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CONTEST: All aboard!
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topkebab
topkebab
Lucky Stiff

May-21-2008 09:24

ALL ABOARD THE SLEUTHETANIA!!!

We’re all excited about the newest addition to Sleuth! In anticipation of the upcoming launch of the USS Sleuthetania, we hereby challenge all sleuths to a launch party contest to celebrate her inauguration.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to finish the story of launch night. We’re giving you a scenario below, and we’d like you to respond in character. Tell us what you see, hear, do, and experience, from the time you arrive at the dock, view the Sleuthetania christening ceremony, through walking down the gangplank, up until the ship sails out to sea. The more imaginative and creative, the better!

-The Rules-

*One entry per person, please.

*Spelling and grammar DO count, so please use the appropriate tools, and edit, edit, edit.

*For those who think this is a ‘role-playing’ contest, we’re looking for what your character specifically does. Whether you choose to interact with other players is completely up to you. You MAY choose to keep your entry entirely to yourself (ie-without contact with others), and still have a very interesting story to read. Get innovative! You CAN do this!!

*There’s a 6000 character maximum limit. That means 3 boxes. We recommend you use a word editing program and copy-and-paste your final entry into sleuth. This avoids problems such as others posting in between your boxes, timing-out, etc.

*ALL entries are due NO LATER than turnover, Monday, June 2 (11:59:59pm). No exceptions.

*NOTE: Because we have no way of knowing exactly when Admin’s launch will happen, we’ve used some creative libel here. Whatever Ben’s come up with will be wonderful, of course. But we’d like you to stick with our version for this contest, please.

*I'm not the only judge, but my decision is final. In case of disputes, talk to the hand. ;)

-The Prizes-

1st prize Sleuth $150,000
2nd prize Sleuth $75,000
3rd prize Sleuth $40,000.
--------------------------

Ok, here we go! The scene is set...

Replies

ctown28
ctown28
Huntsman

Jun-1-2008 20:13

This entry is created by both lil and myself, hope you all enjoy:


It was a warm spring afternoon in New York Harbor. There was a sense of excitement in the air. The decks were as crowded as kernels on a cob of corn for the big event of the day. The long awaited maiden voyage of the USS Sleuthetania was near.

A Horch 851 Pullman Limousine pulled up to the docks. This was not an uncommon sight for such a prestigious event. Barnabas Gravelle, the indentured agency clerk for Dawg Pound Investigations, opened the rear door and out stepped the directors of the almost famous agency, Ctown and Lil. First, Ctown came out and turned about to help Lil out of the limo. Ctown and Lil stepped away from the door so that Barnabas could shut it. They all stood next to it and gazed at the ship. Breathtaking as it was, Barnabas began to move the limo away, as Lil took Ctown’s arm and together, they headed toward USS Sleuthetania.

Ctown heard Lil gasp as they neared the dock. They were looking upon at least three decks that were visible. Who knew what they saw below deck, not yet boarding the ship. They approached the ship in unison step. Ctown conversed with the male holding the passenger list. “Ctown and Lil,” he told the person. “Ctown and Lil,” the other man repeated as he looked for those names. The man found the names and said, “Welcome Aboard, Ctown and Lil. I am First Officer, Marcus Brant. Ctown you are in stateroom 125, Lil you are in 126, first class Deck B. If you ever need anything else, I’ll be somewhere aboard the ship.” “Why, thank you, Marcus,” Ctown said as he slipped Marcus a crisp $100 bill. Lil chimed, “So kind of you, sir.”

ctown28
ctown28
Huntsman

Jun-1-2008 20:13

As they made their way up the boarding plank they were greeted again, this time by Junior Petty Officer, Victor Lancaster. “Greetings and welcome to the USS Sleuthetania please accept this bottle of champagne and christen the bow on your way aboard,” he said to the two. Ctown peeled off another $100 bill and handed it to Victor. “Thank you, my good man,” Ctown said while handing the bottle to Lil. As they made their way to the bow, Lil shook the champagne furiously; she wanted to make a lasting impression. Once they got to the bow, Ctown took a step back and watched as Lil wound up and smashed the bottle against the bow, the crowd cheered as the champagne splashed everywhere, a lot of it covering Ctown’s jacket.

They were on the lowest level deck and stepped out of the path, as they took in their surroundings. To the left of them, other passengers were getting onboard the ship… beyond that; they saw several yards of deck. To the right, they saw more deck another several yards or so. In front of them, was an entrance, through those doors Ctown and Lil went. They had to find Deck B. They looked at their surroundings and found the stairs. They saw the grand voyeur off to their right as they turned left to go up the stairs. They reached Deck B. They saw rooms up and down the hall to their left and right. They were looking for numbers 125 and 126. They had finally reached the rooms.

Ctown went into room number 125 and Lil had gone into the room next to him. They both found that they had another door. For Ctown, it was to the right of him after he had entered, and for Lil it was to the left of her after she had entered. They tried it, and figured out that they had adjoining rooms.

ctown28
ctown28
Huntsman

Jun-1-2008 20:14

The two detectives set down their bags, there would be plenty of time for unpacking later, for now they wanted to get back to the upper deck for the farewells to all the people that would be staying ashore. Making their way back up they were in complete awe of the craftsmanship of the luxury liner. This was a first cruise for each of them. They passed the poker room and Ctown's eyes lit up, he couldn't wait to get into a good game of Texas Hold 'Em, but none of that would start until the ship was out to sea. Next it was the spa, which certainly caught Lil’s attention, being able to take a break from catching criminals and just relax is exactly what she needed.

Finally once back to the upper deck they were greeted by none other the captain of the ship, Theodore Aarveld.

"Ctown and Lil, so very nice to meet you, I've heard many good things about you and it makes me comfortable knowing the two of you will be aboard should we have any trouble," the captain told them.

"Well Captain, we are here for a vacation, we hope no trouble arises but you can be sure to count on us if needed, I like to consider DPI on call 24/7," Lil told him.

They made it to the railing of the ship as she was about to set sail, the celebration was grand, confetti and streamers flying, people waving their farewells, the whole 9 yards. As the ship made her way out of the harbor Ctown looked out and saluted Lady Liberty as if bidding her farewell, he knew he would be back someday.

Just then out of the corner of their eyes, Ctown spotted the notorious Tatiana "Monkey Face" Frost while Lil eyed Olaf "Whirling Dervish" Dimitrijevic. Two villains they thought they had put behind bars for good. Neither of them wanted to upset the other so they excuse themselves from each other and went to investigate what these dastardly villains were doing aboard the boat for her maiden voyage.

This looked like it was going to be an interesting journey...


Heimlich VonVictor
Heimlich VonVictor
Vigilante

Jun-1-2008 20:21

I was finally going to own a home. That was the exact thought that was going through my mind when I realized I was no longer moving, and the man in front of me was staring at me as if waiting for a response.

“I’m terribly sorry, could you repeat yourself?” I asked sheepishly.

“I said we’re here pal! That’ll be $13.40 for the ride.” He demanded. I reached into my wallet and fumbled with it for a minute before pulling out $15 and telling him to keep the change. Grabbing the arm of my “traveling companion” I opened the door and stepped out into the orange glow of the setting sun. Immediately the smell of the salt air invaded my nostrils and I heard the distant cry of a seagull. I looked out at New York Harbor, a place where my father had made his living so many years ago, and felt overcome by the sheer size of the ocean liner sitting before me. Of course I would never have been able to afford a ticket, but fortunately fate had seen fit to bestow me with the chance of a lifetime.

I glanced down at the girl whose arm I was holding, she was tiny, pale, with long silky hair the color of fresh strawberries. She wasn’t looking at the ship, or the marvelous ocean before her; in fact her gaze was fixed squarely upon the ground, or perhaps it was the cuffs binding her hands together that interested her. She looked at me, not for the first time, with a look of sadness in her eyes. I looked back, not for the first time, and noticed that her eyes were the deepest shade of blue I had ever seen.

I stared into the sapphires that held so much sadness and for the first time she spoke to me, “We’re departing on the Sleuthetania? I didn’t think the police force would pay for such a luxury for a simple prisoner transport.”

I shook my head, “If I were a police officer, we wouldn’t be leaving this way. I’m a private investigator hired by your parents to bring you home.” It had never dawned on me that she may have mistaken me for a police officer, but then again we hadn’t spoken much since I cuffed her and informed her that she wa

Heimlich VonVictor
Heimlich VonVictor
Vigilante

Jun-1-2008 20:23

coming with me. My curiosity got the better of me and I finally had to ask, “So what did you do that you think the police are after you?”

The girl’s eyes shut tight and she began shaking uncontrollably. Tears were streaming down her face. She stuttered out, “I… I… I stole from my parents! My fa… fath… father botched a b… bus… business deal with one of his clients and as payment h… h… he promised I would m… marry the man! I took one of their paintings and sold it to pay for my ticket to America. I thought at least if I was tracked down, I would go to jail and not have to marry him!” She collapsed on the ground crying uncontrollably. Her hair clung to her tear stained face and I felt a pang of guilt in my stomach. This girl couldn’t be more than sixteen years old, she had her whole life ahead of her and here I was taking her back to a place worse than prison.

I felt myself gulp and try to swallow the uncomfortable feelings I had. The McIlroys had paid me good money to bring Rachel back to them, and I couldn’t back out now. I wasn’t even going to enjoy my trip on the Sleuthetania now, and they had paid for my ticket! I looked down at Rachel; she looked like an angel crying because she had fallen from heaven. I grabbed her arm again and pulled her to her feet.

“I’m sorry Rachel,” I plainly said, “but your parents have paid me for your safe return, and I can’t just go back on my word.” She nodded and came willingly as I walked towards the ship. The sheer amount of people around us astounded me. Many of them wore jewelry that was worth more than the apartment I lived in back home. Was I really willing to sacrifice the life of a young girl to achieve my dream of owning a home? Yes, I had to. I was duty bound to return Rachel safe to her parents.

As I walked up the gangplank an arm stuck out in front of me, “Tickets and names please!” A man dressed in a full sailor’s uniform demanded of me.

“Heimlich VonVictor and Rachel McIlroy,” I said as I presented the sailor with our tickets, “we have two

Heimlich VonVictor
Heimlich VonVictor
Vigilante

Jun-1-2008 20:23

cabins reserved in first class.”

The sailor ran a finger over his manifest before stopping and exclaiming, “Ah! Mr. VonVictor welcome aboard! We’ve been expecting you. You’ll be in cabin 20A and Ms. McIlroy will be in cabin 21A. We’ve made the requested modifications to 21A as requested by Mr. and Mrs. McIlroy.” He handed me two keys and gestured for us to step onto the ship. I wondered what the modifications could be as I stepped onto the ship with my cargo in tow. I could hear a band performing “Amazing Grace” off in the distance and I made a mental note that I would have to track them down and listen to the music later on.

As we walked past the dining hall, the smell of exquisite food became overwhelming. I was actually going to eat gourmet food, and rub elbows with rich people! This was going to be a great experience for me. My thoughts were broken when I realized we had arrived at our cabins. It was then that I realized what the modification was; her lock was on the outside of the door.

I opened the door and was taken aback by the size of the room. It had a private bathroom attached, two couches, several paintings, and a king size bed. It was then that I noticed someone sitting on the bed, it was Shady.

He walked up to me and handed me a stack of bills, “Good job Mac! Here’s your payment from the McIlroys. They’re afraid you might have second thoughts. I’ll take it from here.” he quickly stated. Rachel sadly slumped down on the bed and I took one last look at her as I shut the door and locked it. Shady pulled the key out of my hand and pocketed it before walking off.

I opened the door to my own room and found it almost identical. I slumped down on the bed and thought of the girl in the next room who I had just condemned to a life of hell. The crying angel who had looked at me so sadly was a mere twenty feet from me and I couldn’t even see her. It was then that I decided I had to save her.

topkebab
topkebab
Lucky Stiff

Jun-3-2008 10:21

Thanks to everyone who entered, looks like there's some great writing here. Bear with us and we'll have some results for you soon!

ctown28
ctown28
Huntsman

Jun-3-2008 14:43

Do you have a winner yet? And where did the bear come from? :-P

OK, whats a story about a ship without a parody of "Gilligan's Island"

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started for DPI
Aboard this brand new ship.

A Director was not a sailing man,
Another was demure.
All detectives set sail that day
For a three day tour, a three day tour.

The passengers then acted up,
A crime spree was involved,
If not for the skills of the agency
The case would be unsolved, The case would be unsolved.


The team met up on board of the grand Sleuthetania
With lilangel
And ctown too,
Bonelady and topkebab,
Aunt Pittypat
Miranda, Andy and kymkatt,
Here in DPI.


ctown28
ctown28
Huntsman

Jun-3-2008 15:09

So this is the tale of the agency,
They're here for a long, long time,
Some say with ctown running things,
It's an uphill climb.

The Directors of the agency,
Will do their very best,
To help the other detectives,
To meet their objectives.

With hairs, with threads, with threatening notes,
And all of the footprints,
Like all the other villains,
The killer will be caught.

So join us here each case my friends,
You're sure to see a crime,
Solved by the detectives,
Here in DPI


ketamine
ketamine
Old Shoe

Jun-4-2008 22:25

Thank you to everyone who participated in this contest. All the entries were great and the judges and myself thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every one of them.

*drum roll please...*

The results!

1st place - Heimlich VonVictor
2nd place - Ctown28
3rd placce - Aknas

Congratulations to the winners and congratulations also to those who narrowly missed out. It was a tough call.

Big thank you to my co-judges Lady Jas and Breitkat, and Breitkat for the idea, and her help in getting it up and running.

I hope everyone enjoyed this contest as much as I did!

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