Cozy readers—and especially Chicks on the Case readers—are some of the most creative folks on the planet so we’re asking you to play Chick Pic with us! Give us a couple of sentences … who is this character? What’s their back story? Victim, murderer, nosy neighbor, innocent suspect? The more ridiculous the better! Each comment can build on the next until we have a fully-fleshed out character. Or if you don’t like the direction the comment thread is going, start a new one. Writing is all about rewriting, after all. Let’s have some wacky creative fun!
(Extra points if you can name the Chick pictured … but remember, the points don’t mean anything—ha!)
Chicks on the Case 
This is Laney. She fancies herself a modern Nancy Drew and is constantly annoying people by walking around, asking questions, and making notes in her “detective notebook.” She’s convinced a gang is using the old Morse place for a hideout. No one believes her. But tonight is Halloween. It’s a perfect excuse to bang on the door of the old Morse place, find out what’s going on, and prove she’s right.
(This is a hard one – my money’s on Cynthia).
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And Laney tried to disguise herself using stage makeup. Why she went with this particular “witches of MacBeth” look is anyone’s guess but Laney isn’t the brightest detective bulb, lol.
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She may not be the brightest bulb, but Laney is proud of herself for hiding a sewing needle in her nose makeup. If she finds herself in a tight spot, she plans on removing it and “stabbing” a gang member or two with it. She’s a fan of the element of surprise.
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Oooh, nice, J.C.!
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What Laney didn’t know is that the makeup used to belong to the Phantom of the Opera. When she put it on, she began to channel the Phantom — now she’s torn between going to the Morse place or downtown to the Opera House to engage in an orgy of violence…
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A great twist, Tom!
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And unbeknownst to the Morse gang, Laney moonlights as an opera singer, so she’s going to make a grand entrance singing the sleepwalking aria from MacBeth, thereby distracting them and being able to discover evidence of their nefarious deeds.
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Little does Laney know that once she opens her mouth to sing, everyone who lives within a five-mile radius can identify her distinctive soprano voice. And the Morse gang has some tricks up their sleeve this Halloween night, including a new cache of scythes and chainsaws.
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Or maybe she also plays the musical saw…with a gruesome finale?
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Ha! Love it!
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I’m loving Laney’s story!
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I’ve got to read this story now! Someone has to write about Laney!
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LOL, Mark! One of us may have our next project!
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Wow, Laney looks mad…but she will have a chance to get her revenge once she reveals herself as a vampire! Look out, Morse gang!
(And no, Liz, it’s not me!)
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I’m sorry, Cynthia, I’ve got to stand by Liz and say that this is a mini-Cynthia. Can’t wait to see if you were fibbing or not.
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The reveal is at at the end of the comments…
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Ha ha! Not fibbing. 🙂
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But wait! Laney’s plan has hit a snag. Her face is mellllllting, straight off the chin…Now the Morse Gang will recognize her. Does she jump through the window and pray for a soft landing, or run back into the woods?
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I was wondering about that melting face!
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Nice complication!
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After her disguise melted, she had no choice but to convince her understudy to go on in her place. Laney sweetly applied the make-up to the excited ingenue, who had no idea Laney was leading her directly into the detective’s handcuffs.
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And… scene! I’m going to label this Stage Makeup Noir.
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We used to do this on Boy Scout campouts. We called it a round story. Our troop’s featured Rocket J. Squirrel.
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LOL, one of my nicknames in HS was Natasha because I had long, brown hair I could sit on and basically lived in in a black maxi coat.
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Who is the mysterious Chick under the stage makeup? It is none other than… moi! Ellen Byron. *Theatre major takes a bow!*
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