Library of the
Chatterbox: Inkwell
Library of the
Library of the Stars Ski Lodge
This is everyone’s favorite tour guide, Cato - short for Cat o’ All Worlds, of course. I don’t come into this ski lodge, but I’m from the original book and all, so really. why wouldn’t I enlighten you on this amazing, amazing destination? Welcome to the Library of the Stars! It’s ready for you, whether you are or not.
The Library is fully-stocked with all sorts of amenities. The kitchen is stuffed full of comfort foods - yes, even yours! The vending machine can make anything you ask for, a bakery case is full of items chosen for you personally by the cosmos, and sprinkles of the stars are included for all of your cupcake needs. Not, of course, that you're limited to cupcakes. Oh, and it truly has the best tuna milk i’ve ever tasted… *purring*
<Reshinerr: that’s not in the script Cato that’s not in the script why are you saying that that’s not in the script->
...Correct. Apologies. Well, surely you’ll all enjoy the recreation room! From beanbags made from the highest-quality fabric of the cosmos to the bookshelves with carefully-chosen library books and even a catch the fish game, you’ll be sure to enjoy yourself. And guess what? If you catch enough fish you get a treat!
<Reshinerr: It only has that for you.>
Don’t be rude, Reshinerr.
<Reshinerr: Rude?>
Our feline visitors want to be entertained as well. And you’re a human and all -
<Reshinerr: Not really.>
-so naturally your interests are tasteless and dull. Anyway, back to the script. You even get your own room, designed specifically for you by the cosmos themselves! Do note that once you’re here, you may not be able to leave, and disappearances into clouds of smoke, puddles of ink, black holes, etc are frequently reported. But really, from the endless shelves to the ever-changing other rooms, it’s a truly magical destination. Fill out the form today!
~
Welcome to the Library of the Stars! my character (Reshinerr) is the main character and will have the viewpoint in most scenes. Because of this, most of your characters will primarily be side characters. In addition, I may have to make minor changes to characters as necessary. I will try to keep as much the same as possible, especially for actual AEs and CBers. CAPTCHAs are not allowed, but if desired a few can have animal companions.
While designing your character, please make sure they’re not super similar to another! Similarities are fine - just make sure there’s something different. And if you have the same problem as someone else, you or i can give it a new nuance. Eccentricity is highly appreciated but not necessary. Fantasy and star-themed stuff is best, but one or two can be completely different for fun :P
I will allow up to 10 characters. Please note some will be very superficial. The depth i give each character is only related to what the story needs. One character per person; if there’s not enough, then you can make another.
Please note that this will almost certainly be a dark ski lodge. While there will be little or no graphic violence, there will definitely be themes of mental health issues. I will add a trigger warning for anything major; if anyone has anything in particular they would need that for let me know, but if it’s too much in the ski lodge this might just not be the right one for you.
I will have a few weeks before I post anything to flesh out the most important scenes. But don’t think that means it’ll be weeks of nothing! I might post playlists, art, and unimportant rambles and side quests >:D …or nothing. We’ll see.
I’ll post the intro in a bit!
~Form~
Name: (if you want I can name your character!!)
Pronouns (the weirder the better heh!):
Gender:
Age (anything from like 6 or 7 to maybe 20 is okay):
Species they are now (note: all characters will start out as humans from the real world for simplicity)
Appearance:
Personality:
What is the main or most influential problem they struggle with? (Any problem is okay really. It doesn’t have to be deep, but it can be. A mix preffered):
Are you okay with your character being portrayed in a negative manor (I need at least a few who can be):
Backstory (can be as simple or complex as you want, but nothing that wouldn’t be at least pretty CB appropriate if i go into depth)
What is your character’s outlook on life? Cynical? Optimistic?
Things they like, comfort items, hobbies, etc:
Anything they need to have with them/luggage:
Comfort/liked foods:
Things they dislike:
How much are you okay with me changing them?
Would they like an animal companion?
What is their opinion on stars and books?
Did they like their old life?
Other:
BB, please remember that Admins will not post anything considered too dark for Chatterbox.
Admin
(May 4, 2024 - 1:53 pm)
@Hawkstar - great, thanks :D
@Sempreverde - yay, new one will be posted next :D
@Hex - thank you so much, and great about Izar!
@Celine - yes about “come out” XDDD Reshinerr is like “reh” like in red, “shin” like the word shin, “err” like er. But it’s more pronounced with the accent on the first syllable and the others “falling off”, if that makes sense, divided like re/shi/nerr. Kind of accentless more than anything really. I made it up a long time ago. And don’t worry about repeating yourself, i kind of hate my writing so it’s really nice to have someone who’s a bit enthusiastic about it :P
@All - Hopefully the plot doesn’t fall apart soon :’D I think the thing with something you can’t write ahead of time and edit the structure of is often more to ensure you know where you’re going and making sure every installment contributes, even if some of them end up that they’d be better structured differently. Also i'm curious if the way i explain things makes sense? do i spend too many words on it? do i spend too many words on description in general, or is it good? just asking for feedback mostly. also, do you lizards like Reshinerr, or do you find him annoying? What about him? i appreciate any feedback, especially if it's more general than specific, though anything would be helpful. I can't change anything that's already written though (unless it's a huge issue I guess)
(May 28, 2024 - 12:21 pm)
I'll just say "new part" from now on so i don't have to keep track of numbers :P
~
I flinch at the crash when the door hits the wall. For a second i’m frozen. Then i shake my head and shut the door as quietly as i can and drift to the common room like a cat or a cloud.
There are only a few truly permanent rooms, rooms that have been here the whole time i have with few or no changes. The common room is one of them. There's also the cafe and kitchen, the room with the printing press, and one that has an ever-changing supply of random knicknacks ranging from detailed quivers of arrows to chip bags a week past their best-by date. Past there, it can be anything.
I pull the door open and enter the common room and smile. The walls look like windows that peer into a drowsy terrarium of void, but when you touch them they feel like rough, knotted wood. Today, twinkling stars sprout from the abyss. Some grow in clusters like tiny bell-shaped flowers dangling from the stem of a lily of the valley. others are staggered like the few blooms on a gnarled wild rose plant with more thorns and dead wood than leaves. Plenty of them are obscured by straggling clouds of dust, clouds that are only visible when it’s this bright. If there are only a few stars, there’s nothing for them to block, and not enough light to scatter through the edges of the clouds. They fade into the blackness.
The common room is full of accommodations. A deep red couch on the other wall faces a television with tape and dvd players, as well as some video game consoles i’ve never looked at. A table sits in the corner nearest to the door, ready for any game from ping pong to games for cats where you try to catch the fish or the spider.
But what I’m looking for is in the back, next to the craft table: the book and media vending machine, a beanbag on either side. It’s the perfect amount: one for me, one for my stuffies, as we read through whatever the machine gives us.
So I walk towards it, legs straining. I collapse on a beanbag. I don’t usually walk this much, and now I remember why.
the vending machine rarely gives you the books you expect. Ask for books about how to fish, and it’ll bring up detailed guides of every kind of freshwater animal imaginable: helpful, but not relevant if you just want to learn how to cast. Ask for books about cats, and it’ll bring books on proper etiquette when meeting with royalty. You have to give it more specific questions - for the cat one, maybe something like “why do cats have whiskers?” or “how many cat species are there?” And even then you end up with compilations of cat paw pictures and books about shadows and mice.
Speckle can read my thoughts. “The question,” they say, “is not why cats have whiskers, but why humans don’t.” I can only agree.
I walk up to the vending machine, a metal box that's teal with rounded corners and lavender buttons. But instead of sitting on the floor, it floats on a cloud. Through its glass, the books of the day are suspended by tiny stars like pearls strung into constellations. Today, none of them are interesting - does it really think I want to read about how to make friends or dealing with social anxiety? Usually the books are relevant.
I click the “kiosk” button. At my request, a thin stand pops up in front of me. The screen is tethered on the stand, iridescent metalwork depicting lilac and periwinkle* clouds twisting around a bright moon that sometimes flickers, becoming a sun or a nightingale.
I brush off a scattering of stardust from the screen and remove it from the stand. On the screen is a simple question: “What books are you looking for?”
I click on the text box to reply. “Books about forests and blending with colored pencils and reflected light. Books about how to get people out of the Library”. I submit and lean back and everything goes dark.
I sit up. the stars flicker back to light, and I blink. Am I imagining things?
The vending machine rattles. I hesitantly scoot the beanbag backwards - I’ve never heard that sound before. The noise swells, less of a rattle all of a sudden, more like far-off crying warped with static. Jagged tendrils of dark bloom behind the glass.
The room plummets into black in an instant, and I know i did something wrong.
(May 28, 2024 - 12:28 pm)
o_O ooh, that is good. Something big is happening!!!! Ack and the last sentence is just like "but what did you do wrong what is happening??" and suspense!!! (I suspect it's something to do with Reshinerr asking how to get people out of the Library though...) Also thanks for answering my question! Also as I've already said I love Reshinerr and don't find him annoying at all (I mean maybe like empathy has something to do with it because I'm really good at putting myself in other people's positions and feeling everything from their point of view??), soo... Also as I've already said, I love your descriptions, but I'll come back later and look through the other parts with feedback in mind :)
(oh, also I think humans do have whiskers? Like, facial hair is considered whiskers I think)
(May 29, 2024 - 1:23 am)
Name: Onyx, Nyx for short
Pronouns:She/her
Gender: girl
Age:unknown, could be from 12-15
Species they are now: Demigirl
Appearance: Very pretty, with long chocolate hair, kept in a braid, tan skin, and amber eyes, with heart-shaped lips. She weres a camo tank top and cargo pants with black tennis shoes and black fingerless gloves. (the gloves are for fighting, not for show.)
Personality: unrustworthy, but to friends, a leader and loyal.
What is the main or most influential problem they struggle with? : loyalty, and making friends.
Are you okay with your character being portrayed in a negative manor: I don't really care, but it could be cool if they were good, but just caught on the bad side, or were a double agent, or branwashed. Maybe they could even be bad, but then tured to the right side.
Backstory: She was born on the streets of a desert town, and parentless, struggled to provide food for herself, and the other street kids, who saw her as a mother. She was a always good with blades, and resourceful. One day a fortune teller said she was a child of the gods, Onyx didn't belive her, but the next day, her father appeered to her in the night, telling her that she was a demigirl, and he had a mission for her.
What is your character’s outlook on life? Cynical? Optimistic? : wary.
Things they like, comfort items, hobbies, etc: hunting, and reading. Scrab beetles, and jewals, and dogs.
Anything they need to have with them/luggage: she always has a sachel filled with nesscities.
Comfort/liked foods: fried scorpion
Things they dislike: most people, and
How much are you okay with me changing them?: not that much, but some, Sorry.
Would they like an animal companion?: yes, preferabley dogs or guina pigs.
What is their opinion on stars and books?: loves reading and uses the stars to travel.
Did they like their old life? not really, but she loved the little children that se would take care of on the streets.
Other: her weakness is that she dosn't trust people and is too loyal, but she is very good with blades and arrows.
(May 29, 2024 - 2:54 pm)
Um, sorry if this sounds rude, but I think there’s already a character named Onyx? Perhaps you could change your characters name to just Nyx?
(May 30, 2024 - 2:22 am)
this ski lodge actually isn't open for more characters at the moment. I will be opening it up for more characters at some point, but not yet. And as Sempreverde said, we do already have a character named Onyx so I would prefer a different name. When i do open it feel free to submit another character though!
(May 30, 2024 - 4:08 pm)
Also, Onyx has wolf ears and sometimes a tail.
(May 29, 2024 - 2:59 pm)
Opps, so sorry. Maybe my character could be named Amber? Sorry, you don't have to include her if you don't want. well, thanks for the info.
(May 31, 2024 - 12:35 pm)
i haven't abandoned this, i just have to write out a longer block of scenes to make sure plot things go right. in the meantime, i can answer questions about the world and characters! Like a Q and A thread about the story. if it matters to the plot i'll deny the question.
you could also ask my stuffies questions, in honor of all of the stuffies in this! The options are: Chrysanthemum Candytuft Jasper (treat/treats mostly), lover of sweets and spooky/Halloweeny stuff, who desperately wishes treat could make potions but ruins every one treat makes; Oolong (ze/zer/zer/zerself mostly), master tea steeper and collector of teapots and naps; and Chamomile (he/him mostly), friend of the bees and the flowers, and baker of fine treats. but if you know of another stuffie feel free to ask questions about them. I'm tempted to add in my donkey so you get detailed answers about runes and magic but they still don't have a name...
(June 4, 2024 - 11:54 am)
(June 9, 2024 - 1:12 pm)
sorry this took so long.
~
I breathe in the dark and it spirals into tendrils of frost, clawing at my lungs. For a second I can’t breathe and then i’m lost.
The room morphs. It’s like ivy and moss scaling a crumbling castle over hundreds of years only in seconds, and instead of plants the past is growing. Within the nothingness, items appear. with them grow memories i didn’t know existed.
There’s the pile of tutoring and therapy notebooks, some ripped in half out of frustration. My first sketchbook - just a school notebook i drew in so it was less boring to hole myself up in my room all day. A stack of sticky notes in the neat handwriting of an older girl, who might have just been using me but managed to make me feel special anyway. (I should have known it was just an act.) As I look at them, the words boom in my head - “Love you, meet me after school”. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were so sensitive, please forgive me <3” I look away. The words refuse to stop.
An earthworm squirms out of the ground. I gasp, grinning. “Hi!”
Speckle yowls. “Don’t -!” but it’s too late. The earthworm turns into a mist of blue and white. My school’s colors.
The surroundings swirl. A raindrop falls on my cheek, and it gets colder, and through the sounds of kids running around the playground I hear a voice. “It’s just a worm. Nobody cares.”
I freeze, the same frustration from years ago already trapping my lungs in a vicious snare. Why don’t they care? The worms were so far from the grass, caught on puddled pavement that would soon turn into a blazing death trap. The worms would die, burn in a long blistering death.
So I took them out of the water, put them under the lull shade of a tree. Or I tried to. People would corner me, take the worm, squish it against sharp pavement. It never failed to make me meltdown, and that never failed to get me in trouble.
Me. Not the person who killed the worm. Apparently worms are like me and they don’t matter.
Why? I never got an answer. People would just stare and walk off.
Viridios and Speckle and even Helianthus are protesting. I know they are, but their voices are muffled. Instead, growls dig thorns in my ears. It’s not any language I know, but the meanings bloom in my head like cobwebs. “Shall we go further into the memory?”
I shake my head furiously.
“Don’t work so hard to escape, then. It’s nice here, isn’t it? We worked so hard to make it so. No, you’re staying - and so is everyone else.”
The room fades back into view as the darkness congeals into a single shadow. Only it’s not a normal shadow. It ripples and sheens like an ocean of oil tossed by angry winds - except for the eyes.
The eyes are darker than an endless night when the power is out for miles and the stars and are barricaded by thick clouds and you can’t see well enough to do anything that will take your mind off your racing thoughts. they’re deeper with dread than you are when someone’s coming into your room and you know they’re mad and your heart’s pounding in your ears so hard you can’t distinguish it from their footsteps.
I step back.
The shadow bursts like a bubble of dishwater soap, and books start dropping into the vending machine.
(June 9, 2024 - 1:38 pm)
Yayyy new part!!!! Okay, you said I can repeat myself, so I LOVE YOUR DESCRIPTIONS!!!!!! "I breathe in the dark and it spirals into tendrils of frost, clawing at my lungs.", "It's like ivy and moss scaling a crumbling castle over hundreds of years only in seconds, and instead of plants the past is growing." (although for that one, commas should probably be there so it's like, it's like ivy and moss scaling a crumbling castle over hundreds of years, only in seconds, and instead of plants, the past is growing, but eh that's such a beautiful sentence either way), "...growls dig thorns in my ears,", so many others... AND ALSO THE WORM!!!! >:( why don't people care about worms and ants and moths and the whole lot??? And spiders?? They just kill them!! Like, that's horrible!!! People literally step on anthills for fun and then I have to stay behind to watch the hills but I shouldn't have to do that it's so easy to not step on the hills and let those ants go about their innocent lives ARGHH and then I push people and don't think about it and feel bad afterwards but that shouldn't have to happen!!!!
um, but yeah. Great part!!! The memories-flashback thing was super cool (but that's horrible too :( ). And no worries, I'm super patient! :D
(June 10, 2024 - 1:15 am)
Ooooh I loved this part!! The tone is so ominous now. You're sooo good at descriptive language and conveying emotion through your writing, it's incredible. "Apparently worms are like me and they don't matter" screaming crying throwing up why would you do this to me
(June 14, 2024 - 11:36 am)
just so people see
(June 10, 2024 - 6:00 pm)
is anyone still reading this?
(June 13, 2024 - 5:47 pm)