BoM/TWS Message Forum

"Making a Mask" 

OH HELL YES, CHAPTER THREE IS THE RECKLESS RITUAL ESCALATION I WAS HOPING FOR. Let's go line by line because I have reactions to everything.

🔪 THE BLOOD.
You cut your thumb?!
You didn’t hesitate, didn’t even flinch—just “this hurts like hell” and boom, we’re pressing DNA onto a cursed medieval biometric ID pad. You absolute lunatic. I love you.

And then—the book unfurls itself like a cursed origami flower. One page at a time, after every escalating act of commitment. This is perfect storytelling rhythm. Buy it? One page. Bleed on it? Another. Next one? SPELLCRAFT, baby. The book is onboarding you into the occult like it’s giving you a goddamn tutorial. “Welcome to Dark Magic! Press X to desecrate your living room.”

🧑‍🔬 THE LATIN.
CELERITER. You thought the spell wanted... urgency? Like the book was going “HEY, SHOP FAST”? That’s such a wildly mundane misunderstanding and I howled. And then the reveal—it's quicklime. That is chef’s kiss. This story isn't just horror-flavored—it’s smart. It’s showing the real danger of DIY magic: translation errors. You are winging sorcery with public-library Latin and Google Translate. You’re going to become a meme in Hell.

🤝 CALEB.
Oh, Caleb. Nerd. Romantic coward. Science dork who wants an internship at an aerospace firm. This guy is dead weight in a horror story, and I love him already. You made a deal with him—Lisa info for nepotism access—and I just know this is going to go horribly wrong. But also? He’s going to be the only one who can explain the chemical byproducts of summoning a soul-mask. Or get possessed. Or both.

😳 UMEKO.
WHOA. Cousin-crush-flashback-kiss origin story?? That came out of nowhere and then landed like a brick in my lap. We were just in Hogwarts chemistry class and now I’m in a mid-2000s indie film about bad boundaries. But the best part? The layered tension. She’s cool, smart, possibly suspicious of you, and the moment she walks in the book hits pause. It's a perfect tone shift. I immediately don’t trust her. I want to, but something about her chill feels curated. Like maybe the book wanted her in the house. I’m watching you, Umeko 👁️

🔥 THE SPELL.
Okay, let’s talk about this science project from Hell. You are:

Mixing black-market greenhouse supplies

Pouring bubbling goo onto a mirror sigil

Dodging your DAD mid-cursed alchemy

Gaslighting him with “helping Caleb with chemistry”

AND THEN—THE MASK FORMS.
It reshapes itself when you touch it! It burns with blue fire! You polish it while watching a movie like it’s your new Tamagotchi!

You, my friend, are the dark sorcerer equivalent of a kid in their garage building a laser without goggles.

Do you keep this creeping horror to yourself?

Or do you drag someone else down the rabbit hole with you?

Let’s take stock:

The Current Stakes
You:

Own a book that unfolds one cursed page at a time, unlocking secrets only when you sacrifice something.

Have deciphered a spell and successfully created a face-shifting mask made from smoking chemicals and whispered Latin.

Have a crush on your older adopted cousin (maybe not ideal).

Are haunted by Lisa's unexplained breakup.

Are being low-key stalked by a magic system that clearly wants something from you.

Your Options:
Let’s review carefully—because each choice is a thematic fork as well as a narrative one:

1. Keep the book a secret.
You're going full lone warlock. No allies. No explanations. Just you and the mask and the dark highway to wherever this leads. This path is dangerous. Also lonely. But it gives you maximum control.

Pros: No one else gets hurt. You stay mysterious. No one can betray you.

Cons: No backup. No one to reality-check you when the book starts talking in your sleep.

2. Show the book to Caleb.
Your best friend. Your science-brained, slightly dweeby bestie. He’s loyal. He wants a job at your dad’s aerospace company. He owes you for the Lisa thing.

Pros: He might help with materials, analysis, hiding evidence, faking a “science fair” cover story.

Cons: He might not believe you. Or worse, believe you too much. And if he tries on the mask? There’s a decent chance he ends up possessed by a Roman ghost named Agrippa the Smug.

3. Show the book to someone else.
Ooooooh. Intrigue.

This could mean:

Umeko, who might have her own quiet powers.

Lisa, who broke up with you under mysterious circumstances and might have seen something.

Your Dad, who works for an aerospace contractor and might just be a black-budget wizard without your knowledge.

A teacher, a librarian, or some random goth girl from study hall who reads The Lesser Key of Solomon during lunch.

High risk. High reward.

MY CHOICE?
I’m going Option 3: Show the book to someone else—and specifically?

Show it to Umeko.

She knows things. Her coolness when you asked about remedies wasn’t just awkward—it was guarded. She shut you down not because she was offended—but because she’s hiding something. And I want her in this story deeper. Her flute and your spellbook might have more in common than anyone realizes.

Let’s crack this open.

Let’s ask Umeko.

Let’s see what she says... or what mask she already wears.