Plans Awry

I'm back on the scene (in limited capacity)! As always, props to my associates for the cover. Oh, and a big thanks to my pal Vitamin C. ^.~ I hope everyone is excited about the content so far. I'm just glad we can get you all involved a bit more.

Today's been your average day in the office. Here's the short list of topics from a few of the HI workers;
fixing bugs in TOT,
writing copy for advertisements,
programming puzzles for TOT,
creating character concepts for ND23,
and designing plot-twists and content for ND23.

I'm still sworn to silence on pretty much every topic, but I did manage to snag a photo of someone's notes...



I've been looking through the contest entries again and let me tell you, "Wow!" You guys have done an impressive job so far. I know there's a few days left to enter, so if you haven't submitted one yet, please do so. I'm really excited to post some of these next week!

Oh and before I go,here's the spoiler for puzzle 39:

- Puzzle 39 Answer -

Each pair of lines in this puzzle contains exactly 2 clues for determining the answer. I'll break it down by pair.

"One hundred and eighteen tiny lands,
span the area where this game stands."
- [ Venice has exactly 118 islands that make up the city ]

"Thirty eight parishes, one and all,
reduced once, by a short general."
- [ Napoleon once marched through the city, ending the Republic. ]

"Petrified wood holds it all in place,
building on piles in too close a space."
- [ Many parts of Venice are built on wood piles that act as foundations ]

"The damage of flood threatens today,
Guess where quick, ere it washes away."
- Many of you probably know [ Venice is sinking! ] Much of the [ city is being destroyed by rising tides ]

The other clue you can find in each pair is [ they contain exactly 18 syllables, referring to the 18th game ].

Either of these clues would help you come to this answer:
[ The Phantom of Venice ]

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- Novel -