Chapter One - The Library Dictator [Video]

[knowitowl]

[Now that things seem to have gone back to relative normalcy here in the land of Luceti, Wan Shi Tong decides that it is time to introduce himself to the community. Thus there will be a video feed of a very tall owl as he stands over his journal.]

Greetings citizens of Luceti, I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things.

Due to my abduction from my own world and library, I have commandeered the one within this village. I will be the sole authority of the collection from this point on, and as such, there are a few new rules.

First of all, anyone who wishes to use the library must first offer new knowledge to add to the collection.

Secondly, none of the material within can be used for malicious intent. There is no exception to this. I do not care how noble your cause may be, whether it is against each other or our captors here.

Finally, I will no longer allow any materials to be removed from the building.

If these rules are not followed, there will be consequences.

Also, in regards to the last rule, all outstanding books and media must be returned for inventory. If you do not comply, I will send my assistants to retrieve them.

That is all.

[And with that the feed will end.]

Comments

[notyourutopian]

[That gets the teen's attention again, and she frowns at her journal, picking it up to glare at him.]

What gives you the right to decide how others would use what they learn? Knowledge is free to everyone, you can't just bottle it up and hide with it.

[knowitowl]

I am not keeping it from anyone. I am merely regulating it. If I wished I could have destroyed this entire library upon my arrival. My requests are not unreasonable and anyone who is sincere about learning would recognize that.

[notyourutopian]

Uh huh. [Yeah, Eleanor's face clearing indicates she thinks that is complete bullshit.]

What even gives you the right to regulate it?

[She sets her journal down ontop of her pile of books as she asks, then picks the whole thing up, seemingly intent on leaving.]

[knowitowl]

[There is no response over the journal. Instead she will find a giant owl suddenly in her path.]

I will protect what I love, but I will also not reason with thieves. Clearly you can not be trusted. I will forget your attempt at transgression if you put the books down and leave.

Eleanor has problems with authority.

[notyourutopian]

[Eleanor does take a startled step back in surprise at that, staring up at the bird. Bloody hell, he was taller than she thought. But she'd faced down worse before, and she sucks in a breath to settle herself.]

You can't steal from a library, the entire concept is to loan books. As for leaving...

[She seems to think the idea over for a moment before she grins.]

I suppose I will, at that.

[She, and the books, suddenly appear to explode in a cloud of ionizing purple energy, and then she's gone.]

[knowitowl]

...

This is most annoying.

[He will simply deploy his knowledge seeker to sneak out the books later.]

[notyourutopian]

[Eleanor flips her journal back open a few moments later. She's perched on a chair in her apartment now, the books added to veritable stacks of library books scattered around her. She hoards them a bit.]

And I'm not even the only teleporter here. And almost everyone has powers, and most of them don't like being told what to do any more than I do.

So I think you're really not going to succeed at this.

[knowitowl]

We shall see. You have only served to prove that no one can be trusted. I will have to tighten my rules in this case.

[notyourutopian]

[She just makes a frustrated sound and slumps a bit in her chair.]

The point is, it's not your library. It's everyone's library. Your rules don't matter there.

Or...at all.

[knowitowl]

They will matter as long people like you choose to abuse it.

[notyourutopian]

[She just smirks.]

And how, precisely, is borrowing books from the library abusing it when that is what libraries are for?

[knowitowl]

As long as there is information capable of misuse and those wishing to misuse it, I will not allow it.

[notyourutopian]

That's ridiculous.

Anything can be misused, I've seen people fight with brooms and vacuum cleaners and cans of beans. Are you going to start regulating those too?

[knowitowl]

Human nature will never change. That is why I do not trust them. I have seen the misuse of knowledge far too often. There was a time when I wished to help humans better themselves with knowledge. However I have come to regret that decision.

[notyourutopian]

But this isn't yours. It doesn't matter if you feel guilty about something you did wrong before. The library does not belong to you. Or anyone.

[knowitowl]

You are not convincing. I will still protect it.

[notyourutopian]

But protecting it and denying it to people aren't even the same thing.

[knowitowl]

As I have already said. I am not denying it. Everyone is free to study within the library, just not to remove it. It is a reasonable request. Besides I have no intentions of reasoning with someone who has blatantly broken my rules in defiance before attempting to reason.

[notyourutopian]

I think you're going to have to get rather used to disappointment. I highly doubt I'm the last whole defy your pointless rules.

[knowitowl]

I have no doubt. Humans are incredibly predictable.