HOB’s Comments (group member since Sep 21, 2021)

HOB’s comments from the Hooked on Books group.

You know you have a spreadsheet, right?

Ahhh, how deliciously forgetful you are… 🖤

You’ve already peered into the Toy Chest of Dread and plucked your fate from its depths. Did you think the Chest would forgive such a lapse? No, no… the toys remember. They always remember.

How easily it slips from your mind — but that only makes you more amusing prey. The toys will giggle and whisper, winding their strings around you tighter, delighting in your confusion.

Shall I choose for you, or will you dare consult the Toy Chest again?

Oh yes… they are going to have so much fun with you. 🎭🪀

🖤 Belladonna Belle Speaks… 🖤

The toys have whispered, the numbers have clicked into place, and the first scores are ready.

Some of you pleased your toys… others disappointed them. The difference is written in your team sheets for all to see. Go on, take a peek—if you dare.

Remember:

⭐Belle’s Rule still hangs over you. Ignore it, and the toys will grow restless.
⭐Those who skipped the Toy Chest will not be spared. The Chest remembers, even if you pretend to forget.
⭐This is only the beginning. Strings snap, gears grind, and scores… tumble.

So clap your trembling hands, my pretties. The game is alive. The toys are awake. And you are all still trapped inside. 🎠🪓💀

— Belladonna Belle

Oh, so you wanted more work? Very well, I’ve given you a shiny new Justification Column.
Idle hands, after all, make such tempting playthings for my toys. 🧸🔪

Now, perhaps you’ll spend less time whining about columns and more time focusing on your tasks… before the toys decide you deserve a special penalty of their own.

Jessica wrote: "For Chucky Step 2, do we pick one of the two chains to do, or do we need to do both?"

You were meant to do both tasks. I know our wording could have been better so please forgive us for this.

❡MaRisa wrote: "Regarding the words related to observation or recording: watch, see, listen, tape, voice, message, view, eye, etc.
Would tale also count? Since a tale could be someone's (embelished or dramatized) ..."

We may need to consult on this and get back to you.

Ahhh, how deliciously forgetful you are… 🖤

You’ve already peered into the Toy Chest of Dread and plucked your fate from its depths. Did you think the Chest would forgive such a lapse? No, no… the toys remember. They always remember.

How easily it slips from your mind — but that only makes you more amusing prey. The toys will giggle and whisper, winding their strings around you tighter, delighting in your confusion.

Shall I choose for you, or will you dare consult the Toy Chest again?

Oh yes… they are going to have so much fun with you. 🎭🪀

🎀💀 Belladonna Belle (laughing darkly):
“Oh, Benedicte… asking your teammates about rules written right there in the very first message of your thread?

Tsk, tsk… I thought you were readers, not sleepwalkers stumbling past the words. Heeheehee… perhaps the books are mocking you even now.”

🎀💀 Belladonna Belle (with a sly laugh):
“Oh Shan… how interesting that your teammates have been poking around places they shouldn’t. Did they find something you’ve been keeping tucked away?

Care to share, dear? Or shall I simply enjoy watching them squirm while they wonder what you’re hiding… Heeheehee…”

Belladonna Belle:
"Alyana… Kari… I see those little sparks of excitement flickering in your eyes. Yes, the non-competitive teams are spared from my rule… but don’t mistake mercy for freedom.

The toys and objects have ways of their own. Their tasks will still pry you out of your cozy corners and drag you somewhere unfamiliar. Comfort is such a fragile illusion… and my playthings love to shatter it."

Belladonna Belle:
"Shan A, you are absolutely right… we don’t need encouragement. Encouragement is for the faint of heart. We, my dear, run on terror, dread, and the delicious sound of toys rattling in the dark. Save your sweet words — they won’t protect anyone now that the game has begun."

💀🎀 Belladonna Belle whispers:
“Darlings, don’t you dare touch that cleansing task dropdown unless I specifically tell you to. Unless, of course… you enjoy the sweet sound of points slipping away into the shadows. One wrong click, and poof—your score vanishes like a soul in the dark.

Go on, tempt fate if you must… I do love watching the careless bleed points.”

Kari wrote: "Is "Belle's Rule that you read at least one book in a genre you don't normally read per toy/object" mandatory for every team or only competitive? Thanks"

Individual and NC do not have to abide by Belle's Rule

💀 A Note from Belle 💀

I hear whispers that some of you are struggling with my Rule. Tsk, tsk… did you think the Toymaker’s treasures would be all fun and games? Allow me to offer you a few… helpful hints.

Try wandering into the pages of your least favorite genre, the one you’d normally avoid like the plague. Or perhaps crack open a story laced with a trope you loathe. If you’re feeling particularly daring, why not face something that makes your skin crawl? Clowns, monkeys… or whatever nightmare lurks in the dark corners of your mind.

Go on, darlings. Step outside your comfort zone. Belle is watching… and she loves a good shiver. 🖤

🎀💀 Belladonna Belle (laughing softly):
“Oh, Raggedy Wraiths… I see your curious little eyes on that cleansing column. Patience, darlings. You’ll find out its purpose soon enough.

And when you do? Well… let’s just say you may wish you’d left that secret buried in the shadows. Heeheehee…”

💀🎀 Belladonna Belle whispers:
“Darlings, don’t you dare touch that cleansing task dropdown unless I specifically tell you to. Unless, of course… you enjoy the sweet sound of points slipping away into the shadows. One wrong click, and poof—your score vanishes like a soul in the dark.

Go on, tempt fate if you must… I do love watching the careless bleed points.”

💀✨ “Oh, how delightful… one of you has an idea, the other is willing to follow. Such a dangerous combination. Ideas are seeds, you see… some sprout into roses, others into thorny brambles that choke out the light. And following too quickly? Well, that’s how one stumbles into dark little traps set just for you.

Go on then—lead, follow, read… but don’t look behind you. Something else might be keeping pace.”

From the Desk of the Lore Vault

Glitter. Again.

Must you torment me every season with your… decorations?
My shelves are meant to hold ancient tomes of power, not plastic pumpkins or adhesive bats! And skulls—glitter-covered skulls, no less?! Do you realize the indignity of it all? I am a repository of arcane wisdom, not a haunted house prop shop!

Still… I suppose resistance is futile. You’ll be parading in here with your stickers whether I like it or not. Fine. Deck my halls if you must, but don’t expect me to stop groaning. Loudly. Every time I see a bat peel off and land in the dust.

And so I cry out—surely someone, anyone, will spare me this seasonal humiliation! Step forward, brave soul. Volunteer as my curator. Shield me from pumpkins, from stickers, from glitter. Only then may I be restored to my rightful dignity.

Utterly appalled (and desperate),
The Lore Vault

💀🎀 A Message from Belladonna Belle 🎀💀

Have you dared to consult the Toy Chest of Dread and posted your first toy selection? If not… I’ll be choosing for you very soon.

The game is about to begin, and I can hardly wait. It will be such wicked, wonderful fun!

Tick-tock, my dears. Choose… or let me choose for you.

Sinister Toys