Chatterbox: Pudding's Place
Ski Lodge: Vault of Magic
You open the door of your home and then shut it again, fumbling with the lock as you do so. It’s been a long day and you are eager to spend the rest of the time working heart and soul on your latest writing project, which happens to be a novel. It’s afternoon but not for much longer, and the sun has splashed every wall with bits of gold. You close the window blinds tightly, so you can concentrate without having to squint and shield your eyes from the sun.
You open your writing notebook…and almost drop it.
This is not your writing notebook.
The pages are beautifully crisp and browned, like they are centuries old—no, maybe millennia? Cursive that looks like it was written with a needle thin quill is scratched in purple-black ink on the paper, with evident flourishes on many of the letters, especially on the g’s and I’s. It appears to be a letter.
You groan a little. You have to admit that mysterious letters that look like they should be in a museum were intriguing, but what you really want to see is your novel. Nevertheless, you switch on a light (now that you’ve shut the blinds it’s too dark) and read it.
“Dear—”
You jump a little at the sight of your name in the letter, complete with your age, location, and various other SI’s you have posted under in parentheses.
“Aren’t you tired of living your life without truly experiencing magic, except for the little you can glean from the pages of books and your own imagination? Oh…by the way, I apologize for temporarily borrowing your notebook in order to deliver this message. Your writing is (mostly) unharmed, so please do not worry.”
You don’t like the sound of “mostly” and worry anyway.
“To summarize briefly, you entered a lottery in the past (and no, you were not conscious of entering it, I entered it for you, you’re very welcome) to stay at the Vault of Magic, (est. ∞ B.C. or B.C.E.) a secret cave that hides all the magic that otherwise is hidden from the rest of modern society. The lottery offers a pre-paid visit to the Vault, complete with free popcorn (within reason), a secret passage or two, a taste of adventure, and the occasional lesson in magic, as well as various other activities and games. You have been fortunate enough to be one of the CBers to win. You may bring along one companion, if you would like, either an AE or a Captcha, who must fill out a separate form to attend. There are 20 spots in total, including AE and Captcha spots. These will close once the Ski Lodge begins. Please fill out the form or forms attached below and burn promptly (Yes, you heard me right. Burn the entire notebook and remember that it will be unharmed. No tearing out the forms please).”
CBer name:
Pronouns:
Appearance:
Personality (min. 7 adj./words):
Favorite season:
Favorite fantasy book/series:
Activity suggestions:
Luggage:
Other details:
AE/Captcha name:
CBer:
Pronouns:
Appearance:
Personality (min. 7 adj.)
Luggage:
Way they talk if AE (ex. bold, italics):
Other details:
The forms are directly in the place where there used to be the beginning of your novel.
“Signed,
Illusion
Keeper of the Vault”
Before you can talk sense into yourself—that the whole letter is slightly disturbing, that your notebook will probably be somewhat charred after filling out the form, that the Keeper of the Vault seems to know more about you then you would like—you are fetching a pen and hurrying to tell your AE/Captcha about it.
You finish quickly, then something inside you flashes a sudden warning while you’re just a few inches from the fire and you pull away, startled.
And that’s when the fire (which is dying down into embers) lashes out of the fireplace, envelops your notebook (which burns…), and then suddenly vanishes, leaving nothing but a pile of ash.
***
This ski lodge will begin some time after all the spots are filled out. I’ve already outlined the basic plot and inserted variables for guests, but I may need to adjust these according to who signs up to align with personality traits and that will likely take a while. The ski lodge may or may not be a non-death ski lodge. I am still deciding on which will work best for the plot, and if I will be comfortable writing a typical, murder mystery ski lodge (yes, hopefully this doesn’t make me too easy to guess). If it does turn out to be a murder mystery, it will be non-graphic, with no gore.
Parts may take a while to come out, and the ski lodge may or may not end due to writer’s block, schedule difficulties, plot difficulties, and the like. This is why I’ve been delaying posting the ski lodge thread for a month or two, while I try to work out the kinks (I finally realized that I cannot figure out the plot until I know who the guests are, which is why this is being posted, although nervously). And I’ve never written a ski lodge before so if you’re signing up specifically for the mystery aspect, I can’t promise that I’ll be any good at it…
You have been warned.
(July 20, 2023 - 6:09 pm)
Amazing start!!! And how mysterious...illusions.
(August 15, 2023 - 6:17 pm)
Ooh, this is so good!! I love your writing style - it's so vivid, especially the first few paragraphs! And you portrayed Arum perfectly. :) It's cool that this'll be a non-death ski lodge - I'm excited to see what that'll look like!
(August 16, 2023 - 2:17 pm)
And btw sorry just hopefully moving this to the next page bc it's kinda bothering me that all the comments are on the next sorry so I'm just gonna say again THIS IS AMAZING AND AWESOME AND THE BEST AND SPECTACULAR (and btw yes, I am saying this for the aforementioned goal but I truly mean all of this bc it is) AND I'M SO EXCITED FOR MORE!!!! And... hmm... is Illusion an Illusion? Is EVERYTHING an illusion? Is anything even real? Does anything exist? Is everything just lies and... yep, I'm going here again. Anyways, AMAZING JOB ON THIS AND I LOVE LOVE LOVE HOW FEIYA SAYS "YOU BE EXCITED,DON'T SLEEP!" for so so many reasons, first of all it's ridiculously cute, second of all, it makes her sound like she thinks she's the boss of everything and knows best (which maybe she does), and also it conveys her excitement so well how you wrote it like that (and Ik she actually said that) but yep! Sorry for this rambling post again
GAUGR
I'm interpreting this as gao grr bc that's how I first read it. It's like she's saying Hi! Grr... (bc gao in Chinese means high, which sounds like hi...) which FEIYA WHY ARE YOU GRRING YOU LIKE THIS DON'T YOU?! Wait... are you Grring at ME?!?
IKENY
(and at this point I'm just gonna tell you everything Feiya is saying sorry bc I just like doing it, you don't have to use it hope it doesn't get too annoying)
Wait... are you saying I Ken Why or I Kenny or Ike New York or Eek Any or I Can Why or Ickeny or..
(August 16, 2023 - 3:42 pm)
Nvm sry you can ignore that it didn't work
(August 16, 2023 - 8:04 pm)
Ooh this is beautiful :D I love how vivid your writing is. And sure, I'm fine with being on the summer-themed floor :)
(August 20, 2023 - 1:45 pm)
(August 24, 2023 - 9:53 am)
(August 24, 2023 - 3:35 pm)
Oh...hi, thank you both for topping. I've barely had any time to work on this lately, but I will be working madly on it during the weekend (like I did last weekend), and I will get the next part out.
@Nyxie, could you please fill out the form if you would like to be included in the story? Otherwise, I'll have to do more planning before I write the next part. Thank you!
(August 24, 2023 - 7:52 pm)
I've decided that since no one seems interested in changing floors, I'm going to lock the choices in, since I've already done a lot of planning on those particular floors, and if I change it, I'll have to change a lot of different things. But I will eventually finish the room descriptions and post those...for now here are the ones I've finished.
Rainfall Library: Clouds covering the ceiling and rain falling outside, so that the indoors feels vaguely like the outdoors. There’s a little miniature rock structure that in every corner that holds a pond that a cloud is raining into. This empties into another, lower pond through a small waterfall. There are seats that look like colorful, upside down umbrellas. You can rock side to side on them, once you’ve caught your balance. In addition to the umbrella seats there are plush, brightly colored beanbags and a little wooden table with several chairs. There are clear blue and white gems on the walls that are hung in long silver chains to look like rain and catch the light. They are shaped like raindrops and are softly rotating in place. The bookshelves, which are dark brown, are arranged in rows in the center of the room. There are trickles of water running down the ends of the bookshelves and collecting in a small hollow that’s built for the water, which somehow doesn’t overflow or warp the wood (the water is raining from the clouds, but not on the floor). The books look all very brand new and shiny, like they’ve been washed in rain. There are gold colored lanterns at the end of each bookshelf, a little bit next to the trickle of water, and the cloudy ceiling seems to have light as well. The carpet is dark blue with swirls of white running through it.
Cherry Blossom Bedroom (partly inspired by another room that I sleep in occasionally): The left side of the floor is a tatami, and the right side is regular, pale wood colored floor. There are two small pink flowered cherry blossom saplings in the far corners, in large, trapezoidal wooden boxes. There’s a sliding wooden closet that’s wallpapered with pink sakura trees under a white sky and white hills (the sakura is the only thing that isn’t black and white). Inside the closet are white and pink blankets that vary in brightness and intensity, but are otherwise solid colored, for blanketing the hard tatami. There are pale wood drawers on the tatami side of the room, lining the wall, on which is a television. On the right side are several beds with sakura designs on them. The walls are white and there is a white lamp hanging from the ceiling that’s in the shape of a sakura, and little sakura flowers painted on the wall as if they were falling. There’s a long, low table at the back of the room with desk lamps on either sides. There are also marble figures on the table, and a large collection of origami paper in a somewhat neat stack and several anime posters on the wall. Colored paper cranes scattered about the room.
Spring Lounge: Shaped like an upside down L. White ceiling, walls have a mural of spring that is surprisingly realistic. There’s a burnt sienna shelf with several games and writing/art stationary, as well as more origami paper. An L shaped sofa in a corner, and a little coffee table, with more storage underneath, in which are video games for anyone who is interested. There is another TV facing the sofa, Beyond that, there are two windows, outside of which are several bird feeders and nests, and a little wooden counter which has a refrigerator embedded in it, and a microwave, a bowl of fruit, and a tray filled with snacks on the counter. There’s also a cupboard below, with yet more snacks. There’s a sofa on the far wall, sandwiched between two identical trees. In the middle of the room is a table covered in a white table cloth embroidered with flowers and leaves in the corners. There are benches attached to either side of the table, almost like a picnic table, and a vase of flowers. The floor is light brown and very shiny, and the ceiling is white with two fans. Lots of light.
Spring Hallway: Brown low pile carpet meant to look like dirt. A little waterfall on one side that collects into a stream of water which runs into the library through a stone channel. There are plants everywhere–hanging from the ceiling which looks like a clear blue sky, planted in the dirt lining the hallway, growing in the crevices of the stone by the waterfall, tangling, twisting–there’s even a tree at the end of the hallway, which you have to duck under in order to access the bathroom. There are the library and bedroom on the left of the hallway, and the lounge on the right. All the doors are a burnt sienna color, and are framed with plants. The walls are the same color as the ceiling, but are hidden behind all the foliage.
Summer
Sunshine Library: Crimson, low pile carpet and gingerbread colored walls with gold siding on the white ceiling. Dark brown shelves with gold colored filigree in the corners. The books look homey and have a familiar feel to them. Leather armchairs here and there. Large, dark brown ceiling fan with the same gold colored filigree. One chair hanging from the ceiling that’s in the shape of an egg with pillows in various brown colors. Large windows. Silk, blood red curtains, balcony with a black iron rail and yellow-brown tile arranged in hexagons. Window seats against the windows that are deep red fabric. Impressionistic paintings with vivid colors and grass burnt gold by the sun. The paintings have a gold colored frame, and there are two (also gold colored, ha ha) chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Rose Bedroom: Beige, creamy colored walls. Light orange carpet with folds that look like roses and make it interesting to walk on, very light pink bedspreads, roses growing in potted plants. Silk white canopies over beds tied with big, light pink ribbons. Gold colored lights (yes, sry, again :O ). Round, Cylinder chairs that look like roses. Wooden drawers with one television perched on top. Little wooden table with several chairs. Vase of roses in the center.
Summer Lounge: Same upside down L-shaped room, like the Spring lounge (all the rooms are stacked right on top of each other). Summer mural that goes across all four walls and looks similar to the spring mural, but different. Dark brown floors. Blue sky ceiling. Potted plants scattered throughout the room. Dark brown shelf with board games, art supplies, a box of fans, and writing stationary. White couch with several colorful, summery pillows. Marble counter with small refrigerator and microwave. White bowl of tropical fruit. Freezer with some ice cream and popsicles. Tray of snacks. White sofa and armchairs with small, round, brown tables. Smallish indoor pool that is slightly raised on a platform. Television in view of seating. Large table in the center of the room, covered with glass, that has a vase of roses on top of it. Dark brown chairs that surround the table. There are large fans that double as lights, and the same crimson red curtains as in the Sunshine Library.
Summer Hallway: Walls are sky colored with several drifting clouds and gold grass, but magically changes color during the day. Floor and ceiling are also sky colored, giving the appearance that one is floating high in the air, and also change color during the day. Little glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, as well as several paper birds very randomly placed. The Sunshine Library and the Rose Bedroom are on the left side of the hallway, the Summer Lounge is on the right, and the bathroom is at the end of the hallway.
Autumn
Paper Library: Dried leaves and definitely-way-too-many white paper cranes are hanging from the ceiling, which is dark brown, like a cabin. The walls are the same color, but the floor is mostly covered by an intricately decorated carpet that is somewhat faded. The shelves are dark brown and all of the books look somewhat old, somewhat loved. There are elegant sofas and armchairs are lighted by fancy looking lamps. Big, antique looking paintings. Many black and white photographs. A lot of eerie, white statues.
Forest Bedroom: Potted saplings everywhere. Painted wooden figures of woodland animals. The walls look like they’re in the midst of a forest, and the part of the beds are made of trees and still have some branches and twigs left on them. All the blankets are fuzzy, thick, and look like tree bark. There is an interesting variety of seating–fabric haystacks, pumpkin chairs, mushroom stools–to name a few. There’s a tree stump table with a few of the mushroom stools circling it. There are a lot of thanksgiving type of decorations, like pumpkin and squash and still more paper cranes hanging from the trees. The carpet is designed to look like fallen leaves.
...and there will be more eventually. Sorry some of these are longer than others. Those were the most fun to write :D
(August 25, 2023 - 7:43 pm)
ooh, these are all really cool! so cozy and fun :) every room really seems to embody the season it represents! i can't wait for the rest of the room descriptions! (but no pressure ofc!) :D
(August 26, 2023 - 4:31 pm)
Sorry for not commenting on the first part when it came out, but I liked it so much! It's very creative and distinct and I love the mystery element. Also- the rooms that you've created are sooo pretty and cool, especially the spring ones (which is where I'm staying!). The way you described Onyx's jewelry was spot on (I don't want this to come off as judgey or nitpicky at all but when writing fae/faer pronouns for Onyx it might be easier to use 'was' instead of 'were', ex. 'fae was walking' instead of 'fae were walking'. Just a small detail, no pressure <3). This is so exciting so far and I can't wait to see where it leads!
(August 28, 2023 - 3:58 pm)
(September 2, 2023 - 3:30 pm)
Ooo, this is so cool so far! The autumn room sounds gorgeous! That's honestly what my dream bedroom would look like.
(September 6, 2023 - 1:29 pm)
(September 9, 2023 - 8:50 pm)
(September 14, 2023 - 8:29 pm)