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

HOB’s comments from the Hooked on Books group.

“The scores have been unveiled, darlings. Oh, what a delicious little tremor they’ve sent through your ranks. Things are not as steady as you thought… consider the game well and truly shaken.”

“Ohhh, Danielle… you are partly right. It is for private accounts. But perhaps you should look around your team a little closer. Maybe it isn’t your account that’s tucked away behind locked doors… maybe it’s one of your dear Cursed Jack companions. Mmm… secrets are such delicious things, especially when you don’t even know whose they are.”

Her laugh lingers like a creak from a toy chest left ajar.

⛓️👁️ From Belladonna Belle’s Cabinet 👁️⛓️

Oh, my poor, poor Cursed Jacks… Did you think my Cabinet of Notices was optional? Did you imagine you could simply skip over my words and still escape unscathed?

I see you. I know who turned their eyes away. My notices are not idle scribbles on parchment—they are warnings, rules, and whispers meant to keep you from the worst of what waits in the shadows. Ignore them, and you invite the toys to choose for you.

Giggle if you must, but do not say Belle failed to warn you. Read the Cabinet. Obey the notices. Or else… the toys will ensure you never overlook them again.

Tick-tock, darlings. The Cabinet is still open. Do NOT make me warn you again.

Kat wrote: "Can we ignore or include articles such as The when it comes to book titles?"

👁️🎀 Oh, how precious… fretting over tiny words like The or A, as if the toys care for such scraps of grammar. Titles are bones we gnaw on, whole or broken — it matters not. Ignore the articles if you wish, keep them if you dare. Either way, the Toy Chest watches, and the stories know who they belong to…

So yes, little reader — you may drop The into the shadows, or let it cling like a ghost to its title. Just be certain your choice does not come back to haunt 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. 🎭🪀

There is a spreadsheet link in message 1. You will have to request access. Once you have access, follow the directions in message one to get your first tasks.

Individual Challenge
Open-ended

Please consult the Toy Chest of Dread for your first toy selection. This is in the 4th tab of your spreadsheet. Post your answer that the Toy Chest supplies you with at the Occult Museum (check in thread).

Please note: You will only have to do one of each task...unless you feel like doing 3 of each. LOL!

Important Links
Occult Museum (Check-in Thread)
Ouija Board (Q&A)
Collectibles
The Monkey's Paw (Feedback)
SS: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...


Rules
⛓️Each toy/object has specific chains and/or tasks that need to be completed.
Examples:
1. Create a chain of 3 using titles consecutively (ABC)
-All the Light We Cannot See
-Becoming Mrs. Lewis
-Catching Fire
2. Create a chain of 3 with "dog" in the titles
-Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
-The Dog Stars
-Hot Dog Girl
⛓️One person should NOT complete a whole chain by themselves. This is a team challenge. However, if a toy/object has multiple chains and a slower reader can only/want to only read for 1 or 2 chains (they must read at least one), then the other two faster readers on the team can complete the other chains between the two of them.
⛓️You may choose which toy/object from the list to capture first, but you MUST complete it BEFORE starting a new toy/object.
⛓️You may use or drop articles: A, An, The
⛓️Standard Rules Apply
⛓️Since you have chosen to play non-competitively, you will play a self-paced game. You may choose to stop any time you want or continue until you have completed all toys/objects.

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. 🎭🪀

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…”