites, and that he would fulfil at least the basic requirements for the application to the Department of State Affairs or the Secretariat. 

The last duel among randomly chosen pairs was a prerequisite for a potential future appointment into higher offices. It was more of a quality evaluation of the scholar's character, behaviour and perseverance than of skills in combat. So even if he had taken out his opponent in the fight, the verdict might still be negative if the King was displeased by something he saw. Because this, the final test, was overseen by the King of the Northern Ocean himself. So Li Ming forced himself to stay still and upright, calm his racing heart and wait.

The King passed around the plaza in a gleaming black litter, stopping by each of the pairs of contestants. A servant called out the names of those who had been able to win the King’s approval. Those who had failed… well, they would answer to their families next.

As the convoy approached his corner, Li Ming was almost grateful for the opportunity to sink down on one knee, unsure how much longer his legs would have kept him upright otherwise. He bowed his head low and touched his fist to his left shoulder, suppressing a wince at the sharp pain from his wound. Behind him, his opponent had not moved from where he was slumped on the ground since the end of their fight. It was clear that, while he must still be alive, he had given up.

There was a pause, as the assistant stepped close to the opening between the curtains that covered the sides of the litter to receive the King’s instruction. Li Ming waited patiently, listening to the hammering of his own heartbeat in his ears.

Then, the servant stepped forward and announced in a loud, clear tone: “His Majesty the King of the Northern Ocean acknowledges the presented scholar Lord Li Ming, son of Lord Shantsu of the Yellow River family, student of pure rank.”

 Li Ming suppressed a shudder of relief at the words, and waited whether there would be any words for his fellow contestant. But the servant turned to move away again already. Out of the corner of his eye Li Ming noticed a brief movement. There was a sudden flash of brightness, as the sword swung up behind him. Li Ming instinctively jerked around, brought his hand up above the hilt and with one precise, clean strike of his uninjured hand, his opponent's head cracked sideways. With a clattering noise the sword fell from his slackened fingers as his body hit the icy ground.

It took Li Ming a second to realise what just happened and that he was standing in the middle of a small blizzard. He forced himself to focus and reign in his power, clenching his claws into fists. He looked down at the body in front of him. What a fool - even desperation could not account for such impertinence!

Then he remembered that he was still in the presence of the King. He whirled around, dropping back down on his knee and into a deep bow. The litter and the convoy of servants had come to a sudden halt. The assistant stepped close to the window again, listening intently for a short moment.

“You may rise,” he addressed Li Ming, his voice calm and indifferent. “Is there anything you have to say for yourself?”

Li Ming forced his legs to carry him again. His thoughts were racing. He had acted intuitively. Had he just lost the King’s approval, just a moment after it was announced? 

“Your Majesty, I beg you to forgive my improper behavior,” was all that he could muster.

Of course he had been in the presence of the King and other monarchs before, seen him at festivals and ceremonies, but he had never been so close to one of them, never in their direct regard.

The assistant looked back towards the litter. Li Ming felt a sudden urge to slightly lift his gaze, just for a brief look. The King’s face was completely hidden in the darkness inside the litter, but his eyes shone a gleaming red. There was a faint shimmer as he leaned closer to the window, and for a second Li Ming felt that their eyes met. A shock ran through him, as he sensed the King’s full, raw energy and quickly bowed his head again.

The servant stepped forward, and addressed Li Ming.

“His Majesty the King of the Northern Ocean acknowledges Lord Li Ming as a student of superior competence. You may inform your family that His Majesty has no complaint about your behavior.”

There was another flicker of red behind the curtains, before the litter went back into motion and the convoy moved on.

Li Ming stood frozen for a long moment. There seemed to be an emptiness in the air in front of him that the King’s presence had left behind, the atmosphere suddenly bland and less real without the sheer power that he radiated. Maybe one day, he thought, many decades in the future, he might be accomplished enough to serve the King, if he worked hard enough. And maybe he might get the chance to feel his personal regard again.

╳

[shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary]

Kai is a romantic sim and I guess that comes with SNOGIGN IN FRONT OF YOUR SLEEPING UNCLE?!?!?