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May-28-2008 15:41

To celebrate 1 year on The Intelligence Agency we are holding a couple of Birthday Party contests!

The first one is an Arch Villain Hunt in 50 Words or less.

Heres the Idea: You are hunting an Arch Villain. Using a given opening line, you must write a story that uses 50 words or less.

The opening line does not count toward your word total.

May-28-2008 15:42

The Rules:
* I will give a total of 5 opening lines. You may choose whichever line(s) you wish to use.

* There are two ways to enter: (A) single paragraph stories and (B) extended stories. You may either enter (A) or (B). The only way to enter both is to use only three or four starting lines for the extended story entry, and use the remaining one or two for the single paragraph stories.

* To enter (A): You may write an entry for as many of the opening lines as you like, but only 1 story for each line. So, your maximum number of entries is 5. If you only like 3 of the opening lines, then write 3 stories. However, the stories should not be related.

* To enter (B): Again, you may use as many of the opening lines as you like, but only once each. They should all be submitted as one entry, creating an overall story, although each separate paragraph with opening line should be able to stand alone as its own story.

(If you have not seen these contests before, please check out these thread and see how the entries were submitted: http://noir.playsleuth.com/map/cityhall/post.spy?id=22695 and http://noir.playsleuth.com/map/cityhall/post.spy?id=27051 )

* Your story or stories must make sense. It/they also should be mystery-related, or be mysterious with a really interesting twist.

* Spelling and grammar DO count. Please. Spellcheck is our friend.

*All entries must be posted no later than 11:59 PM server time on June 14th, 2008.

Prizes: What’s a party game without a prize at the end, or in this case, 2! The winner of contest (A) will win $25,000 and the winner on (B) will win a Shangri La item.

May-28-2008 15:43

Your opening lines:

New York:
5th Avenue and 42nd Street... a place so familiar to me, but I still lost him once again.

London:
Big Ben struck 12 and the Professor turned to the door.

Delhi:
I could tell the Holy Man knew something.

Shanghai:
I watched a sampan make its way along the Yangtze.

Shangri La:
The howl of the train broke through the ever quiet land of Shangri La.

May-28-2008 16:33


I could tell the Holy Man knew something. I could see him hesitating, deciding to either clam up like all the other annoying townies, or be the nice Holy Man I knew he was. I looked him straight in the eye. He knew it. I knew it. He had chosen to clam. I left him disappointed, all while he went back to whatever a holy man does.

May-28-2008 16:40

The howl of the train broke through the ever quiet land of Shangri La. The train suddenly came to a stop, screeching with cheers in the background. I got off the train, relieved to stand up and breathe fresh air. I thought about how handsome he must be, how amazing. I thought about him, how his crown would glisten in the light, how his cape would fall to floor. Yes, I was thinking about how dear my visit to the Prince of Shangri La will be. Oh, it will be very dear to me.

May-29-2008 05:19

5th Avenue and 42nd Street... a place so familiar to me, but I still lost him once again. I tried to ask some townies and pedestrians where he was, but no luck. Arthur "The Lizard" Bando had escaped me again. I walked the New York streets with a careful eye, just in case he came back, but I knew he had fled off to some other place.

May-29-2008 12:34

5th Avenue and 42nd Street...a place so familiar to me, but I still lost him once again. My life has become a constant yo-yo between mundane assignments, obligations and extraordinary captures. I find myself tempted to complain about the drudgery of less interesting work, but I have found the extraordinary captures, often spring without warning from those flat interludes. And when he does, I'll be waiting.

Jun-3-2008 18:57

Big Ben struck 12 and the Professor turned to the door. "So very pleashed to make your acquaintance old shap", he slurred, and he shook the door knob congenially.

Mary Ellen sighed and smiled wanly at the Cuthbertson-Smythes across the dining room table. If only she'd remembered to lock the liquor cabinet that morning.

Jun-3-2008 20:11

I could tell the Holy Man knew something. Maybe it was the lop-sided turban, maybe it was the disgruntled cobra hissing menacingly in the corner, but as I sat down heavily on the snake basket, I was sure I'd finally tracked down Remy Le Beau, circus midget and jilted lover of the now deceased ‘Fat Lady’ Doris Hanlahan.

Jun-3-2008 23:37

completely irrelevant to the time period and not an original thought:

I watched a sampan make its way along the Yangtze. We’d played on one last night. Who’d have thought a sampam would be big enough for a dance floor, let alone a mirror ball. Still, it wasn’t the one I was looking for. I cursed my memory and one too many tequilas. I’d left my harp in the sampam’s disco.

Jun-5-2008 17:37

I could tell the Holy Man knew something.

I saw him watching as I was leaving the chapel with it set ablaze. I couldn’t help myself any longer. By burning it to the ground, I could no longer be told the hideout is west of the chapel. Now what would it take to keep him quiet?