Young Writers Society

Starting Note: Tagbooks are a special kind of storybook. Instead of making a character profile, the character you write for is yourself - and other members of the site! Your goal is to tag as many users as you possibly can in your posts, while also telling a story. In this case, you're telling the story of The Haunted Holiday Lodge.

Tagbooks are usually wacky, random and filled with fourth wall breaks - if you're lucky enough to be tagged, or just want to pop in with a post of your own, you're in for a treat!

( Here's an old tagbook, if you're still confused.

And here's the link to the YWS Birthday tagbook from last November!

Last, but certainly not least, you can check out The Great YWS Treasure Hunt from this past July. It’s one of the few tagbooks that had a set conclusion at the end!)

Also, shout-out to @Andrewknorpp for inspiring the plot of this tagbook by making a wall post about spooky Christmas stories! The Holiday Lodge isn’t for Christmas alone, but the idea of making a cozy holiday place creepy came from that post.


Deep within a sleepy, snowy mountainside, the ghosts of a holiday lodge lay dormant. It had been a very long time since the lodge last had any visitors. Trips to the lodge always seemed to end in tragedy: suddenly crashing chandeliers, abrupt fires, and blizzards constantly trapping guests inside its surprisingly spacious wooden walls.

Somewhere far, far away from the mountain, a small group of YWSers decided on the need for a getaway. And what better place to go during December than a holiday lodge? Ignorant of the ghosts they would soon meet, Magebird, @Carina and @SpiritedWolfe made a pitch the other YWSers simply couldn’t turn down: they would spend a week celebrating the holidays together in a fun, secluded lodge where chaos could reign free.

Days later, the group embarked on a trek up the mountainside with a healthy dose of snow mobiles, magic, and the convenience of Plot™. It wasn’t long before they finally reached their destination.

In the depths of the lodge, the ghosts stirred.

The giant bus's wheels crunched as it sputtered through the snow and up the spindly mountain roads. It was only a matter of time until they arrived at their destination, and the atmosphere was alive with the excitement of all 50,603 people while they chattered away about their weekend plans. (It really was a miracle that @Magebird could find a bus big enough to fit the entirety of the site and their luggage.)

Just moments later, they rolled up onto a great, big, beautiful wooden lodge with a fresh sheet of glistening snow settled on top of it. To the left was a wide-open clearing, and just behind that was a massive hill dotted with trees on its slope. To the right of the cabin was a small seating area, which made the perfect setting for a late night firepit.

@Carina and SpiritedWolfe jumped off the bus to go unlock the door to their new getaway home for the next couple of days, while Magebird directed the YWSers on how to find their room arrangements.

"And once you're all settled," Magebird explained, "you're free to go and do as you like, as long as you have a merry time!" A chorus of cheers followed as everyone scrambled to get their belongings.

"I want to go sledding!" @LordMomo cried out, grabbing a spare saucer sled from underneath her seat. "Who's with me?" She ran off the bus with @lulon and @LittleLee, with @Liebensteiner not too far behind.

It didn't take long for everyone to get settled in and partake in their favorite activities. By the time the sledders reached the top of the hill, @Lia5Giba and @LZPianoGirl had already started making their epic snow fortress. @alliyah began constructing an epic bird sculpture out of the snow, which @TheBlueCat watched with intent eyes. @EditorAndPerks wanted to join in too by making a snowman.

Over the next hour, the yells of joy echoed across the valley where the lodge was nestled, as new streaks were formed along the hills, all kinds of snow creations were constructed, and even a snowball or two were thrown. It really was the happiest time of the year for the YWS community. After the long year that they'd had, it was fantastic to be able to relax with their friends.

Since they had arrived so late in the day, the sun was quickly starting to set, leaving a golden glow across the snow. It was then that @BluesClues called out to the YWSers by saying, "Hot cocoa is ready! Come get it while it's hot!"

BluesClues and @AvantCoffee had set up a long table filled with rows of an assortment of cups and mugs, all steaming with their hot beverages. AvantCoffee stood at the end of the table where a sign had been taped up spelling out "Coffee." She picked up one of the mugs and took a small, careful sip as a smile bloomed on her face.

Wolfe stood by a newly lit fire that smelled of fresh pine as it billowed smoke into the evening sky. As the weary YWSers collected their drinks and settled down by the fire, @Wolfi said, "We should do something fun to celebrate our first night here! We could listen to some cool music, Christmas songs or something. I could even suggest some!"

"How about we tell some spooky ghost stories?" @Andrewknorpp asked. "It used to be tradition to tell ghost stories around a fire on Christmas before Halloween was popular!"

There was a murmur of agreement at the strange suggestion, but Wolfe especially liked the idea. "That sounds really neat! I love a good ghost story. Does anyone have one?"

Carina raised her hand and said, "Oh, oh! I do!" She put her hand to her chest as she cleared her throat. Then, she pulled a flashlight out from under the bench she sat at and illuminated her face with it.

"Once, there was a girl who lived alone in a cabin in the woods, and someone knocked on her door as she was eating dinner. It was winter at the time, so it was dark and snowy out, and when she opened the door, a man was standing there.

"He said, 'Hey, can I sleep here for a night? My car broke down in the snow, and I can't get it fixed until morning.' The girl hesitated, but she saw that he was dressed in a light jacket and hat, so he couldn't stay out in his car alone. So she agreed and invited him inside. She gave him a room for the night and even offered him so food, but he politely declined and walked into his room.

"When she woke up the next morning, she made sure to wake up early and check on the man. When she opened the door to the guest room, he was gone. It didn't even look like the bed had been slept in, everything was just that neat and tidy. A chill ran down her spine. Who was the man? And where did he go?"

Carina grinned, pausing for dramatic effect, but @Mea narrowed her eyes at her, shaking her head in disapproval. "That's not a Christmas story!" Mea huffed, taking a peeved sip of her hot chocolate. "I mean," she said, her demeanor now returning to her normal cheery and calm self, "I just, um, really like Christmas, so..."

"I bet you like it so much that you would leave your holiday lights on all year," @SpiritedWolfe joked with a playful sneer, causing Mea to huff air out of her nose that was visible in the chilly winter air.

"I know a great Christmas story!" @soundofmind piped up, smiling wide with bright eyes. She set her drink down and adjusted her hat so it was snug on her head. "It's called Frosty the Snowman."

The group of YWSers visibly groaned around the campfire, and it caused soundofmind to cower in her seat, but Carina shooshed them all.

"Yo, I wanna hear the story!" Carina said. She looked back at soundofmind with a nod. "It kinda sounds familiar, though. Is it about a red nosed reindeer?"

"Nope!" soundofmind replied with a smile, standing up straight with newfound confidence. "So there's this snowman, and he's called Frosty. Right, like the title suggests. So he, uh, gets built by these kids! I think one of their names is... Jimmy? Or, um..."

"Herschel!" @alliyah blurted out. "His name is definitely Herschel."

"Hah, Herschel, yes... but, uh, yeah, so he gets built by these kids, and because they were built on Christmas snow, they CAME TO LIFE! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? CAME TO LIFE, PEOPLE!"

soundofmind paused to clear her throat, realizing she was screaming again. In the midst of the screaming, however, a nearby snowman began to wobble...

"So anyways," she began again. "The snowman was alive, and it's a Christmas miracle!" She paused for extra dramatic effect before letting out a triumphant grin. "Or... is it? Turns out the snowmen were cursed, because..." She paused again. "Oh crap. I forgot."

"Forgot?!" @Euphoria8 shrieked, at the edge of her seat. She was somehow so absorbed in the story, she had accidentally tilted her hot chocolate so much that it was leaked and melted the snow on the ground in front of her. "But sound, I need to know! What happened to Frosty?"

"The name is @freakforchrist, and we are the ghosts of Christmas past," a voice bellowed around them.

The YWSers barely had time to jump in their seats before they all began to get pelted by snowballs.

"CHAAAARGE!" a pig snowman with @Snoink's voice said in the distance, running faster and faster as her little snoinklings started to throw snowballs at everyone at an ungodly speed.

Next to Snoink, a giant egg-shaped snow ball appeared and appeared to be rolling over unsuspecting YWSers. A perceptive user may notice that it has the words @TheEgg engraved on it. And next to this snow-egg, a vicious snow-raccoon that eerily looked like @ReviewBuddy was hissing at everyone and spitting snow at newbies who have been lurking around the site without posting a single review.

"What is even happening right now?" Carina said to @ShadowVyper as she followed the crowd of screaming YWSers running back into the cabin.

"I dunno man, but it's kinda cool though. Snowmen be alive," ShadowVyper said back.
"Bro, they really be."
"Word."

They fist bumped each other in the midst of the chaos, but not before they passed @HarryHardy, @Valkyria, and @vulcanite leading a resistance to fight the snowmen.

Carina blinked at them, then noticed her tummy rumbling. "Wanna get sandwiches?" Carina asked Shadowvyper, feelin' kind of hungry.

"Heck yeah, it's snack time. I'm going to make a veggie pizza," ShadowVyper said back as they both finally entered the cabin with the crowd around them.

"Everyone, remain calm!" @Magebird yelled through a giant megaphone, trying to calm the thousands of users in the room. Leave it to Mage to bring peace and unity to the community. "The staff is trying to figure out what is happening, exactly. But if anyone has any information, you are welcome to come up and address the room."

"soundofmind knows!" Euphoria piped up, pointing at sound intently. "She knows about Frosty! It's the curse! Coming to life!"

soundofmind pointed at herself and looked around, mouthing the words, 'Who, me?' before realizing she was put on the spot. "I ...don't remember the story. I'm sorry!" she said, before quickling adding, "But I think it has something to do with the grinch. Or maybe the scrooge? Oh man, I forget..."

"sound is right!" @starlitmind squeaked, raising her hand to get everyone's attention. For some reason she was holding a potato, and it seemed to work because all eyes were on her. "It's the grinches and scrooges of Christmas who are ruining our holiday plans! Trust me, I've seen the movie Elf, so I know all about it. Plus, uh, snowman freakforchrist said something about the ghosts of Christmas past, so, yeah."

Carina rubbed her chin. "I think you're on to something, star," she said, nodding. "You know who I haven't seen on this trip at all? @Tuckster. It was just yesterday that she said she hates the holidays and has since locked herself in her room to 3D print a time machine that will undo Christmas."

Okay, so that was a total lie, but it was probably true that Tuck was a total grinch, and plus this was a funny way to get back at her for stealing her chicken sandwich.

"That's what I mean!" starlitmind said back, gesturing everywhere. "Plus, I've heard @Vil has been missing too. Something about stealing a pota—I mean, the YWS Presidential election. He didn't put a single Christmas decoration on his yard, so he must be a grinch."

"@NastyMajesty has been missing too," @veeren said, wearing a banana onesie to stand out. "Last I seen her? Celebrating spam and bananas on walls, but not with holiday spirit. Smells like a scrooge."

"And what about @LadyMysterio?" SpiritedWolfe said. "Well, actually, I don't know anything about this person, but she sound mysterious, so that's suspicious."

"LET'S FIND 'EM!" Carina yelled, hoping to start a mob of chaos.

2020 was going to end spectacularly.

In retrospect, maybe Mage had been a little naive to think that this trip wasn't going to become a chaotic mess. It was kind of a YWS tradition at this point. If you got any group of YWSers together for long, extended periods of time, destruction and insanity would run wild. She had just hoped that she would have had a little longer before the chaos started.

To make things worse: Mage had burned her tongue on the hot chocolate @BluesClues had been kind enough to make. And it hurt. Trying to yell into a megaphone to calm everyone down didn't really help how much her tongue was hurting right now.

The megaphone, by the way, wasn't really helping. It just got everyone riled up. And while Mage knew it was her responsibility as one of the main organizers of this trip to keep some semblance of peace, she was seriously starting to doubt that she'd actually able to calm everyone down. She couldn't remember a time where anyone had ever been able to do that in the past.

Which meant there was only one option left.

It was time for a little bit of ghost-hunting.

There weren't many YWSers skilled in the art of ghost-hunting. Mage struggled to remember them all. But she did remember a few off of the top of her head, so she dove right into the chaos to wrangle up her team of ghost hunters.

First stop: @sheyren, who was currently working on his latest lo-fi song in the corner of the lodge's main room. He had his headphones out to block out the chaos behind him like he was Stan Lee in that random Marvel film, but Mage suspected that her brother very much knew what was going on.

Rolling her eyes, she took his headphones off.

"Hey!" he said.

"Your lo-fi can wait!" Mage replied, holding his headphones high above his head. She wasn't really taller than him, but he was sitting and she was standing. "We have a ghost invasion. This is just like in Lockwood and Co-"

"You do realize I never finished that series, right? And that I read it years ago?"

She faltered. She might have forgotten about that.

"Okay," she said, "but you're like one of the five members in the Lockwood and Co. fan club - two of them aren't active anymore, and one of them is me. Plus, you're my brother, so I trust you to watch my back-"

As if the universe - or the hordes of haunted snowmen - had somehow predicted the turn in the conversation, a snowball pelted Mage in the back. Another one hit shey's headphones. As the headphones hit the ground, there was a loud creak noise that could only mean one thing.

The two siblings looked down.

The headphones had hit the ground at just the right angle; they wouldn't be used to listen to music anymore.

"I just got those!" shey said. "And they're Bluetooth!"

He looked in the direction of the guilty party and angrily shook his fist at the snowman.

"I'll get my revenge!" he said.

With her solo expedition now a duo, Mage plunged back into the chaos. @Carina was trying to incite chaos, as per usual. @soundofmind was being desperately begged for more information on the curse by @Euphoria8. And @ShadowVyper was off getting...sandwiches? Mage wasn't really sure what was going on there.

"Where to next?" shey asked.

"@Feltrix!" Mage replied, ducking to avoid another snowball. "They're the only other active person in 35 Portland Row. If we're going to be hunting ghosts, we'll need their help-"

"Did I hear someone say ghosts?"

Mage jumped. shey, ever the cooler and more collected sibling out of the two, just gave @Andrewknorpp a casual wave. They had bonded the other day over true crime series ideas, after all.

"Oh thank Nate!" Mage replied, clutching her heart. She definitely almost had a heart attack there, but she was going to pretend that she was just really grateful for him showing up - which she was. "Someone who actually knows how to deal with ghosts! We just have book knowledge, but you have actual knowledge. You run a ghost walk - you have to know what to do!"

"It's more of a tour than anything else-"

Mage gave him a desperate look.

"But okay," Andrewknorpp replied. "I'll help. I'm happy to lend my expertise. So, we're going to find Feltrix next, right? I think I saw him over in the corner listing weird but strangely deep quotes again."

Mage gave a wise nod. "That makes sense."

She could just barely make out Feltrix on the other side of the crowd. They were so close to putting together their knock-off ghostbusters, but there was still something that was missing. Something with a large fanbase that had a surprisingly decent amount of knowledge on getting rid of ghosts...

The light bulb went off in her head.

She eyed her megaphone again.

Her tongue still hurt, but sacrifices had to be made.

"Are there any Supernatural fans here?" she said into the microphone. "We're going ghost hunting and need your help!"

"DID SOMEONE SAY SUPERNATURAL?" Euphoria spun around from @soundofmind to see @Magebird screaming into her megaphone although her voice sounded a little off- something wrong with her tongue?- and grinned.

"I'M A FAN!" She waved her hands around. "I'VE ABSOLUTELY GOT TO JOIN THE GHOST-HUNTING EEEEE!"

@Carina, who wasn't too far from her, shared the enthusiasm with a little dance, kinda similar to the dance gif in her avatar. "GHOST-HUNTING OOOOO~~"

@Andrewknorpp shrugged. "The more, the merrier! Who else?"

@SilverNight piped up. "Unrelated to Supernatural but- why are the ghosts from Christmas Past? Does that mean this is like...The Christmas Carol story?"

"WAIT SO YOU'RE SAYING WE MIGHT BE YEETED INTO OUT PASTS BY THESE GHOSTS?" @starlitmind shrieked. "We have got to put them to rest soon!'

"Oh no..." @Stringbean groaned. "This reminds me of @Vil's Homework Carol Tagbook. I feel sick."

"We better find the missing users quick." @luminescence rubbed their palms against their arms. "It's getting cold alr- wait, are those..."

@NastyMajesty followed their gaze and gasped. "TURKEY TRACKS. ON THE SNOW!"

@alliyah gasped. "#classified? WE SHOULD'VE KNOWN THEY'D BE INVOLVED IN SOMETHING AS CHAOTIC AS THIS."

@LordMomo and @Elfboy chuckled at the mention of #classified.

@BluesClues smiled. "Not every little strange thing is connected to #Classified , you know....or are they?"

Squeals and screams followed the statement. A new wave of chaos was beginning to seize the group.

(This is the first time I've done a tagbook post so I apologize for anything wrong!)

Valkyria dodged another pelt of snowballs as two of them hit @soundofmind and @Euphoria8. @Carina and @ShadowVyper were following other YWSers into the cabin, where @Magebird was desperately trying to create order.

Valkyria found @HarryHardy and @Vulcanite in the crowd. They ducked as another round of snowballs flew over their heads. The three of them ran toward the snowmen, running past @EditorandPerks and @LittleLee.

"Those snowmen look nasty!" said Valkyria.

"Yeah, but we can do it," said Harry. He pumped his fists.

"We'll need more than three though," said Vulcanite. Valkyria nodded and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Hey, @Liebensteiner, @LZPianoGirl, @mintyleaf! We need your help," she shouted. The mentioned users turned to her, fighting their way through the crowd. "Find as many willing users as you can. We're going to stop those snowmen!"

"Val, you go to the left," said Vulcanite. "Harry, you go to the right. I'll go around back. Let's surround them."

Valkyria and Harry nodded and separated. As she made her way around the snowmen without them, Valkyria noticed @Rosewood and @galaxygem in the firing range of one of them.

"Guys, duck!" she shouted. They threw themselves to the ground. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine," said galaxy. Valkyria helped them up.

"Thanks- LOOK OUT!" shouted Rosewood, pointing behind her. Valkyria whirled behind her and widened her eyes. A snowman was running toward her, so Valkyria kicked it right in the middle, knocking it down. Then, for extra measure, she stomped on its face. The snowman dissipated.

The fight was fast and tough. When it was all over, the weary group high-fived each other and trudged back to the cabin. Valkyria found a group of users standing near the podium with Mage, @sheyren, and @Andrewknorpp.

@LordMomo offered her hot chocolate, which she drank gratefully.

"What's going on?" asked Valkyria. @SilverNight turned to her.

"We're all going on a ghost hunt," he said. "It feels like an unofficial Supernatural episode."

"Well, I do like Supernatural," said Valkyria. "So, what do we do first, Mage?"

(hhh what? I'm so confused?)

“Whoa wait- so like, are the ghosts possessing the snowmen or..? Cuz that’s what it looked like.” Galaxy sipped her apple cider. ...She doesn’t like hot chocolate, surprisingly.

Harry punched what felt like the thousandth snowman in the past fifteen minutes. It had been fun for a while but it was starting to get a bit boring and he wanted to get back to that delicious hot chocolate that @BluesClues had made. It was time for drastic action.

He nodded to @Valkyria and @Vulcanite who were fighting beside him.

"You guys might wanna get back," he said. He raised his arms and froze. Now what exactly should I do...I really should have thought of this before I told them to get back.

A Racoon very similar to @ReviewBuddy jumped towards him. He sidestepped. Another two snowmen attacked.

"Any day now?" came a voice. It was @FlamingPhoenix, fending off a dragon shaped snow creature with a sword she'd found from somewhere. He smiled before charging at the two snowman.

"Hey, I just need to think...THWACK...of...THWACK...something suitably epic for the readers to....THWACK...enjoy," he said, as he punched the two snowmen.

"Readers?" asked Flames.

"Don't worry about it," said Harry, winking towards the roof for some reason and turning towards the carnage from the other side of the room. Maybe something could give me inspiration.

"GHOST HUNTING EEEE," came a shout form somewhere. There was no mistaking that voice. It was @Euphoria8. Harry saw as she, @Carina, @Andrewknorpp, @SiverNight and @Stringbean seemed to be gathering around for some reason. Probably ghost hunting. Ahh, perfection, exactly what I need to spice this up.

"Step back for real this time guys," said Harry and raised his hands dramatically once more.

"Why are you moving in slow motion?" asked another voice from behind him. Another friend, @kattee.

"For dramatic effect," replied Harry, "but you're right, this isn't a movie." He jumped up and landed on his knees, hands slamming on the floor. Thin cracks spread out from where his hand had touched the ground.

The light in the room began to dim and the floor opened up like a giant mouth, @LordMomo, @Elfboy, @soundofmind all jumping away to avoid falling in.

"I, The Prince of Darkness, do hereby give permission to open the gates of the underworld, if Hades has a problem with that, tell him to talk to me," he said, eyes glowing blue.

The effect was instantaneous. Darkness spread like ink, leeching out of the hole, the temperature plummeted instantly and several shadows clawed their way out.

"Target the snowmen," ordered Harry, "if a single one of you so much as touches a YWSer I will personally make sure you get thrown into Tartarus for a century."

{Edit: OOPs I typed this earlier..well...um...roll with it I guess...]

All Lia wanted to do was build her snow fort with @LZPianoGirl, sip a cup of hot cocoa, and spin a scary story or two that may or may not have been ripped off from Junji Ito.

But instead... this happened. @Valkyria, @Carina, @Euphoria8 and other people were fighting possessed snowmen, @HarryHardy was summoning demons to fight said snowmen, @Magebird was trying to get people organized with her brother @sheyren, and other people were just running around.

So Lia did actually decided to do something logical: run inside the cabin and seek shelter.

She burst through the doors and ran through, barely shutting them right before a snowball hit her. Sighing with relief, she leaned against the doors and slid down to the floor dramatically.

“So... are the snowmen possessed by ghosts, or...? ‘Cause that’s what it looked like.”

Lia involuntarily screamed and jerked her head to where the voice came from. To her left, @galaxygem was standing near a window, looking down at her. There was a steaming mug in her hand.

“Holy crap, you scared me!” Lia wheezed, putting a hand to her heart.

“I’ve been here the whole time,” Galaxy said.

Lia blinked. “Oh. Whoops.”

She stood up and looked around. It was a little drafty, and despite her coat Lia still felt chilled. “Where is everyone?”

“You came in through a side door,” Galaxy said. “Everyone else is by the front lobby, I think.”

“Then why are you here?” Lia asked.

Galaxy shrugged. “No one was giving me answers to what’s going on, so I just came here.”

Lia raised her eyebrows. Somehow I feel like this is inconsistent characterization...

A sudden sound from farther in the cabin made Lia flinch again, a small shriek emitting from her mouth.

Galaxy gave Lia a side-eye. “You’re... kinda jumpy, aren’t you?”

“Heh, yep!” Lia started walking further into the cabin. “Hey, I’m gonna go check out that noise we just heard. Sounds like it came from upstairs, and I think there’s a staircase just around this corner. Wanna come?”

Galaxy shrugged. “Sure. Given the nature of this tag book, we probably won’t be exposed to mortal peril... right?”

Lia grinned like a psychopath. “Right!”

Galaxy raised a brow. She found @Lia5Giba’s smile a bit creepy. Almost like a psychopath... she took another sip of apple cider, walking along with the other. She began walking up the staircase... at least until the floor gave way beneath them both and they came crashing to the ground.

“Urgh-“ That hurt. Not only had she fell about 5 feet, her warm apple cider had spilled onto her.