#library!tale

The responsibility of the staff includes:

1. Ensuring the materials contained within are protected and preserved for the use of it's patrons. This includes protecting the library from any outside threats.

2. Procuring new material - this includes going on expeditions to other AUs to gather unique materials for preservation.

3. Maintenance and care of the library grounds, properties, and the buildings thereon.

4. Special levels of protection for lore or knowledge deemed unsafe, sensitive or in some rare cases, forbidden.

5. Providing a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for guests and patrons of the Library properties.

Library Staff are identifiable by a special pin they wear in the shape of a hardback book with the delta crest on it (the wings of the crest extend past the outline of the "book" portion of the pin). While on duty, they are supposed to wear it visibly on their person at all times. Other than this, there is no other real dress code that is required. The color of the pin indicates the status of the staff. Gold pin is reserved for the Library director, silver is for upper level staff and bronze is for lower level staff.

Despite the prior structure, the Library is actually run in a very laid back and friendly fashion. The staff cares for the materials within according to their preferences in a majority of cases.

The major staff and their areas of oversight are as follows:

All staff pitches in to help with general fiction and nonfiction, and are not strictly contained to their sections, everyone helps everyone else out.

1. Toriel - Gold pin - the director of the Library. Handles recipe, art and crafting books, general administration and organization. wears a familiar blue dress with the delta crest on the front.  Wears her pin on the collar of her dress. Married to Asgore. Struggling with her husband due to the loss of a child, but they're trying to work through it. Likes to trade jokes and puns with Sans. She also teaches classes for the children of the monsters running the library.

2. Sans - Silver pin - Handles Sciences and reference, humor (including humor based comics). When on site at the library, wears a light blue sweater vest with his library pin on the left side of his chest, oxford underneath, reading glasses and khakis. When out to retrieve materials, he wears a familiar blue hoodie, but with the library crest emblazoned on the back. People have spotted a lab coat hanging up in a corner of his section of the library, though he never seems to wear it. He's often found napping in the stacks, and is often scolded by his brother, Papyrus for being lazy. Enjoys going to Grillby and Muffet's cafe/restaurant and loves the coffee there.

3. Papyrus - Silver pin - Took over kids and YA, and completely fit for the job, too. He's great with the kids, and loves to entertain and play with them in the courtyard or show them his favorite books. Is often able to talk his brother Sans into doing the occasional reading session for them. Wears his battle body and scarf-cape, with his pin on the chest piece, to the left (replaces the insignia normally seen there in the game). Often goes with his brother when retrieving materials (and vice-versa). Wants to help Undyne in her duties protecting the library.

4. Asgore - Silver pin - General grounds keeping and maintenance, handles the Library garden, where he likes to grow herbs, vegetables and flowers. Handles gardening and nature sections of the library, and somehow also wound up in charge of the religion and spirituality section. Quiet, soft spoken guy who enjoys visiting the cafe during the day to have a cup of tea. he likes to make tea himself from the herbs in his garden and often swaps tea mixes and recipes with Muffet. Married to Toriel. Wears long sleeved shirts/sweaters with his pin on the left breast.

5. Undyne - Silver pin - In charge of protecting the library from outside threats, also takes care of military and history, sports, fitness and travel sections. Is assisted by Doggo and the gang (all bronze pins) in library protection/guarding duties. Likes to spend time in visual media with Alphys. Views Asgore as a father figure and sometimes joins him for tea. Thinks Papyrus is too nice to be given the job of protecting the library, but she agrees to train him since he's so earnest. Wears tanks/tees and jeans, sometimes with rips in them from her most recent training exercises or practice sessions She had Alphys adjust her pin into a barrette, which she uses to hold her bangs up out of her face.

6. Alphys - Silver pin -  In charge of visual media and graphic novels, frequently helps Sans out in Science and references. Loves to show off her extensive collection of anime and manga to Undyne. Runs multiple screening rooms where patrons can watch the videos found there. Wears graphic tees of her favorite fandoms and Jeans. Modified her own pin into a necklace, which she wears overtop her shirts. Sometimes gets scolded by Toriel for eating Ramen back by the materials. She doesn't dare do it over by Sans section, though, as he can be rather...protective of the Science and Research materials.

7. Mettaton - Silver pin - Built by Alphys, In charge of General media, periodicals, music and entertainment. Napstablook and Shyren (Both Bronze pins) helps him out with the music section. Also organizes entertainment for the library patrons (music sessions, plays in the theaters, Author events, etc). His pin is built into his body on the shoulder.

8. Grillby and Muffet - They run the cafe/restraurant. They couldn't decide at first whether they wanted it to be a cafe OR a restarant, so they decided to compromise. from 5am-3pm, they operate as a cafe, serving tea, coffee, pastries, light breakfast/brunch food (think sandwiches, etc). They close from 3pm-4pm, and when they reopen, they operate as a restaurant from 4pm-2am, with full service dinner, alcohol and live entertainment (stand up, light music, etc). Honestly if you saw the place before and after the changeover, you wouldn't think it was the same establishment. Yay monster magic. Muffet wears a frilly dress with her pin on the front left breast. Grillby wears a suit vest over an oxford, black bow tie, glasses and black slacks, formal wear. Similar to Muffet, his pin on on the left breast.

Other Characters of note:

* Flowey - no one know about him except for Frisk/Chara. Not a nice flower and obviously has his own motives for trying to manipulate the library staff and patrons.

* Frisk - One day the barrier simply let them in. They have the ability of REWRITE and COPY

* Chara - Hates the library and it's mission. Believes humanity to be foolish and undeserving of the knowledge and lore that the library has accumulated and seeks to prove their point by using REWRITE to corrupt materials in the library so that they are lost forever to the multiverse or by using COPY to smuggle sensitive/unsafe information out of the library and provide it to corrupt, evil persons to prove a point.

The Multiverse library has the rare ability to allow its patrons to EXPERIENCE books by using special rooms augmented by magic. This allows them to experience their reading as though they were actually present. For an general fiction or nonfiction book, it would be as though you were an invisible watcher in the world of the book. For something like a travel book, it would be like traveling to the country the book described. For a recipe book it would allow you to practice the recipes within in a fake kitchen, etc.

The ability of REWRITE allows the user to rewrite a book they are experiencing in any way they want. Rather than being an observer, the user of REWRITE would have the ability of changing the text, allowing them to do things like taking actual part in and affecting a story, changing the ingredients of a recipe, remixing music, etc. When used resposibly, the user of REWRITE will clean up after themselves, returning the modified text to it's original form (COPY can be used to preserve the modified version), and can even use rewrite to fix mild cases of corruption. When used irresponsibly, it can be used to corrupt materials, either making it unreadable or twisting the knowledge with misinformation or lies.

The ability of COPY can be used to copy materials. Used responsibly, it can be used to keep track of information found in library materials and save modified materials so they are not lost when the original material is restored to it's previous form. Used irresponsibly, it can be used to smuggle materials out of the library, where it could be given to unauthorized non patrons of the library.

There are rumors that there may be a secret lab containing forbidden knowledge and lore somewhere underneath library grounds, and there is a door half-hidden by a lazily positioned book shelf back in the stacks for Science and references. No one seems to remember it's there, though, and is one of the many mysteries of the Multiverse library.

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So yeah, that’s my idea. I would like to eventually write a introductory fic for it if I could. Feel free to send any questions, suggestions, etc about this AU to my ask box.

If for some crazy unknowable reason this thing gains any traction I could eventually open its own page...we’ll see.