Every year, I create a chart/graph from an Excel file to show how poker players got to the final table of the World Series of Poker, using public data. The data I'm showing is the number of chips they had at the end of each day leading up to the final table.
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Players	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Artem Metalidi	102,700	119,700	66,000	1,518,000	6,525,000	30,845,000	15,475,000
John Cynn	133,000	138,900	709,000	1,931,000	5,155,000	14,750,000	37,075,000
Alex Lynskey	67,100	270,500	211,000	1,635,000	3,655,000	22,045,000	25,925,000
Tony Miles	72,800	123,800	790,000	2,358,000	5,600,000	14,945,000	42,750,000
Nicolas Manion	11,500	66,800	400,000	1,051,000	1,395,000	17,630,000	112,775,000
Aram Zobian	171,000	436,800	770,000	2,464,000	5,450,000	41,585,000	18,875,000
Michael Dyer	74,600	502,400	693,000	1,767,000	12,180,000	26,515,000	109,175,000
Joe Cada	16,500	93,800	211,000	559,000	2,965,000	8,850,000	23,675,000
Antoine Labat	168,500	218,000	185,000	1,359,000	2,015,000	28,445,000	8,050,000

With the help of Excel and then some photoshop, I can make it look ok. But a lot of detail is missing, since the beginning of the graph shows such small numbers compared to the later stage, that it all gets kind of cluttered. Is there a way in Excel (or Google Sheets I guess) to make it look better? Or is there a different (free/cheap) tool to make this look better?
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Link to example data file with graph made in Google Sheets:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jPgGzP2ZXWzaaNE6tzjIH8b3h1viop8ed5KjV_GkoVU/edit?usp=sharing
What I make of it with the help of Photoshop: https://imgur.com/V6jJt7m
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This is an example, the next one is coming in 2 days and I need to make it then. Any help is appreciated.

The rake will eventually eat up the chip stack and not able to go all’in (hard fork) or challenge the other players will mean the demise of Bitcoin.

I just had my first experience with one the other night, please share your stories.
Here’s my own one:
It’s my first time back in live poker in almost a year, it’s a well-put together home game. 2 tables running, it’s casual, splashy, drinking, really fun 1/2 game, totally uncapped buyins too. From what I could tell it was a few different groups of buddys, some of whom play much higher or are online grinders.
I’m meeting new people and having fun when this douchenozzle walks in, headphones and sunglasses on, and sits in the 8 seat at my table. I assume since he gets no greetings that he, like me, only knows the host and not any of the players. He buys in for what looks like 3k which is easily the fattest stack by almost double.
In the first few hands he starts criticizing other people’s plays. He literally scoffed at some guys bet sizing DURING THE HAND which he was not in. After the hand he goes ‘hey (hero) did you have JJ in that hand?’ super confidently. Hero says no, then he says ‘oh ok then you had JT, that was super face up to when you led out on the turn’. He was just using a bunch of big poker words together that honestly made no sense.
Now, the other players may be splashy, but they’re not bad and can clearly put other players in super tough spots. So after one big hand this jackass says something along the lines of ‘haha keep playing like that and I’m going to have all of your chips, fish’. The other players at this point had been avoiding action with him clearly until they had a big hand which could dominate him and shut him up, which is exactly what happens.
Villian opens utg+1 to 8, thinking everyone is playing super loose and station-y. Gets called by SB, which is one of the first times his opens have gotten called. Flop is A5T rainbow. SB leads for pot, Villian raises 2x or so. SB calls. Turn is a blank. SB checks, villian makes a small bet. He’s stone cold silent but clearly so so nervous. SB check raises huge, leaving like $80 behind just to taunt the guy. Villain doesn’t even think for a minute and calls. River is another 5, the money goes in, SB turns over TT, villian had AK and gets fucking owned for almost half his stack.
He shuts the fuck up after that. Turns out the host said that the guy doesn’t play much poker but watches a lot of poker vlogs. The host told the guy that the competition was pretty soft at these home games so he invited him. Looked like the guy wanted to be a big shot and thought he could make some dough at this home game. Nope.

Ernie Accorsi is a wreck during games. The long-time football executive, best known for his tenure as general manager of the New York Giants from 1998 to 2007, can barely stand to watch the action on Sundays. “You’re helpless up there,” he says of watching games from the press box. “You’re totally helpless.”
Typically, during his most nervous moments, Accorsi would head down to the ground level of a stadium and walk the corridors, periodically peering in through the tunnels to check what was happening on the field — determining the rest by crowd noise.
Twenty years ago, Accorsi had the most relaxing fourth quarter of his life as an executive. During the NFC Championship Game at Giants Stadium, he ditched the sterile press box, headed down to field level and, instead of pacing, stood proudly in the tunnel taking in the scene. The Giants, underdogs that day, were leading the visiting Vikings, 41-0.
“Standing there in the tunnel, just feeling the electricity in the crowd because they knew it, they were chanting ‘Super Bowl,’” Accorsi remembers, “that was one of the great feelings I’ve ever had in my life.”
Entering the 2000 season, the Giants were nobody’s idea of an NFC contender. They had missed the playoffs the previous two seasons and five of the previous six. They hadn’t won a playoff game since Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor wore blue, and head coach Jim Fassel was coaching for his job in his fourth season.
That tension reached its zenith the week of Thanksgiving. A promising start had crashed in back-to-back home blowout losses, first to the frontrunning Rams and then to the mediocre Lions. The morning before Thanksgiving, New York was 7-4, in third in the NFC East, and thanks to tiebreakers on the outside of the NFC playoff picture.
John Fox, defensive coordinator: The team was pretty low after that game with Detroit … I can remember at the team prayer after that game thinking, “God, we’re not very good.”
Fassel: Every team has ups and downs. It’s the way you handle it as a coach. You’ve got to have a, I don’t know, a belief to each other about what we’re going to do. I believed in those guys. I believed that we had that. I told the coaches that we’re going to remain positive.
In his Wednesday gathering with the media, Fassel expressed that belief memorably.
“If you’ve got the laser, put it right on my chest, I’ll take full responsibility. I’m raising the stakes right now,” he said. “If this is a poker game, I’m shoving my chips to the middle of the table. I’m raising the ante. Anybody who wants in can get in, anybody who wants out can get out: This team is going to the playoffs.”
The New York Times called it “a passionate, unsolicited and wholly uncharacteristic speech” from “the Mister Rogers of football.”
Bob Papa, radio broadcaster: Everybody viewed it as a little shocking, which gave it more credence. That’s something that (Bill) Parcells would do, or a coach with a different disposition would do. It was out of character for Fassel, and that helped it carry more weight and resonate with everybody inside the building.
Fassel: It’s our job (as coaches) to make the adjustments. That’s our job. So I put it on the coaches, and the players knew that I put it on the coaches. And I included myself, you know?
Accorsi: He put himself on the line. In a situation like we were in, I never worried about if somebody stirs something up. If everything’s going smoothly and we’re 9-1, don’t disturb the waters. But in that kind of situation, throw caution to the wind. I’m not saying that was the reason, but it turned out that it helped us because it got us stimulated. It caught everybody’s interest.
Fox: Our team did respond. It was like, “OK, our leader has said he’s all-in, so we better be all-in.”
Keith Hamilton, defensive tackle: He didn’t mess around. Him coming out saying that meant a lot to the team, it uplifted everybody. I remember practice was upbeat, and we took care of business.
Papa: I thought it was a stroke of genius by Fassel to do it as they were getting ready to play the Cardinals, who weren’t a very good team. It was the perfect game to give the team confidence. He pressed the exact right button at the right time.
The Giants beat backup quarterback Dave Brown in Arizona, 31-7, that weekend, then upset Washington on the road 9-7 the following week when Eddie Murray missed a late field goal.
Accorsi: If Murray makes that kick, I don’t think we make the playoffs.
The Giants stretched their winning streak to five to close out the season with victories over the Steelers, Cowboys and Jaguars. Thanks to second-half swoons by St. Louis and Minnesota, the Week 17 win over Jacksonville clinched home-field advantage for New York. The Giants dispatched the division-rival Eagles for a third time that season in the Divisional Playoff, setting up an NFC Championship Game against the Vikings. Although the road team, Minnesota was favored by two points.
“(The Giants) surprised me, I think they’ve surprised everybody,” John Madden said pregame on the Fox broadcast. “The keyword is they’ve done it as a team … Today they’ve got to do more than that.”
Jessie Armstead, linebacker: Going into that game, they were saying nobody could stop that offense.
The Vikings had a 1,500-yard rusher in Robert Smith, two 1,000-yard receivers in Randy Moss and Cris Carter and a Pro Bowl quarterback in Daunte Culpepper.
Fassel: I thought we could beat them. I thought it was going to be a close game.
Accorsi: If you look at that offensive lineup, I kidded John Fox: “The Vikings score 400 touchdowns between midnight and 8 in the morning when I try to sleep.” Fox turned to me and said, “We might shut them out.”
Fox: We matched up pretty good. Our defensive front was very good, so I thought we could handle the run game pretty well. They had two big wideouts, we had two big corners.
They had a little bit of a tendency where when they were in shotgun it would be a pass and when the quarterback was under it was run. So we had a couple of automatics in the game based on that backfield set that would permit us to play an extra guy in the box. That was pretty advantageous to us as well.
Fassel: I really thought in my head, these guys think they’re coming in here to kick our ass, and that ain’t gonna happen. I did stuff to jab our team. I wanted to make sure my team understood this is the highest scoring team in the league and everybody’s betting on them. To use that kind of thing. They’re betting on them, they’re gonna kick our ass. And had fun with it.
Hamilton: We knew they couldn’t beat us. The coaching staff knew they could not beat us. We were confident.
That confidence existed on the other side of the ball, as well. While the media posited that a characteristically cold and windy day at Giants Stadium would behoove the home team, offensive coordinator Sean Payton was praying for better weather. When he saw a mild forecast, he confidently told his offense it could hang a hundred on Minnesota’s defense. He dubbed it “Air Force week,” building a game plan around quarterback Kerry Collins’ arm rather than the team’s traditional running game.
📷Amani Toomer finished the game with six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. (Stan Honda / AFP via Getty Images)
Papa: He thought the Giants could pass all over the Vikings. We started to get a sense they were licking their chops. Talking to the players, they couldn’t wait.
Fassel: I could see it; I knew we were good the way we warmed up, the way we talked. And it was good we could play at our place.
Giants Stadium was packed with fans waving white towels well before the 12:30 p.m. kickoff, riled up by honorary captains Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson and Ottis Anderson — who spent the rest of the day on the sidelines with the team.
Accorsi: It was electric in there. It really was.
Fox: A lot of people don’t realize that’s way more electric than the Super Bowl. It doesn’t have the meaning of the Super Bowl, but as far as the stadium atmosphere with real fans, it’s pretty wild.
Armstead: You had all the legends. You realize you weren’t just playing for yourself. When you go to the sidelines, those guys were out on the field and you had to perform.
Hamilton: Looking at Lawrence Taylor and looking at Harry Carson, you can’t even make that up. They’re on the sidelines; that’s a dream come true. That’s everything. I don’t know how to put that into words.
It was the offense that set the tone, though. Winning the toss and electing to receive, the Giants marched 74 yards on four plays, culminating in Collins’ 46-yard vertical seam touchdown strike to Ike Hilliard. The Vikings fumbled the ensuing kickoff, New York defensive back Lyle West recovered, and Collins hit fullback Greg Comella on a wheel route for another touchdown on the next play. In 143 seconds, the Giants were up 14-0.
Hamilton: That gave us a jolt. We weren’t used to the offense doing too much.
Armstead: Our thing was, if our offense scores 17 points, we’ll win the football game.
Papa: Everything they talked about during the week was starting to unfold. But you were still incredulous because you kept waiting for the Vikings to get their mojo going, and it never happened.
Fox: It was 14-0 and I’m not sure anybody had broken a sweat yet.
“I don’t think in their wildest dreams could they have dreamt this,” said Madden on the broadcast.
The onslaught did not stop there. The Giants hounded Culpepper into quick throws and frustrated Moss and Carter with physical coverage. And the “Air Force” approach continued on offense, as Collins meticulously picked apart the Minnesota defense in a first half for the ages.
He hit Joe Jurevicius in the back of the end zone to make it 24-0 early in the second quarter. “This is unbelievable!” said Madden. Pat Summerall added, “I thought the Giants had a chance, but wow!”
📷Joe Jurevicius had just two catches for 15 yards but one went for a touchdown. (Ezra O. Shaw / Allsport)
With the seconds ticking down in the first half, Collins found Hilliard for a second time in the end zone for a 34-0 lead.
Collins finished the half 23-of-34 for 338 yards and four touchdowns — already a franchise record for passing yards in a playoff game (and 101 more yards, incidentally, than Collins combined for in New York’s two other playoff games that season). On Fox, Terry Bradshaw called it “the most impressive half of football by a quarterback and an offense I’ve ever seen.”
It was a validating performance for Collins — and for the team that signed him at his low point. He had been the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft by Carolina, leading the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game in his second season. But by the time he was a free agent, he’d been waived by Carolina, had played poorly in a cameo with New Orleans, had battled alcoholism and been accused of racism.
Fassel got emotional talking about Collins’ performance that day.
Fassel: It was fabulous. I’ll tell you this: Some of this stuff coming back to me really means a lot. Kerry was out. People cut him, we picked him up, and nobody really thought Kerry Collins was going to be a great quarterback. He was just amazing. He came in and he was a leader. He played so confidently, like “This is my game, guys, I’ve got them.” And that carried to the whole team.
The 34-point halftime lead remains the largest in the history of the NFC Championship Game.
Hamilton: That was amazing. I couldn’t have been prouder of the preparation that went into the game, the things (the offense) did, and they excelled. They just took off.
Fox: Payton had said (before the game), “How many you gonna need?” I told him 31. Well it was 34-0 and we were running in and he said, “Is that enough?” I said, “Hell no!”
Fassel: I told Fox (at halftime), “If they score 35 points, you’re fired!”
Armstead: Nobody’s going to come back on our defense at 34-0. That’s impossible. There was no way with the guys we had on that defense that we’d tolerate 14 points, nevertheless 34.
Culpepper fumbled on the first play of the second half, with Collins throwing a fifth TD pass moments later, this time to Amani Toomer. “The Viking defense looks like it’s chairs,” said Madden. Later, he added, “The Giants have broken the Minnesota Vikings’ will.”
Hamilton: There’s no question. You’ve been fighting a man all day for a couple hours, the look in their eyes is a different look. Ain’t no colorful words for it. They know when it’s time to go home.
📷The Giants sacked Culpepper four times and intercepted him three times. (Ezra Shaw / Allsport)
Collins was replaced by backup Jason Garrett with 12:53 remaining in the fourth quarter; the Giants proceeded on a 19-play drive to run out the clock. It’s tied for the seventh-largest margin of victory in an NFL playoff game in the Super Bowl era. An underdog has never won by more.
Armstead: We were mad at Coach Fassel. We were like, “Hey, let’s get 50!”
Fassel: I don’t think I’ve ever been in a game like that … We just annihilated them. It wasn’t luck, it wasn’t like at the last minute. We just kicked their butt right from the beginning.
Armstead: You know how hard it is to win a ballgame in the National Football League, to be in the playoffs against a team that was predicted to be in the Super Bowl — to beat them 41-0 was the most amazing thing about it.
Papa: I’ll say to this day, it’s the greatest win and the greatest performance by a Giants team in the history of that stadium.
Fox: Watching them construct that stage at the end of the game, I can remember looking at my three sons saying, “We’re going to the freakin’ Super Bowl!” Everybody in the league — whether you’re a coach, scout, an administrator, an owner, a player — that’s your goal: to go to the Super Bowl.
Hamilton: Just to be a part of that, in that atmosphere, the fans were happy because they came to the game to watch a winner. I was happier for them than for me.
Armstead: We were on a real high. I wish we could have played that following week against Baltimore.
The high, of course, didn’t last. Two weeks later in the Super Bowl, Collins was intercepted four times and the Giants didn’t score an offensive point against the record-setting Ravens defense. They lost Super Bowl XXXV, 34-7.
Accorsi: As a franchise that has won four Super Bowls, that’s why that team doesn’t have a great legacy.
But for one day, they were as good as the Giants had ever been.
Fassel: One thing, as a coach, when the guys go out and play so good, you do have to think to yourself: I guess I handled them pretty good this week.

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An ocean of red surrounded him, stretching as far as the eye could see. The landscape was featureless, just a constant crimson that engulfed even the horizon. Picking up a foot he took a step forward, then he felt it, the feeling of something breaking beneath his feet. It reverberated through his leg, the ripples from the disturbed crimson surface spread outwards from him as the feeling spread inwards. He gritted his teeth, the feeling wouldn't relent, the ocean was draining away, a sense of dread filled him, he didn't want to see, he didn't want to know what he stepped on, but it just kept draining. He would see it soon, he would know, he didn't want to, he didn't want to, he didn't want to, he didn't want to, he didn't...
David woke with a start, he was breathing heavily and shaking uncontrollably in a cold sweat. He took a few deep breaths and rubbed his face to wake himself. Just a dream. He brought his breathing back down to normal and looked at the clock on the wall, It was early morning. David sighed and laid his head back down, he would doze a bit till it was a more appropriate time to wake. At least he tried to, he couldn't seem to get even a nap in. Cursing it all he just grabbed the controls for the entertainment system to find something to preoccupy himself.
He swapped through a series of shows over the next couple of hours. He watched recent news for a bit, then a couple of different nature documentaries on various planets, and then a brutal version of football where the players were all remotely piloting heavy robots they could slam around with impunity. Eventually the hospital came to life again and the Vildune doctor entered into his room.
It gave him a quizzical look before speaking. "Oh, you're awake, didn't expect you to be up this early."
David gave a smile in return. "Yeah I guess I'm just an early riser." He turned the entertainment system off so he could properly listen.
"Well since you are up, we could start your final examination so we can get you cleared to leave."
David perked up a bit. "Sounds like a plan to me." The doctor started testing his body, poking, prodding and recording his reflexes. He shined a light in his eyes and questioned it's reflective properties, to which David gave a summarized explanation. The doctor was intrigued but didn't push him for more details, instead continuing with the examination. He finished by having him stand and conducting a basic mobility test. David went through a range of motions and stretches to make sure everything was working as intended.
Content with the tests the doctor had David sit. "Looking good, everything seems to be in order. Do you feel that something's off or otherwise not operating as it should?"
David just shook his head. "No everything feels fine."
The doctor nodded. "Alright, once I submit this form you'll be cleared to leave, if you could just sign here, thank you, any questions?"
Something popped into his head that he had forgotten. "Actually yeah, where did my stuff go?"
"You mean your pants? We were keeping it stored for you after we had it cleaned."
"Was there a blue scale in one of the pockets, do you still have that?" David was getting concerned.
"Yes I believe there was, we stored it with the pants if that's what you are wondering about."
David let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks, I would like that returned to me please."
The doctor nodded. "Of course, a nurse will bring your effects as well as a new printed shirt and pair of shoes."
"Appreciate it doc, thanks again." The doctor gave him a smile then left to file the paperwork. David sat down on the bed again to wait for everything to be processed. It was maybe ten minutes before a nurse showed up to deliver his clothes. The pile was deposited on the bedside with a polite nod, then they left.
David noticed the scale on top and picked it up to examine it again, It still had its luster but the edges were scuffed and scratched now, a testament to its use in his escape. He smiled to himself, I should make this into a necklace or something. He set it aside while he stripped down and got his clothes on. After he was properly dressed he slipped the scale into one pocket and the credit chip into his other before exiting his room.
Stepping into the hall he inhaled deeply, enjoying the freedom that he had missed. A call from down the hallway got his attention as he turned to see Sky and Solomon sitting in some chairs, evidently waiting for him. He smiled and approached to pair who stood to greet him. "Morning Sky, Solomon, were you guys waiting for me?"
"Not for very long." Solomon responded. "We decided it would be appropriate to congratulate you on your release from the hospital."
David chuckled a bit. "Thanks, but it was just one night, no need to stand on ceremony."
Solomon did a 'shrug'. "Well it was that, and Sky here doesn't seem to want to let you out of his sight." Sky snapped to Solomon with a look of betrayal before looking at the ground embarrassed.
David laughed and ruffled his head feathers a bit. Sky actually flinched a little at that, and a needle of sadness pierced David's heart. "Don't worry Sky I'm not going anywhere fast. I got to contact my boss and let them know the situation, then I have to get a new ship, supplies, equipment and a general sense of what I'm going to do next." Sky just nodded and continued staring at the floor. "Well, I'm going to go send a message, so you guys can wait for me at the front if you want."
With a nod they left to wait and David went off at a brisk pace to the public terminals. Following the signs on the walls he found them fairly quickly and signed in to his account. Labeling the message as an emergency situation update, he summarized the events of what transpired to the best of his abilities.
Before he hit send, he hesitated as he thought about something. His boss technically did belong to a branch of the government so maybe they could pull some strings for him. He added a p.s. to his letter asking for a favor and sent off the message. With that done he signed out of everything and left to meet up with Sky and Solomon.
He found them waiting in the lobby and with a wave joined up with them. "Sorry to keep you waiting. So, what's the plan for today then?"
Solomon responded. "I was going to research where I may be needed as a doctor or if there was a hospital that could use my services."
"Well wherever you go they will be lucky to have you. I think I'm going to get a new ship first, if you find out where you want to go, I can give you a lift so you don't have to hire a shuttle."
Solomon raised a manipulator at him. "I don't want to impose on you more than I have already."
David scoffed. "Impose? Come on, you're not imposing. We can just take a jump gate and be anywhere with another orbital station, and even if there wasn't a jump gate it would still be no big deal. Just accept the offer already, you might hurt my feelings if you don't." David got him with that one, his manipulators slumped a bit as he was caught between a rock and a hard place, and he knew it.
"Twist my tentacles why don't you. Fine, I will graciously accept your offer."
David smiled a devious little smile at his success. "Excellent, lets meet up later tonight to talk about things. If I remember correctly, I think there is a bar on level 23 called Zarg's bar 'n grill, sounds plain but they fix up a damn good drink. Lets meet around seven, standard Terran time, tonight for a bit of celebration and planning."
"Sounds good. I take it you are going to stay with David, Sky?" Sky was still embarrassed and just nodded. "Well then, I will see you both later." With that he turned and left leaving the two of them alone.
David turned to Sky who looked at him finally. "Well we should get going and find a new ship." Sky nodded and followed slightly behind him as they walked. They found an unoccupied lift and David set in a command to take them to the market level. Sky was being quiet the whole time and David felt kind of awkward with the little guy just standing there like some kind of attendant.
David decided he should try and start a conversation. "So how are you doing?"
Sky looked up at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"I mean with everything that's happened. You doing alright?"
Sky looked back down apparently thinking about it. "I'm not sure, I guess I'm a little nervous. I've never been anywhere but the Dread Throne before, I have no idea what to expect or do."
David bobbed his head a few times. "I see, well don't worry, I think you'll like freedom more than you know." A soft chime sounded in the lift and the door opened to reveal the market, bustling with life as people went to and from different shops and stalls talking to the various vendors selling goods from their planets. The diversity of life in the crowd was always exhilarating. Many different species walking, sliding, crawling, and flying all over the place while talking to the vendors, haggling and buying what they wanted, was energizing to say the least.
David was about to step out of the lift when he felt a hand grab onto his pocket. David looked down to see Sky, wide eyed, staring at the crowd of people like a deer in headlights before blinking a few times and noticing what he did. His hand quickly shot back down to his side and he mumbled a quick "I'm sorry."
David gave him a soft smile. "It's ok, just stay close and you'll be fine." Sky nodded and they exited together. David started weaving through the crowd Sky kept close to his side as he did. David found Sky's reaction to be quite funny as he stared at everything, mouth slightly agape like a little kid. Sky's gaze lingered on a vendor who was selling some hefty looking alien fruits, and David thought he might have saw Sky gulp a little bit at the sight of them.
Why not. David weaved his way over to the vendor with Sky in tow. Stopping in front of the stall the vendor gave him a warm welcome and insisted they buy his merchandise. David, not one to disappoint, scanned over the fruits for a moment before he saw one with good size and color to it. Selecting it from the pile, the merchant presented a device to pay with and David inserted his new chip into it, then scanned his hand. A second later a green light came on and the vendor gave him a polite bow in thanks for the patronage.
David turned back to Sky and presented the fruit to him. His eyes went wide as he stared at it, mouth hanging open, and David thought he might start drooling. He reached for it but stopped part way, hesitating. He looked up and David and asked "Can I?" Icy cold needles of sadness were everywhere in his heart now.
David managed to keep smiling and replied. "Yes, go ahead." Sky grabbed hold of the fruit with both hands and looked upon it like it was the most valuable thing in the world. He opened up and sunk his beak into the fruits flesh, slicing into it with an ease born of his natural affinity towards it's consumption. A look that could only be described as ecstasy flooded across his features as he practically melted on the spot, savoring every ounce of flavor.
David just smiled at his friends, but the sadness ate at his insides. This was probably the first real fruit Sky had eaten since he was a little kid. Anger at the snake bitch rose from the grave, but with nowhere to go, it evaporated into the ether. "Can you eat and walk Sky?" Sky snapped out of his own personal rapture and took a moment to process the question before giving him a quick nod. David smiled and started walking again, making sure he kept an eye on Sky as he ate his fruit so he didn't wander off.
He found a directory at a junction and looked over it for the shipyard. Target located he headed in that direction and into an interior lift which he keyed the correct sub level to go to. Sky had managed to finish an impressive amount of the fruit by the time they stepped out.
The entire level was dedicated to the creation and selling of ships of all shapes and sizes. The reception lobby was all clean polished metal with a large desk manned by three individuals of various species. David walked up to the desk with Sky behind him taking in the sights as he munched on his food.
A polite greeting was had and they asked how they could be of service. "Yes, I'm in the market for a high end exploration ship, powerful scanners, good for long journeys, and preferably a method of self defense." No way was he gonna be caught with his pants literally down again.
The individual talking to him gave him a once over before replying. "Such a ship would be quite expensive sir."
David felt a twinge of irritation, he knew he didn't look great in his plain white shirt and worn pants, but he adopted a smug grin. Pulling over the credit scanner he inserted his chip into it. "Is this enough?"
David watched with immense satisfaction as their eyes widened in surprise and they tripped over themselves trying to apologize. "M...my apologize sir, please follow me we will get you a custom ship to your exact desires." They proceeded to lead the pair down a hallway and into a private room.
The doors money opens, David mused. He sat in a really nice leather chair, Sky just finished the last of his fruit as he sat next to him. The receptionist excused themselves to retrieve a representative that could help them. They waited in the room for a few minutes before the door opened again revealing a four armed biped, Quallexen David believed the name was, fifth seat of the alliance. The light green skin on its body was indicative of the foliage of its planet, it had skin that looked like a lizards, its slender form was incredibly flexible putting even the best of earth contortionists to shame.
It entered and raised an eyebrow at the two of them for a quick moment before adopting its practiced business face. "Hello, my names Cathol, I heard you would like to order a custom ship?"
David nodded. "Indeed, I'd like to see all your options if you wouldn't mind." Cathol walked over and handed them a data-pad prompting a holo-display to appear in the middle of the room, and then sat across from them. David examined the information on the pad, a complete list of ship types, features, and cosmetic preferences. David looked across at the dealer who was apparently not expecting much from the pair. David fought to keep the smug look under control and began to make his selections.
Selecting the newest line of Venture series ships he sifted through the options and saw an impressive list of function and comfort items. He began selecting some of the options such as, nice pilot seats, lounge, gym, fabricator, and fully stocked kitchen. This got another raised eyebrow from Cathol but David wasn't done yet. Moving on to the functional features he specified complete control of the ship from the cockpit, Biometric scanners, Reinforced doors, localized environmental controls for each room, customized suites with one set to the preferences of Aoulooron's and the others defaulted to human preferences, shields as heavy as were allowed on a civilian vessel and equally heavy armament, then finished it off with a few cosmetic changes.
Cathol was now quite surprised by all the selections, but to their credit they did a fairly good job at hiding it. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Well sir, if you are done with your selections I can give you a quote." He used a data-pad of his own and input a few things, then a number appeared that was quite large. David had the money most definitely but his mother would strangle him if he didn't at least try and haggle it down.
"Seriously? I know its custom but I could probably get this same ship at a discount at Atlas station."
Cathol's brow furrowed a bit "Sir I assure you this is an accurate estimate of the price."
Tough cookie huh. "Alright Sky come on, we'll try at the next station." Sky looked slightly confused at what was going on but got up anyway and followed him towards the door.
"Sir, please wait, I can maybe adjust the price a bit for you." He tapped on his pad again and the number was shaved down a little bit.
David walked back into the room a little bit but didn't sit down. "You have my interest, but not my business yet."
"Sir you must be reasonable, this is a tall order to fill."
"I'm not asking for much Cathol, just a price that we can both be happy with at the end of the day." Cathol stared at him for a moment but David was putting on his best poker face. With a sigh Cathol tapped once again on the pad and the number dropped a little again. David gave a smile at the new price. "There we go, that is a more acceptable number." He sat back down in the chair. "Now how soon can I expect this to be done?"
"We have a ship in this model ready, we would just need to add all your preferred features. It should be done by tomorrow afternoon."
"Sounds good to me, where do I sign?" A image appeared on his pad, standard agreement for this kind of deal. He gave a quick once over of the forms and then signed his name at the bottom. Cathol now smiled and stood to offer him a hand, which David took.
"Pleasure doing business with you sir. Your order will arrive at hanger C on the 54^th floor after midday tomorrow."
"Thank you Cathol, I will expect it then." Cathol escorted the pair to the exit and saw them off with a polite bow as the lift door closed. David released the tension in his body with a sigh. Sky was looking at him with a questioning look.
"What just happened?" He finally asked.
David chuckled a bit. "It's called haggling Sky, some places let you negotiate on the price, and sometimes you have to be aggressive about it." Sky just thought on it for a second before shaking his head apparently giving up on the concept for the moment. David chuckled again but turned his mind towards stocking his new ship and getting equipment. Time for some shopping.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As usual let me know what you think down below and of anything that could improve my writing.

The results are in for Match 2.
Jade had been building, and building, managing to shrug past the bullets sent their way and just eating the chips in their quite literal armor, able to easily replenish it with yet more mud. The mud had stopped Dread from chasing them, and she had gone off and burned the place to scare the people off. Whatever. It complemented what it was they had desired…
All it would take now was this finishing touch, this last gesture of nonaggression towards Sentient Oona, who they were certain simply wished not to be bothered, did not care for any of this commodification of its very existence.
It was crass. It was sickening. It drove Jade, who just wished to live their own life, mad to think about, and now, nobody would follow, soon as they were a short swim through the basin away. The shrine itself would be a sinking island of concrete silk soon. All that would be left then was to use the cover of the dirtying water to avoid the bullets of the fan club, the last guard unit perched within the shrine.
Yet bullets never came, and above them, Jade felt instead a terrible heat, noted the appearance of spiked rubber on their mud-caked back. Something with an exoskeleton like an insect’s stood above them, they careened their head to see who was above them. It was Dread, barely swerving her body past dragonflies which had caught on to her malicious intent and meant to fry her.
“You again… I said fall down… Off.” They spoke with guttural contempt. “How did… You even…”
“You ruined my new boots, Antlerhead, but I am afraid that as much as the ground by which we did our battle had been soiled… You miscalculated in, I think, a fateful way, to utilize that ghastly terminology.” Briefly, indicatively, she looked to her side, and Jade understood as their opponent continued. “You didn’t destroy the bridge first. All I needed to do was walk across, watch your movements… And hop on.”
“You... still talk… too much.” Jade grunted, then, and spat at her, putting on their strongest face.
Then they saw so many dragonflies, flying towards both of them as fell bladed arms raised and descended.
The winner is Dread, with a score of 73 to Jade’s 71!

Category	Winner	Point Totals	Comments
Popularity	Tie	15-15	The first two matches in a row, up to the final moments, saw decent turnout while resulting in a tie by deadline.
Quality	Red Carpet Renaissance	24-21	Reasoning
JoJolity	Black Hill Estate	24-25	Reasoning
Conduct	Tie	10-10

After a few futile moments trying to commune with the alien, Dread stepped over that bridge once more, back onto land and stood over the lake where they had left Jade. After that final confrontation, the dragonflies had all dissipated, Sentient Oona either sated or exhausted after that final exchange of blows, and for a few days, slumbering.
Both of the fighters had been covered in blood, covered in gore, covered in wounds. The fire raged on even as the trapped god’s rage quelled, heat counteracted by the cool of the muddy, bloody lake, which Dread, feeling theatrical, turned herself away from.
“How quaint! A beast such as yourself thinking you had a chance beating a woman of my stature. Cute, really. Your malodorous challenge was something indeed, and I will admit that you… That you…”
Dread’s lip began to quiver. Her trip was RUINED!
She didn’t even get a single souvenir! Her train of thought lost, tears well in her eyes. Joywave fell, and she turned away from Jade, beginning to sob. She needed to go hug someone.
To this end, then, she ran and ran, tromping across the edge of the marsh towards the direction of the evacuating town she’d last seen her friend head, who surely would be not judgmental over such a platonic request as consolation. Mr. Jones was surely-
Ah. He’d already left, huh?
All he had left behind, then, was the Green Flying Man, clutching a massive gash in his flickering, transformed torso, hand feebly fumbling with a rotary phone in one of the few buildings not on fire yet.
“H… H-hello? Matilda? It’s… Nngh, it’s an emergency situation! The… The Estate is empty, and the closest member’s here with me in Sentient Oona and I’ll try and get back with them, but a guy cut his own leg off and died and everything’s on fire and Memory… He grabbed Memory Management, and said he knew how to kill her, that he would if she doesn’t-”
Click!
A fell claw hung the phone up, then severed the line, and Green collapsed, having been tripped and sent to the floor.
“Y-you! But if you’re here, th-that means-” Green whined. “No… No, no, no…”
“Do not irritate me with your whining!” The crying Dread, using Joywave, brought her hand down, then the other, then raised them, then brought each down again, and repeated this, and repeated this. “I! Am in! A very bad mood!”
The Green Flying Man was not long for the world anyway thanks to the distinctive sabre wound which had gouged him (a normal man would have been dead already), despite what he had said to assure whoever he was on the phone with, already fading from being, but he practically disintegrated seconds into Dread’s onslaught, and she hardly registered this until she stood, breathing heavily in the aftermath of her tantrum.
If… If what he said was true, then the reason Mr. Jones has left me here, messy and with no souvenirs to my name… Still sniffling pathetically, Dread quivered, trying to stiffen her posture. Then he, at least, had his success…
There’s only a few hours left, as of posting this match, to vote in its predecessor, a duel between a cactus-mancer and a clone-summoner in a clock tower.
Scenario:
Elephant Bones 2 - Afternoon
The empty former diner and tax shelter, adjacent to the legitimate restaurant to which it was a sequel, had constantly had people watching after it since the incident before, when ANVIL militia members had occupied it with the intention of using it to raid and capture the restaurant proper. For Fira B, the place made for a fine space to do paperwork and generally not be easily found when she wasn’t outright needed, also serving double duty in how it kept hooligans from their hooliganry.
“I raise you better dental. It’s a top-secret dental plan - people like us normally don’t get to know about it. But... you gotta risk 8% of the raise you earned so far.”
Byte, sitting at the table opposite her, pondered it over, not typically the type to end up in poker games, but having wanted a raise and found himself very easily swayed by Fira, basically, implying he was afraid to handle it this way, worried he would lose. Sure, Fira was probably blatantly cheating, but hey, so was he, and as it was, his pay was about to go up 10%.
Thanks to his Stand, he already had everything he needed to make a perfect game… All saved in spades, card-counted to hell for the perfect moment, and this forbidden dental plan for teeth beyond compare had been his ultimate goal this entire time.
“Alright, I’ll call.” The final hands were dealt and played to, then, tensely, before he declared, putting it all down on the table, “royal flush, all spades! Those secret teeth are as good as-”
Fira, grinning, displayed her own hand, then, having prepared her own forbidden technique for this exact eventuality, this moment. Not one, two, three, or four Aces in her hand, nor even something so hackneyed as an errant fifth Ace. She had gone beyond Poker, and displayed a devastating, never-before-seen six Aces technique, all in different suits. Everyone in real Poker knew that that was even better.
“No way… Dammit, that’s cheating! No way you seriously got-”
“So were you. Don’t forget this loss, Byte. Work hard, and maybe one day you’ll be able to get any teeth you want. Even mine, if you’re ruthless enough.”
He was about to raise an objection, then, when another figure walked through the faux-restaurant doors, carrying with them a face-obscuring massive gift basket full of assorted soaps and candies that look like soaps. More troublingly, as both parties present immediately narrowed their eyes at, though, was the uniform the figure was wearing.
They were clad in body armor, aqua and blue with white accents, the unmistakable colors of VALKYRIE and its members, complete with the sidearm all were known for carrying idly resting at their side.
“What do you want.” Fira asked sternly, about to stand up.
“Oh, the boss asked me to drop these off to sweeten the deal!”
“Deal?” Her voice lowered, and she stood tall, Byte almost wanting to grin at the sight of what was to come. “I don’t know anything about a ‘deal’.”
“Oh, right, uh, probably should’ve led with that!” Awkwardly, the recruit, young-looking, Byte surmised, put the gift basket down on the table. “See, uh, he wants you to swing by the address on the card later, says he’s sure you could help with-”
Effie Linder was sitting outside, fiddling frustratedly with the wi-fi as she tried to remember exactly what the new password was, only to see the man who’d walked in in a VALKYRIE uniform literally thrown out, crying out and hitting the pavement like a ragdoll. It made her smirk, despite herself and her contempt for the boss.
Fira brushed her hands off, seething and staring before letting the doors shut. Byte, meanwhile, looked over the gift basket, smelling one of the soaps, and one of the candies, within.
“Not bad, actually… Whoever picked this out has some taste. Always bugged me how soap doesn’t taste like it smells…”
“Eugh, I swear… VALKYRIE is acting chummy with us now... It’s one thing for their enemies to fight us because of some bad timing, but we are not people VALKYRIE sends gift baskets to!”
“Never even heard of Ugo McBaise sending gift baskets to anyone…” Byte quipped, curious.
“Exactly. It’s a passive-aggressive thing, clearly. They’re trying to tell us to play nice.” Fira cracked her knuckles, turning to him then. “You can admire soaps later. What’s the address on that card? Let’s go there and beat the hell out of Ugo. Send a message that we’re not friends, and his bones should be broken right now.”
“Hey, alright, I’m down,” Byte said, finding some amusement in the situation as he stood, slowly, opening up the card. “Besides… I know, different branches and all, but you know what happened to Zebra… All because he was backing Peres up in her fight against this company. Like, dammit, I was on that trip, too… Like half of us were, and people risked their lives and died trying to get that Ocean Soul caught alive in the first place, and then some guys from this company show up and then it’s all for nothing. Maybe I’ll feel better calling this a sort of revenge.”
The Black Hill Estate - Afternoon
Inch Nine paced around her room rubbing her temples. Ever since the fight she’d had with Byron Oxbow, everything in her life had gotten more complicated. She’d brought it up with Klein once, and the conflicted expression in his face had stuck with her. Pretty much any friends she had made with connections to the Industrial District reacted that way, to various extents. Inch was a cool headed person, but even though she struggled to show it, it affected her.
Thoughts rushed through her head on who was at fault for this… Cairo, Fira, Byron, that commander of his. Even with all of that a thought kept flowing through her head. Maybe herself, even. If she had only been able to talk Byron down, been more forthright about where she stood, it might have been avoided. She could have worked something out and her relationships would all be fine and so much hurt could have been avoided.
No. No, that was stupid, too.
It was that bastard, Ugo McBaise, and that horrible company he ran. He couldn’t help but keep pushing and pushing forward, turning a security company into a household bogeyman. Of course everyone would have been less on edge, never would have been at war in the first place, had it not been for that lot.
Yes, saying that, Inch felt at peace again, if only for a moment.
As that thought finished a small knock came at the door. Soon enough, she heard a voice she recognized well - that of her teammate, Cabernet Sauvignon, who came through the other side of the door. “Hey, we just got a letter and a gift basket from these VALKYRIE guys… Actually quite a nice fellow at the door, said it was specifically for us.”
“Hm.” Inch tilted her head. It had an… Assorted smell to it, and everything did look quite delicious. To test the mettle of this goodwill, she thought to grab something, take a bite…
She was glad that nobody could see the lower half of her face, the expression on it, at the random item within that she had taken, the soapy taste overwhelming her senses now. With a continued coolheadedness as Cab sat there surely unawares, she asked, “did he say what occasion this was for? I am to understand that this is not a company known for actions such as this, even if many of us have helped ODIN.”
“Said he had somewhere to be, then ran off before I could possibly entertain him,” Cab answered, “though I suspect perhaps that he was intimidated by my attempts to strike up a conversation about the exotic cheeses and scented candles which would best pair with the provided basket…” His face darkened a moment, then, as he added in a suspicious, perhaps self-importantly quiet tone, “and aside from that, probably whatever this is is suspicious as hell.”
“We are in agreement, then. No matter how polite they act towards us,” Inch said, her eyes narrowing at the deceptively tasty looking contents of the basket, towards the letter within, apparently from the head of the company urging them to come, “we can not abide by working with a man like that, or even being seen as his allies.”
“You know, I don’t know much about this Mcbaise guy, except by the reputation you all gave him, and this may be an old hobby of mine talking, but…” Cab gestured for the card, then, to glance, for himself, over the address. “If they’re going to roll out the red carpet for us, what do you say we head over there just to knock some heads?”
“I could not have thought of a better message myself. Perhaps you are not all culinary knowledge and trivia, Cabernet.”
Business District, Noon
As one would naturally do when receiving a “suspicious as hell” gift basket, Inch and Cab soon decided to investigate further, going to the address mentioned in the card the next day, driving Cab’s truck over there.
That was a mistake; the two of them must have spent almost an hour trying to find any available parking spot afterwards. The odds were stacked against them, but they eventually managed to find an overpriced spot fifteen minutes from their destination that they could stay in for a while, and went on their way.
Inch and Cab made their way through the hustle and bustle of the district, but after a couple minutes of walking, Inch spotted something out of the corner of her eye that gave her pause - a teal-haired woman walking angrily through the street, whom she’d fought for her life alongside not long ago. Fira.
Inch casually walked over, Cab following along behind her, and made her way to Fira, waving. “Hello there, Fira!” She said, actually sort of pleased to see her.
She didn’t expect to see a friendly-ish face here, so it was a welcome sight. Per usual Fira’s expression right now wasn’t one many people would call “friendly,” which is to say that she seemed even more pissed off than she usually did.
“Oh, Inch. You’re here. Hello.” Verbose as ever, Fira B.
“I am. What brings you here, Fira? You live and work quite far west of here, non?”
Before Fira said anything, Byte stepped in, taking over from there. “Those VALKYRIE assholes sent us some kind of gift package filled with soap and candy... wanted to win us over, I guess, make us do something for them, so we’re heading over to tell them to fuck off and beat that Ugo asshole up.”
“Oh! We received a similar package too... I had just thought of what candles I might buy while out here to combine with it all, offer the perfect ambiance for some aged Caciocavallo Podolico, but we agree - something’s suspicious about this…” Cab said, Inch nodding along.
Inch spoke up again then. “If all of us are heading towards the same place… I suppose it is best for us to all go together, non?”
“Guess so.” Fira, though not exactly overjoyed at the idea, seemed receptive enough to it, and neither Byte nor Cab objected either, so the four stand users went on their way. Each, though imagining different melodies, were totally all picturing the scene as being paired with some kickass background music or another.
Making their way towards the address, they noticed that there seemed to be less and less of the tall skyscrapers common to the district surrounding them, and more and more buildings directly associated with VALKYRIE - that made sense, given that this was their part of the district.
As they went along, Byte kept looking around, even more so than the rest of them, always looking and commenting on whatever came to mind for him - “hey, that building seems like a pain in the ass to work in,” “oh, that dude actually looks kind of strong, I bet he could take those other guys over there. Not me though, obviously,” and other inane comments. Soon enough, everyone else simply started tuning it out, paying them no real heed and going on along their way.
Eventually, they reached the address - a building, larger than most others in the area, marking the entrance to a VALKYRIE training ground. Getting near the building, Byte noticed something - a man in a VALKYRIE outfit, walking towards them. He seemed quite well built, enough so that Byte figured he might even have to use BRB to beat him were things to come to that. “Hey, that VALKYRIE guy over there seems like he wants something with us, no?”
No response. The man got closer.
Byte wondered to himself how he could get the attention of Fira or the other two without pissing them off. Eventually, he decided to give Cab a light slap on the shoulder to grab his attention - he didn’t seem particularly threatening, especially when compared to Fira or Inch.
Cab, who seemed to be lost in thought looking at the building, turned to Byte with a sour expression. “What do you want, and why would it necessitate hitting me?!”. He seemed angry, but Byte simply shrugged in response. “Well, you weren’t responding to what I said, and-”
“Uh… excuse me? You’re the ones we called over, right? Inch Nine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fira B, and-”
“What do you want from us.” Before the man, who seemed to be surprisingly docile considering his build and appearance, could finish, Fira interrupted him, and he found himself angrily stared down by all four of the stand users. The man stammered for a bit, unsure of how to respond or what to say...
“Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey… let’s all calm down, yeah?” The intense staredown was interrupted when a voice came from afar, one that was familiar to Fira.
“Hey, wait a sec…” She cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, grunting and adding as she turned, “no way… Is it seriously-”
A man clad in a dark suit colored like VALKYRIE’s armor, adorned with cute shapes had emerged now, clad professionally head-to-toe, dress shoes to black sunglasses, and lord, that hair.
Such long hair, vertical and striped.
Rushen Smith stood before the lot of them, strutting around like he’d owned the place or something. She’d beaten him once, but hadn’t been expecting to cross paths with him again.
“What do you want.”
“No need to be so hostile, yeah? We’re not calling you here to start trouble or nothing, so-”
“We’re?” Fira interrupted him. “You’re with VALKYRIE?” Well, if he was with VALKYRIE, at least Fira knew very well that she could still beat the shit out of him, given that she already had a good track record against him. Then, she’d move on to Ugo.
“So you’re like a… Miniboss, now.” Byte interjected, disappointed, yet ready to fight nonetheless.
“If I may finish.” Rushen sounded impatient
“To make a long story short… Ugo’s out. CEO fired him for everything he’s done. You’re not talkin’ to some crony to an NFL reject. You’re looking at the new head of VALKYRIE. For security and PR reasons, Allday has been been keepin’ quiet about it for now, preparing for just the right moment to tell the public, make sure I get revealed to the public with a good positive splash, but it is what it is. So… ready to talk now? Because I’m thinkin’ we can use your help, and we can definitely make it worth your while.”
Deeper within the premises - An Open-air training facility
Everyone had been disarmed by their confusion, and by Rushen’s goodwill, and by the thought that, just like that, one of the most threatening people in the city could just be fired like it was nothing, which made for Rushen a convenient situation. They were in line, following his lead, and as he did so, he brought them to a state-of-the-art training facility, one wherein dozens upon dozens of security officers in armor were walking around, shooting the shit, running, chatting by vending machines stocked with overpriced health food and sports drinks, and almost always giving Rushen a respectful nod and salute as he passed by, always meeting it with a cool, “at ease.”
“I still do not understand why we are here…” Inch, after some time being led around, spoke up. “I assume you sent those gift baskets to us, but even then, beyond wishing us here quickly, you did not say what you expect of us. Or even sign your name, beyond ‘the boss of VALKYRIE.’”
“Yes, like I said, my step into the private sector ain’t public knowledge yet… Trying to keep a lot under lock, ‘cuz I’ve inherited a backlog of things to take care of. Need-to-know basis… You know how it is.”
Fira nodded, saying bluntly, “so you’re planning something big. Want us to have a part. What? And why? Better not be wasting our time…”
“All Ugo ever taught people far as tactics went was a bullheaded, aggressive push forward… Rush, and rush, and rush, and just overwhelm opponents before they can think their way out.” Rushen explained. “It hasn’t been working, it got a lotta people on all sides or no sides hurt and killed who didn’t need to be, and while he used to have a man for handling stuff that took a brain, long story short… He’s no longer with us either. We’re trying to work on a way to save the people of this city from what’s up ahead, and no point in doing that if there’s no one to save, yeah? VALKYRIE needs to be better… We need to reorient, pick and choose better battles, get better at fighting them. No more bullcrap about raiding bars or stealing cows, yeah?”
“So you want us to… Help you retrain this security company?” Byte asked. “Why us?”
“The four of you felt right for it,” Rushen answered, looking each of them over in turn, “Byte, I know the part you played in that shipyard incident, and while I still ain’t pleased at what you were working for then, and it really messed Jesse up in a bad way, that’s all over now. The Ocean Soul business is done and in the past, and you’re real good at what you do.”
He was quiet, then.
“Fira,” he continued, “you’re another career criminal in this city, and you and I both know it, but we need someone who can think like that, someone with fight in her, for what I’m trying to get these guys ready for. Now ain’t the time to get picky… Long as you keep minding your business.”
“I try. Some people make it so hard.” Fira snorted, folding her arms.
“Inch, you used to be seen with Cairo a whole bunch, until right around when a certain incident happened… You know what I mean, don’t you?” She and Fira sneered, and Rushen raised a hand. “I’m not here to criticize, mind. I like your style, and that cool gator power thing you got going for you, hear you’ve got some real good learning techniques, and most important of all, I hear the two of you managed to survive bein’ in the dead center of Byron Oxbow at his angriest in thirty years.”
“You are… Praising me. It is appreciated, thank you.”
“And Cab,” Rushen continued, “you are the whitest man I have ever met, and I’ve got family in the same neck of New York as Douglas Jones. But hey, you’re a friend of Jesse’s, and these guys around here, they remember you at the battle on Capital Island, hurt and just popped outta this magic bottle, and still fighting with ‘em and helping people escape. You’re good people, and you got a particular edge to you I need too.”
“I saw I think a better side of VALKYRIE than most, by good circumstance,” Cab started, flattered by the mixed praise, ultimately happy to recognize it as stroking his ego, and a part of him warmed up for what was being praised turning out to be something besides the hobbies with which he’d filled the void. “Though I was just as willing to knock these guys’ heads in as everyone else here, you know… I certainly don’t mind this turnaround, though. And I think I’m starting to guess who it is you want to fight here, why you want a group like this in on it… Might you be planning to stake out the-”
“Not a word. Can’t let this get leaked.”
“Of course, of course,” Cab answered, quite confident in his mental answer nonetheless. “You mentioned this being worth our while… Can I ask what you mean by that?”
“The CEO’s gonna be watching this training sesh too, if you didn’t already guess… We’ll make sure all four of you are rewarded handsomely for this, of course, but if you really go above-and-beyond, she’s said she’ll throw even more bonus on top of all the dough. I recommend you shoot for that.”
“So we need to help train your guys better than these two, huh?” Fira answered, jerking her thumb at Inch and Cab.
“I mean, it probably is better for you to work with the person ya know primarily, but it’s not really a comp-”
“We are gonna blow whatever you guys are doing out of the water,” Byte interrupted, looking towards the Estate residents with a fiery look in his own eye. “We’ll show you the kind of training you can normally only see for a total premium at Dukes!”
“Yes, let’s one-up each other,” Cab agreed with an amused smirk, well aware that this competitive streak was unnecessary, but beginning to feel a certain fire in him, “what do you say, Inch? You up for the task of whipping these guys into crimebusting shape?”
“I suppose I am.” Inch herself was beginning to feel the air of competition, feel her blood pumping, “no hard feelings to either of you, if you are not selected for this… But we are simply going to do a phenomenal job.”
Rushen sighed, shaking his head. “Least you ain’t trying to kill each other… Alright! I’ll roll with it.” He clapped his hands, perking up quite a bit. “Both of y’all are in charge of sixteen recruits who need retraining fast, and we’re gonna compare what you did at the end. Just don’t kill ‘em or nothing, or do nothing stupid, and for four hours, soon as you got a plan together, what you say goes. Got it? Good.”
Man, now I’m feelin’ the competitive spirit a bit… Really is contagious, huh? Probably gonna make ‘em do a better job… Ah, hell, now I’m feelin’ a certain urge. I’m gonna say it. I’m gonna!
“Open the game.”
(credit to magistelles for the awesome art!)
Location: A VALKYRIE training facility in the middle of the business district.
The area consists of track fields, indoor gymnasiums, shooting ranges, training equipment storage, training towers and practical training buildings as well as other training sites. There is also general equipment storage and a small infirmary on site.
Essentially any sort of equipment or facilities you’d expect to find in a military style boot camp can be found here. Things like body armor and helmets, large tires, guns (both handguns and rifles), training dummies, etc. If you aren’t sure if something can be found here, just ask the judges.
There is also a large amount of spare wood used for building obstacle courses.
Goal: Train your group of recruits better than your opponents in a 4 hour training session!
Additional Information:
You can assume there is minimal downtime from getting area to area within the full facility.
Each team has a group of 16 VALKYRIE recruits to be trained. Each of them has 333 physicals and a 2 in gun handling and a 2 in hand to hand combat. While your session is a full 4 hours, you may still need to consider the stamina of the recruits and schedule breaks for them accordingly. They are in full uniform, with helmets, combat boots, and body armor as well as a pistol and baton each. They also have equipment that lets them see stands. They each have spare uniforms and can be refitted with training equipment from the equipment storage as needed. They also have assault rifles and walkie talkies in the equipment storage.
For the purposes of training they will generally agree to whatever you put them through short of anything that has significant risk of resulting in actual harm.
Teams are allowed to use/take anything from the facilities for the purposes of training.
In terms of Voting and Quality we are looking for a few different things:

• Having effective training: This can mostly be boiled down to how well their training either strengthenings their bodies or helps them learn muscle memories or techniques that improve fighting.
  
• Using your time effectively: Similar to having effective training, minimizing wasted time that could have been otherwise useful is also important.
  
• Having your recruits last for as much of the training as possible: Having guys needing to be sent to the infirmary for injuries or overworking them before the 4 hours is up will affect your score negatively. While accidents can happen through say sparring or other mishaps, you should try to minimize any lasting damages to the recruits.
  
• Having varied and well rounded training: Having them build skills in multiple areas, full body exercise over focusing on one or two muscle groups, and preparing them for a variety of scenarios.
  
• Discipline: While your recruits will be following your orders for training, being able to command their attention and respect can go a long way on making an impression and bolster training effectiveness. On the flip side, doing things that make the recruits not take you or training seriously can defeat the purpose of training.
  

In terms of training, you can also consider anything security personnel should be trained in, not just strictly combat. That can include rescuing, defending people, perceptiveness, team coordination, etc.

Team	Combatant	JoJolity
The Graveyard Shift	Fira B.	“This pain-in-the-ass pillar is a reflection on that woman's personality...” You know, if you are going to be training these people, might as well make this fun for yourself. Personalize your training regiment as much as you can to make it unique with your abilities!
The Graveyard Shift	Byte	“Climb to the top of the pillar with just your hands. That's the only exit. If you can't climb out, you'll stay there until you die.” Anybody could just sit back and train people, that’s why you can’t bring yourself to do that. Be active and hands-on in your training!
Black Hill Estate	Inch Nine	“Climbing with something other than the ripple is not appreciated by the pillar... This "Hell Climb Pillar" only likes the ripple and knocks down everything else... Don't forget that.” No point in relaxing while they do all the training, might as well brush up on your own skills. Be active and hands-on in your training!
Black Hill Estate	Cabernet “Cab” Sauvignon	“It's the fault of the person who built that trap... whoever built this was really fucked up! Making me fall for that” While you could have them do just normal training, that is defeating both the point of the exercise and would be a complete waste of everybody’s time. Personalize your training regiment as much as you can to make it unique with your abilities!

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I know ill face some heat but here is my maybe not so hot/ hot take.
Fallout 3 is better than Fallout New Vegas for one big reason: Atmosphere
In Fallout 3, each place you visit seems to be struggling to survive. Even places like Rivet City and Megaton. the world seems stressed and in a desperate, Doomer like state, struggle to survive,
For instance, Caps, the currency of the new American wasteland is hard to come by. Having over a few thousand caps in Fallout 3 is considered a lot of money. I remember getting excited when I actively saved over 4k caps. The real currency of the wastes is what you can trade. Not junk ( which kudos to Fallout 4 for making junk a viable commodity outside of trading for money, taking up weight, or making a sub par weapon) Primarily bullets, no weight, valuable to trade and use in battle. Kind of like the Metro series.
When it comes to leaving the safety of civilization in Fallout 3, you are greeted with the horrors of the wastes. Will it be Raiders, Super Mutants, Death Claws, Mirelurks, Feral Ghouls, or other monstrosities that roam the land? And that's only if you don't Piss someone off by being good or evil.
When you step out side of the gates to a city, and you look at the map. you see nothing. the world looks dead. the only signs of life are the spiritic gunfire of forces struggling to find their next meal. even the super mutants are putting up defenses and fighting to make it day to day. nothing feels safe in fallout 3, the good guys of the capital wasteland are few. the brotherhood is basically the only safe dudes. besides the outcasts, and other such groups.
In Rivet City, you might feel safe, or even megaton, or Tenpenny Tower. But inside you feel a great since of distrust for people. people who act friendly seem untrustworthy. Why should they be so friendly? Its a dog eat dog world. There are places even in the Capital Wasteland that are worse than it. take the Dunwitch building for example, enough said if you have been there. Fallout 4 tried to recreate the place but it came across as bad fan fic than the existential dread that that damn building makes you feel.
​
This is all in contrast to Fallout New Vegas, Vegas gets a lot of things right. The lore and NPCs related to fallout 1 and 2 are perfect. the writing for Characters and lore background is great too. Its one of the few videogames where the "villian" I.E Ceaser, had a backstory that made since and had a logical tale that was in many ways relatable, although with a dark outcome. Its great playing through the game and seeing you actions have consequences, seeing the world change around you. but then that is the first thing. It doesn't really,
In Vegas, the land will try to tell you that it will "sallow you up" or that its a horrible Quagmire of violence. but... its not. The game's main quest forces you down a path around the whole map that leads you too Vegas itself. you cant realistically just go to Vegas right off the bat. head north and you run into Cazador hell fest with high level bandits and raiders to boot. head east and its radscorpians, deathclaws, and powdergangers ( your first easy enemies). if you follow the path south they set out for you, you will be able to navigate the Mojave with little trouble. most threats can be handled easily. if you deicide to go wild and head west you will find A FUCKING MOUTAIN RANGE THAT BLOCKS 1/3 OF THE MAP.
When it comes to factions, New Vegas does great at diversity but most of your threating evil factions are hardly a threat to you the player. for example, the Legion prides itself in burning down villages and towns and enslaving any assholes they find wondering the trade routes. Except you that is. As a level 1 nobody, you can just stroll on though legion camps and NCR outposts, the Great khans camp, without so much as a threat! all you will get is. "Profligate!!!" or god forbid "Patrolling the Mojave almost makes me wish for a nuclear winter". In fallout 3, you cant really enter a single town or city without someone threating to shoot you for showing up or having to bribe your way into a place. Fallout new Vegas? the biggest hurdle? " Submit to a credit check"
Which goes into another issue, money, there is so much god damn money in fallout new Vegas you wont know what to do with it. 2000 caps? bitch please, I had that before I got to Novac. Fallout new Vegas has so much money that they needed two more currencies to manage it all. three if you count poker chips.
Fallout new Vegas feels like its trying to be hardcore but failing, the Lore 10/10, NPC world building and backstories 10/10, in game dealing with these things 4/10. Its hard to take the legion seriously when one charges you with his edge lord Romophile attitude with a manchette in hand while you are holding a belt feed machine gun. threats of slavery are all to real until you realize that the romanos wont try it on you, just look at you and go "Profligate".
And what's with the Anti establishment stance on the NCR. Dudes are literally like we will give you trade, protection, and jobs if you let us in. and people are like "BUT TAXES MMEEHHHH" Bitch, in the capital wasteland, MFs are happy to find some clean water, let alone a whole ass army that wont enslave them or kill them outright. (sorry Muties)
​
TLDR: Fallout 3 presences a better grim struggle for survival that is felt in the lore and in the game play. Fallout New Vegas's map is linear, NPCs are not threating are are basically try hards. the people of the Mojave are ungrateful.
Edit/futher development: has a general counter argument I've seen posted a lot in the replies is that NV is more a out organizing and managing a War and deciding who lives and dies and all that stuff, and it's not about the day to day struggle to survive...if that's the case, then why not play Hearts of Iron 4 mod Old World Blues? In that game you literally control a country and can establish laws do all the stuff in depth that I keep seeing posted on here... also highly recommend getting the Enclave Reborn mod with it. Its great.
Edit 2: I've also noticed a lot of people defend NV by saying " its different than the others a d it's still good" fair point, I can't argue that really, the same can be said for each fallout game. "Except 3. 3 bad and it's not a real fallout game, play metro if you want darkness". Really? That's the counter? What passes NV doesnt pass 3? Hmmmmmmmm.....

Two years ago we had the pleasure of watching one of the worst stretches of basketball for one of the NBA’s most lucrative and storied franchises come to an end. Ownership played the long game; their front office made a mixed bag of good and bad decisions on draft day, in free agency, and in the trade market. They watched the league market correct their respective front offices for trying to reach around or shortcut their way to playoff basketball leading to the decision to blow it up and focus on their youth. Their brass sold their fan base on watching a nucleus of young talent with distinct but interlocking skills grow together and learn how to play consistently winning basketball. The fans watched promising homegrown talent leave the team and then make all star game(s) for other teams but continue to be moved after those same all star appearances with fans faithful to those specific players carrying the hope that they found their home by now. Regardless, the question is now in front of Chicago’s front office as it was in front of the Lakers’ front office 2 years prior. A top 5 player isn’t on the market every day. We have a promising young core, but do we compromise it to put ourselves on this superstar’s timetable?
The 2 situations are not identical and I don’t want to act as though they are, but the question is the question. Chicago is quietly sitting at the poker table with a good amount of chips: young promising players at all 5 positions(Coby White, LaVine, Patrick Williams, Lauri, WCJ), and no one expects you to trade all 5 by any means. But what could/would a Chicago package for Harden look like?

Hypothetical offer:

Houston Gets: Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Cristiano Felicio, unprotected firsts in 2022 & 2024, the better of CHI or HOU’s 1st round draft picks for 2021, 2023, 2025, and a top-10 protected pick in 2027
Chicago gets: James Harden, Bruno Caboclo, the worst of either CHI or HOU’s first round draft picks in 2021, 2023, and 2025
1.) Zach LaVine, undoubtedly would have to be in the deal. The 2 best players in this deal play the same position, have mostly the same strengths and weaknesses (different ways of specifically expressing them, but at the end of the day mark a good amount of the same stats offensively), but are on either side of 30. Zach LaVine I’d say is one of the 10-15 best scorers in the NBA. He’s raised his scoring averages each of his first 6 years in the league, flies through the air in transition, and all the tape you watch of him makes you want to believe he’s an all-star caliber guy, but there’s one glaring reality holding him back from that echelon of the NBA. He’s entering his 7th season and he has yet to play .500 basketball or appear in the playoffs. The talent is unquestionable, the athleticism eye popping, but his negatives are unavoidable.
2.) Lauri Markkanen was once one of the NBA’s 10 most envied prospects. With length, range, touch, athleticism, and European heritage the Dirk comparisons were inevitable and unfair from the beginning but still tantalizing nonetheless. Athleticism and shooting are always at premiums in this league and Markkanen possesses both. With a spotty Games Played log and a lack of trust in his body on display at times in his third season his trade value is murky and for all anyone knows he could end up like Rubio, a young euro prospect dripping with potential never getting to fully realize it due to injury. However one of the best things for the rehabilitation of Rubio’s career and perception was ultimately making his way to a better team with better coaching, getting to display his consistency for a playoff team, and just getting to be a guy instead of the guy.
3.) Cristiano Felicio is only in the deal realistically to serve as filler to get CHI in range to take on Harden’s contract, but with the dearth of bigs on Houston’s roster it’s not unheard of for Felicio to get run as an 11th man if Boogie and/or Wood find themselves in foul trouble.
Why the Rockets do it: Houston has built a brand over the last decade and a half as one of the West’s most consistently quality franchises. One franchise has made the NBA playoffs every season since the 2012-13 season and that franchise is the Houston Rockets. While it can be argued it’s exclusively attributable to their defining superstar James Harden and his uncanny durability, once upon a time before Harden donned a Houston uniform the McGrady-less (and eventually Yao-less) rockets took the eventual champion Lakers to 7 games before exiting that series as they ran out of gas against Kobe, Pau, Odom, and co. And they did it with a lovable cast of misfit toys like Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry, Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks, Metta World Peace, and Kyle Lowry. The Rockets as much as they led the way for the league’s recent love affair with analytics also sport a track record that speaks to the appeal of being consistently competitive. They didn’t need to tank for McGrady, they didn’t need to tank for Harden, and transitioning into a team with a mix of veterans with chips on their shoulders (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins), young guys hungry to win (LaVine, Lauri, Christian Wood), and 3nD role players could be a lot more manageable and lovable group for first time head coach Stephen Silas. This package is also the most comprehensive out there for Harden right now. An AD or Holiday level return doesn’t seem to be materializing in the market right now, and the 2 media front runners for Harden (Philly and Brooklyn) don’t have a package with both a high level player and ancillary assets to make up the difference between the hypothetical 50-60 cents and the dollar that is Harden.
Why Chicago does it: First things first, the team that gets the best player typically wins a trade, and a trade without Wendell Carter Jr. or Coby White is also a win for the front office. A franchise with the youngest MVP ever, the GOAT, and the team that developed current NBA sweetheart Jimmy Butler is in their worst performance as a franchise since Jay Williams’ career was cut short. Harden on his own is a top-7 offense and a 45 win team, but some of the complementary pieces not in the trade offer could add up to be some of the best tailored supporting cast of Harden’s career. Coby White shows more promise as a heat check and off ball guard than the lead ball handler of an nba offense. With a season average of less than 3 assists his rookie year juxtaposed against 43% 3 point shooter and presence as a big-bodied guard, White poses a very interesting offensive (and defensive as a switchable perimeter defender) fit next to Harden. Wendell Carter and the other wings that Chicago has should be able to fill in the gaps on defense.
Personal opinion:
It’s ballsy of Chicago because if Harden doesn’t like how Chicago handles him when they get him he’s currently only able to be kept under contract for another 2 years, but if Harden has patience it could be a very savvy move into an easier path to a title. The floor of a Harden Bulls team would be the 4-6 seed in the East, and Harden would have to give up the least as a player going to Chicago versus Philly or Brooklyn. The championship conversation label wouldn’t immediately be there like it would going to Philly or to Brooklyn, but there would be a lot of young pieces around Harden that could be used in a second move in the subsequent offseason to bring a second top 10 guy next to Harden. The ceiling of this Bulls core is very difficult to pinpoint, but it’s hard not to see shades of the Lakers’ core before they signed lebron where as a group it’s hard to see them consistently winning games without a proven leader and top-10 guy in the nba.
For Houston it seems as though the market is either just a star level player and maybe a pick (Philly) and a lot of ancillary players and multiple picks (Brooklyn). For a player better than AD it is a frustrating and unenviable position for a front office to not be able to extrapolate the same value out of Harden, and I give them kudos for playing the trade offer patiently. However it’s on everyone’s mind that Harden wants out of Houston so they are on the clock to move him before he walks especially considering he turned down the extension he is currently eligible for. It’s lemonade-from-lemons time for the new Houston front office.
I’d like to hear other opinions or other potential destinations if anyone else has any other ideas or dark horse destinations for Harden.

Warning this is a long tale of many prisoners, starting with me, getting hooked on KKC while serving time. Also a tale of friendship and running a gambling empire behind bars as well as my theory that the games corners and spades are one in the same.
So I have a history with drugs and it got me on probation which ended me in jail several times bc I didnt quit. The legal system isn't great at getting ppl off drugs but it's super good at putting us nonviolent offenders in jail where private jails can make money from the taxpayers for keeping us locked up. I've completed my probation now and had my record expunged so it's all behind me now but here's the story of how I found the Kingkiller Chronicle.
So I was in jail and I had a super whiney older guy as a cellmate. He seriously wouldn't stop whining and crying about having to be in jail for 2 more weeks. I knew I would be there at least 6 months and I thought I was going to prison for a couple years after that since this was my 4th probation violation. Luckily the judge liked me and let me off super easy. Well my whiney cell mate had 3 books sent in. I didnt have anyone to send me books, write, visit or put money on my books. It sucked. I tried telling my cellmate jails not so bad, I'd been a bunch. It's mostly like a really boring camp with awful food. He was scared of the other inmates. I told him I'd protect him lol. Even tho I was new there were a couple of people i knew from other places and they'd introduced me to all the cool people and I'd made friends with the important ppl to make friends with. I did my very best to keep my short timer cellmate calm while listening to him talk about how he cant do 2 weeks while i had years hanging over me.
Then one day my cellmate does something extremely dumb. He went to the guard and said he couldnt take it anymore. That he was losing it. I'd warned him about this. Told him how they wouldn't take him somewhere nice and comfortable and hold his hand and make him some relaxing warm tea. The damage was done though and so they got him and took him to the mental health pod. The kind of place with such nice amenities as non stop 24 hour screaming, throwing and smearing feces as well as the unpredictable violently insane. Oh well. I warned him.
When he left he left his books though. Score. 2 of these books were junk but hmm what's this? The Name of The Wind. This looks cool. I'll give it a try. I was hooked. On free time when everyone's allowed out of their cells I asked some of the guys about it and no one had heard of it except a guy we will call H. H was a big guy and quite feared. I liked him and would sometimes talk to him about game of thrones, wheel of time, red rising and other nerdy stuff. The vast majority of ppl in our unit were terrified of H tho. He was big but it was more his attitude. I once saw him get into an argument with a member of the bloods. H challenged him to fight and walked over to a place where the guard and cameras couldnt see. The gang member was scared and said something about having to "talk to his people." H without missing a beat told him "bring your people!" He was ready to fight them all. There were like 4 or 5 bloods in that unit and H would've wrecked them. Aside from being bigger than any 2 of them combined you could just tell he was the last guy in there to mess with. He was like a modern day viking berserker. The bloods sent 1 of their ppl to go apologize to him. Was hilarious. Another reason everyone feared him was bc when he was in prison 3 men with knifes came into his cell to rob him of his commissary. He was stabbed multiple times but gouged one mans eye out and literally beat another to death by getting him down and punching his throat multiple times. He also didnt lose his commissary. H wouldn't talk about this until I'd known him for months. I originally heard the story from another guy who had been at that prison. When we were finally close enough for me to ask he told me the whole story, every detail, with a far off glassy look in his eyes and he showed me where they'd stabbed him up.
Anyway, he had read NOTW and WMF both and said they were incredible. Since we had discussed books a bunch I knew we had the same taste in them. I read NOTW on lockdowns and played a card game called spades on free time when we were allowed out of our cells. Spades is very serious business in jail and prison. Surprisingly H barely knew how to play and he was very bad. I however was as good as anyone in there. I was definitely a candidate for best player, if not best then top 3 for sure. I started teaching H to play well and training him to be my cards partner. Then something very sad happened. I finished the Name of the Wind.
The next free time I brought out TNOTW and gave it to H bc he wanted to reread it. I told him how empty my life had become since finishing it. He said "hold on" and went to his cell and came back with a brand new copy of Wise Mans Fear!! Even though he had read it he was such a bro he had his ppl send him a copy bc they'd send him as many books as he requested. I was elated. Those 2 books made my time so much better when I read them. I'd read straight from lockdown at 10 30pm until breakfast at 3 30 am then go to sleep after breakfast.
By this point H was a very good spades partner and wed taken to calling it "corners" like in the books. I think spades may have been the inspiration for corners bc they seemed very similar. After H finished Name of the Wind he asked if another fantasy book nerd could read it. I was happy to let them. From there the book traveled all around the unit with everyone loving it. Hardened criminals talking about Kvothe or how much they hate Denna. I once heard a member of the Mexican mafia explaining to his homeboys how badass Bast is and quoting what he told Chronicler. The "I'll make a game out of you" threat. It was crazy. If you asked around what the best book in the unit was the answer youd get was NOTW and WMF.
I finished WMF and it started making its travels around the dorm also. H had ordered slow regard for silent things but I didnt like it as much. Still glad I read it. H also started ordering this series called the Gray Man which i really liked but i had several of the gambling inmates come to me with an offer. They wanted me to be in charge of all the gambling for the unit. Basically I'd hand out poker chips and keep up with how much each person had lost or won. I'd make sure losers paid and winners got paid. Everyone recommends staying away from stuff like this bc if you get caught you go to the hole (the 3 before me were caught), ppl could lose a lot and then say they weren't going to pay so youd either have to fight them or look weak and once you look weak in there it's over for you and also you become the person with the most commissary items of anyone in the unit so you can pay the winners which makes you the very best person to rob, you are basically a 1 man casino after all. The benefit is every hand of poker played I earned 2 poker chips. 10 poker chips was worth a pack of ramen noodles/65 cents. These guys played poker for 8 hours a day 7 days a week. I made $25 to $40 worth of food every day 2 poker chips at a time.
I had no reason to hoard this stuff since i only had 5 weeks left before release when i got put in charge of poker. I also was slick with it. I was good friends with the 2 biggest meanest dudes in there and so if anyone acted like they wouldn't pay their debt I'd say "that's fine, I'll cover your debt out of my pocket and you'll just owe me but I'm going to send you to collections" then I'd point out H and the other huge guy "and if they have to go in your cell, beat your ass and take your shit they're taking everything. Not just what you lost at poker. Then they're probably going to keep doing it every week bc you cant stop them and you tried to fuck over their good friend (me)" everyone paid after that warning.
One day I even overheard the crips talking about "robbing the poker game" aka robbing me. This was laughable. By this time H and I were cellmates. There were only 3 crips in the unit and as H was fond of saying "none of them weigh more than 90lbs soaking wet that's why they joined gangs". I told them any time they want to run into me and Hs cell they were welcome. Just lmk I'll leave the door open. They later came and apologized and said they were just talking shit. Running the poker game was stressful but worth it. Myself, H and a few other ppl who looked out for me when I had nothing lived like kings with what I earned off the table. We feasted everyday and had unlimited coffee. I also helped out other ppl who didnt get any store bc they feed you dinner at 3 30pm and you dont eat again til 3 30 am so if you cant buy food you starve all evening and most of the night. They fed us very little and the food was only edible if you had to eat it to live.
I never got caught running gambling. A long time ago I learned the Masonic code that freemasons used to use bc I was a really weird kid (it's super easy) so I just kept my records in that. Not a single person refused to pay their debt to me (and risk collections lol) and I made sure winners were paid out at the start of each day. And I knew which items each player liked the most and made sure they got them. Previous ppl in my position kept all the best items and paid out BS. There was a fight once when one guy got paid with 2 bottles of water. I didnt accept bottled water and envelopes and dumb stuff like that lol. By the time I left 75% of the unit had read the kkc. None of us knew book 3 wasnt out yet so you often heard ppl saying they were going to get it as soon as they got out. Alas I said this myself. The rumor was that it was only out on hardback and we weren't allowed to get hardbacks.
Well that's my wacky story of how I got introduced to the KKC and it lead to me becoming great friends with the guy even the guards were scared of. Hes in prison now but I write him every couple of months. He was such an awesome dude bc he would say whatever he thought like "oh you're in that gang? I think they're all a bunch of pussies" and "oh you're friends with so and so? Yea I know him I beat his ass and took his dope. Knocked him out cold. Hope that's not your homeboy". I later found out he just didnt like most people bc he thought they were fake and scared to be themselves and always obsessed with appearing tough. He said my immediate willingness to nerd out about fantasy books showed I had no problem just being me and thats why he warmed up to me and not many others. I was the same book loving nerd in jail as out lol. He gets out in January. I intend to hang out with him. I still haven't broke it to him about book 3 lol.
Also let me clear up that with my history and all my trips behind bars I can definitely defend myself though I'm an average sized guy. I've never backed down from a fight in jail and always refused to show weakness but having H as my best friend definitely made life easier on me bc to fight me they would've had to have fought him also. He would tell ppl that he and I were brothers and it was us against the world. Kinda a joke since all gang members call other members their brothers. Also gang members have these intricate dumb secret handshakes so we made our own which was just doing a fist bump but as soon as our fists hit we would both put our thumbs up. It was dumb and really must've pissed off the gang members. Looking back I'm lucky he didnt get out before me or they wouldve beat the shit out of me hahaha unlike him I cant take on 3 or 4 ppl lol or 2.
It was really cool seeing groups of tattood up hardened criminals sitting around talking about how they'd break out of the jail if they could use sympathy and all kinds of crazy kkc convos hahaha.
If anyone knows how to play spades how close to the game of corners do you think it is?
Sorry if yall read this and considered it a horrible loss of time you'll never get back. Just wanted to share how I found these great books.
TLDR Went to jail and was given the Name of the Wind and loved it and it lead me to making friends that made my stay in jail much better and 75% of the guys I was locked up with read and loved KKC. Also how I ran an illegal casino in jail. Also I think corners and spades are the same games.

Buckle down folks this one was a ride. I'd like to preface this by saying this is the most ridiculous pot I've ever been in. This wasn't poker this was straight punting and I still have no idea how to properly analyze anything anyone did.
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Ignition - $0.05 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
BTN (BTN): 96.4 BB SB (SB): 22.6 BB BB (BB): 107.6 BB Hero (UTG): 79.4 BB MP (MP): 98.6 BB CO (CO): 103.8 BB
SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Dealt to Hero: 9s8s
Hero raises to 3 BB, MP raises to 6 BB, CO calls 6 BB, BTN calls 6 BB, SB calls 5.6 BB, BB calls 5 BB, Hero calls 3 BB
Everyone, their grandma, their uncle, their little sister Jess, the mailman next door all unanimously decide to contribute 30 cents and their last 6 braincells to the communist pot. Maybe they had pocket aces and wanted to.....trap? And then get a "bad beat" and rant on poker. Maybe they predicted that their 85o was finally gonna flop a full house or their pocket 2s were gonna hit quads. Or maybe some quantum atom decided to split off 2 milliseconds to the left instead of the right setting off a chain reaction that prevented every single person from raising . Nobody except the poker gods know that answer. But what I do know is, in a pot where everyone calls I can't exactly be raising my 98s. I decide to call and realize some of my implied odds, hope for a flopped straight or trips or flush or full house to hit payday and get the fuck out if I hit 2 pair or less because I was goddam sure at least someone there was gonna spike a set.
Flop (36 BB, 6 players): 7s4s3s SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets 14 BB, MP raises to 92.6 BB and is all-in, fold, fold, fold, BB raises to 101.6 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 59.4 BB and is all-in
I decide to bet into 3 people with a flopped flush....that was my first mistake. In normal poker a flopped flush is basically the nuts. But when there's a 6 way pot that equity drops to like what, 55%?? At the time I was so worried about getting it all in before AsKd hit the nut flush that I forgot this was literally a 6 way pot and at least 1 person is gonna be shoving here. The correct move was probably to let someone else shove first and then stack off some random set or 2 pair that thought they were good. Leading doesn't really accomplish anything here but throw away chips if I later decide folding the flop is the right option (I can't believe there is actually a spot where folding a flush on the flop might be the right move).
So it starts off fine with one person shoving. I think to myself "Cool he either has As or some overpair stupidly shoving for protection or maybe a set that's too retarded to see that in a 6 way pot there's no way any set is good". Predictably 3 people fold but then BB decides to shove all in. This is when I have to pause. This man just shoved all in after some other guy shoved all in. Maybe one of them has a flush? Maybe one of them has a stronger flush than my flush? Or maybe they're both equally retarded? In normal circumstances if you folded 98s multiway on the flop you would be called an idiot rightfully so. But after this action, and with literally 6 people in this hand I think the right move was to fold. I think the person that calls after this action is an idiot. And that idiot was me.
Turn (294.6 BB, 3 players): Tc
River (294.6 BB, 3 players): 7h
BB shows: AsJs (Flush, Ace High) Main Pot [256.2 BB]: (Pre 28%, Flop 97%, Turn 100%) Side Pot [38.4 BB]: (Pre 31%, Flop 97%, Turn 100%)
MP shows: QhQc (Two Pair, Queens and Sevens) Main Pot [256.2 BB]: (Pre 57%, Flop 3%, Turn 0%) Side Pot [38.4 BB]: (Pre 69%, Flop 3%, Turn 0%)
BB wins 36.6 BB
BB wins 243.4 BB
Someone well versed in the art of Bomb Pots can tell me how stupid it is to call 2 all-ins on the flop without the nut flush, but I'm used to normal poker where flops don't go 6 ways and my sister's cousin isn't jamming their 74o they decided to call with preflop.

So, I will preface this by saying that I don't go on Reddit much, but do read a lot of stories (mostly in youtube compilations). Also, I don't know anything about QAnon. But in describing... everything that happened with my stepdad, my fiancée told me I should post my story here. So that's what I will do. It's a long one.
So I have a lot of baggage. My parents (mom and stepdad; dad has been out of the picture for a long time now) were emotionally, mentally, and verbally abusive. Never physically, though. To this day, they gaslight and try to manipulate me, and I am sure this has contributed to my lost memories. I have trust and relationship issues now too.
It really started when my stepdad came into the picture. My father was angry, drunk, and did hard drugs. Refused to work or parent, just played Call of Duty and online poker. My mom was miserable, playing the buffer between us and him, worked the shit shift at a shit job to provide for us, and did her best to find time to be a parent to me and my 3 siblings around all that.
Then the divorce happened, and she was a single parent of 4 kids with an addict ex-husband who refused to (and still has not to this day) pay child support. Shortly after she meets my stepfather. He brings us all to his church (which he has since quit for being too liberal and money-hungry). It is all well and fine, for a while. He is really nice, mom is happy, we have a man taking up a fatherly role in our lives for the first time ever. Then things start feeling... off...
He starts making arbitrary rules and disciplining us with his fucked up mind games. I remember one time, to make me and my brother stop bickering, he threatened to make us stay in each others' bedrooms. Sleep in each others' beds. Not be allowed back to our own room. For a few days. Another time, he took my brother's door off the hinges and gave him zero privacy for backtalking him. Dishes HAD to be done by hand, no more using the fully functional dishwasher, for no reason other than he said so. We had to do it in a super specific way he showed us too. One time he sent me and my brother into our rooms for an hour to each come up with a written list on how we would punish ourselves if he ever caught us bickering again, and pray he approved it, because we didn't want to know what HE could come up with.
He had all of us pick out our 3 most favorite things we owned. Then told us that if we ever pissed him off too badly, he would throw away everything we owned besides our beds, clothes, our bible, and those 3 items we picked. He would steal small toys and trinkets we had from us so he could "surprise" us as adults with them unexpectedly. I have gotten a few long-lost beloved toys back already. I once got caught hanging out with a friend at her house one day. College classes let out super early and I wasn't keen on going home to my toxic house, so I hung out at my friend's until the usual time to go home. My cousin had spotted me leaving the college by chance and called my house to make sure I was meant to be out that way (it was a ways away from home, I was with someone he hadn't met, and he didn't know I was in college). When I got home, I was tasked with writing down every lie I had ever told, or else I would lose everything I owned besides my bed, bible, clothes, and 3 favorite belongings.
The stories go on and on, and I don't even remember a lot of them because I have apparently repressed a lot of memories.
We weren't allowed cell phones or videogames. Computer was for school work only and he would monitor all the stuff you did it administratively from his computer. If you were even one second late coming home, heaven help you. Not allowed to buy a car before the day I moved out. He would brag about planning on kicking my younger brother out on his 18th birthday. If you "messed up" and did anything wrong within a week of spending time with a friend, they were a "bad influence" and were never allowed to see them again outside of school. Unless the friend was useful to them, like one friend who gave me rides to and from college (I did a program where I took college classes while in high school).
He believed, and outright stated, that since he was a teenager once upon a time that he knew everything we thought. We made an innocent mistake, like forgot to check to see if any dishes needed to be washed before watching TV? No, we chose to do it intentionally as an act of rebellion just to piss him off. And we were liars if we claimed otherwise. Whenever anything bad happened and it involved us at all, we would get in trouble if we did not accept 100% of the responsibility and blame. Example: if there was an unexpected change in plans and it left us in a tight spot, it was our fault for not planning better. If we ran out of something we needed (for like cooking or school) it was our fault for not letting mom know before her last trip to the store.
He would use his religion as an excuse to rule over the whole family, including my mom, with an iron fist. What he says, goes. I remember one time he started screaming at me for wearing the same shirt to church every week (we were forced to go) and I said it was because it was the only nice dress-shirt-type of shirt I had. Mom defended me and said I didn't have any other "nice" shirts to wear. He called her a bad wife for arguing with him. To him, the man of the house was the leader. The wife and children are meant to be obedient, and obey everything he says without question. In turn, it is man's duty to lead and provide for the family. He, and my mom, believe that mental illness (such as ADHD, ADD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc...) are all made up by people who want attention and the only "real" mental disorders are the super bad ones like schizophrenia. Super convenient for a narcissist, right?
My stepdad is not only a narcissist, but also one of those crazy conspiracy theorists. Anti-vaxxer, flat-Earther, the whole 9 yards. We've never been to space or the moon. "They" are spraying chemtrails in the sky all day every day from airplanes. "They" (meaning "the bad guys" which may mean some or all of the following: the USA government, the satan-worshipping illuminati, the sheeple, the World government, the evil ultra-rich bazillionares who sold their souls for their success and run the world... you get the picture). The Catholic church is actually secretly the illuminati and the Pope is their leader. The Coronavirus is just a massive lie made up by Them so they could hard-reset the world economy and train us to follow orders and so They can see how far They can push us before we even notice or take action. The vaccine is evil and poison and may or may not contain a microchip. The "Mark of the beast" in the bible will be a government-issued microchip used to track you and assign you a social score and all that shit. They want to take out guns so we have no way of defending ourselves against Them when They send the military out. All of these conspiracies he gets from a mix of websites. I won't name any, but I know of a few. Because growing up, we were forced to "research" and read "news articles" off these websites daily. He flip-flops between singing Trump's praises and berating him as just another corrupt government official who lied his way into office with false promises to the "woke" people. But I guarantee you that he would applaud the insurrection that happened on the news today.
He started pushing all of his views onto my mom and siblings. With... mixed reception. All of us shrug off some of the really crazy ones, like how all celebrities make deals with demons for their fame. But my mom and 2 of my siblings have started believing a lot of what he says. Now they are also flat-Earther anti-vaxxers who point at clouds and cry "chemtrails!" I just try to avoid politics and any of these crazy theories whenever I spend time with my family. I don't do a lot of talking with them at all, actually. I am either lying and deflecting to keep them from prying too deeply into my life, or sitting quietly while my stepdad goes on a rant.
My stepdad can be really creepy. When I still lived there, I would occasionally sit on his knee (a habit I picked up as a kid, and I would still do it to be "affectionate" and fly under his radar, he loved and encouraged it), but when I got older he would start to rub my thighs, my back really close to my ass, and my sides close to my chest. Made me super uncomfortable so I quit doing that. Never went any beyond that, and I am not sure it was even intentional. I ask my sister (who still lives with him and my mom) every time I see her if he has ever done anything inappropriate or made her uncomfortable, and she says he hasn't. Also he has this weird obsession with my, my sister's, and my mom's feet? Mainly mine though, since they are the softest. That also weirds me out.
They have put me through Hell and back. This all kept up until I moved out at 19, and they tried every tactic under the sun to get me to move back. Mainly my stepdad was the problem, but my mom isn't innocent either. She let this happen. She went along with it. And she became part of the problem when she started supporting the abuse from my stepdad, and believing in his crazy conspiracy theories. Plus, she was homophobic and racist to begin with. Throw in a hefty dose of believing in and pressuring me and my sister into gender stereotyped roles (expects us to be homemaker housewife baby machines) and she adds her own problems into the mix. Also, she straight up ignored me and accused me of lying and saying hateful things out of anger the one time I told her that I hated my stepdad and what he put me through. I told her all this after the incident I described above, where I went to a friend's house instead of home when college let out early. She gaslights and manipulates me too. Mainly to feel small, scared, and like I need to run to them for advice and help. She wants me back under her thumb. She wants me to move away from my current house, because I am living with a roomate she hates (a "bad influence" friend and one whose house she is not welcome at).
Despite all of that, I don't cut contact with my family. I don't even argue with them. I spot manipulation when I can and acknowledge it internally. I don't call them out on it. I don't challenge or argue about politics, or these conspiracy theories, or their racism or homophobia. I don't rock the boat. Because at the end of the day, I still love my mom and siblings. Despite all their flaws. I would be devastated if they were no longer in my life. But it chips away at me, every minute I spend with them. Every homophobic comment I have to just swallow, because I know I could never tell them I am a lesbian and am engaged to a woman. It kills me to have to hide her away, like a dirty secret, and I know it hurts her too. But I don't know what to do from here. I feel awful not challenging my family, but I feel it is a lost cause. I could never change their minds, only lose them from my life. I know it is inevitable anyways, but I still don't cut my family out. Partly because the fallout would be NUCLEAR, and partly because I want to put it off as long as possible so I still have them in my life.
Anyways, I doubt anyone will see this. But it feels good to get this off my chest a bit. Thanks to anyone who did take the time to read this.

“Those cookies are not for you."
"What?" The admonishing speaker was from the newest species to join the Allegium, a small mammalian race that called themselves humans. They were in the Grand Hall far too early for a species so new, but if the rest of this species had the ability to create things like the "cookies" Tl'ak had been stuffing himself with, the introduction was probably well granted. He grunted and continued to reach for the platter piled high with richly colored brown cookies studded with chunks of white.
"I said, those cookies are not for you. I brought thirteen platters of cookies as my Offering of Goodwill. Twelve of them are for anybody to partake in. That platter, however, is reserved for the Grand Advisor of the Allegium. If you like, you may take from the blue or flower-printed platters - those are my famous sugar cookies, and they are safe for everybody to eat. I also recommend the cinnamon hot-bites from the grey one or the fruit-and-nut oatmeal cookies off of the bird-printed one. You may not take anything off of the red platter." Tl'ak froze, absolutely floored at the audacity of the one who sat across the table from him. How dare she try to deny him? He was the High Warlord of the Tl'vank, the most cunning spy in the Allegium, and the most capable warrior in the universe. And beyond that, he was the most noble and competent ruler that had ever existed of all time. Who was this /insect/ to tell him what he could and could not have?
He snarled and grabbed a fistful of treats off of the red platter in spite of the warning. "You have no right to tell me what to do, you underbaked ape! I do what I want when I want! The only reason this "Allegium" exists is because I allow it to be so!"
With that, he stuffed one of the saucer-sized cookies into his scaly maw and started chewing noisily, daring her to say something.
"If you're looking for me to try and stop you, you're looking in the wrong place. I gave you your warning, and you'll be the one that has to deal with the fallout." The human settled back into her seat. "I'm sure the Grand Advisor will take your poor attitude into account when you submit your proposal today. /IF/ you submit your proposal today."
Tl'ak laughed, spraying saliva covered crumbs across the table, much to the disgust of the other attendees of the conference. "If? If? You must be delusional! I have always had my proposals accepted! This is because your so-called Grand Advisor knows that when I don't get my way, you lesser species start dying en-masse! I will be the FIRST to present, and it will be you who must fear that there will not be enough time to beg for scraps!"
He shoved the rest of the cookies into his mouth, relishing the discomfort of the rest of the individuals sitting around him. A wicked idea crossed his mind, and he pulled the forbidden platter from the middle of the table and placed it in front of him. It wasn't enough to merely tell the human that he was her superior. He would show her by defying her command and consuming every last treat right in front of her face. She was helpless to stop him. It also didn't hurt that they happened to be absolutely delicious. Tl'ak was going to have to modify his demands to include these delicacies by the metric ton. He had a feeling his mates would love them.
He made a show of consuming them, making loud enjoyment noises that bordered on lewd. This went on for several minutes, and Tl'ak made sure to maintain eye contact the entire time. The human heaved a resigned sigh but did not look away or move from her seat. "I can tell you right now if you continue to eat those things you will absolutely not be the first person to present to the Grand Advisor."
"Oh? And who is going to stop me? You? You can't even stop me from eating them in the first place! How do you intend to stop me from making my demands?" With that, Tl'ak tipped the platter over his mouth and slid the contents into his mouth. "Now you have no offering for the Grand Advisor, and he will ignore your pleas!"
The human wrinkled her nose. "You seem to be under the impression that I will be the one to stop you. The truth of the matter is that it is your hubris that is going to prevent you from achieving your goals, no matter what those goals might be."
Tl'ak stood up from his seat, banging his fists on the table. He lumbered around the table, tossing every representative out of their chair as he made his way to the little wretch who dared to insult him. While his hulking reptilian frame normally towered over everybody in the room, compared to the human seated before him, he seemed positively gargantuan. He bent over, placing one clawed hand on each of the armrests, and trapping the human in her seat, giving her a toothy grin.
"Really? My hubris? I think you may want to think long and hard about which one of us is suffering from that. It seems to me that between the two of us, I'm the only one here capable of making good on every single one of my promises. And I promise you that I'm going to make sure your pathetic species suffers for your smart mouth."
The human didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated by Tl'ak, her expression showing nothing less than an impressive poker face. "And it seems to me that between the two of us, I'm the only one who knew what kind of cookie you just gorged yourself on."
"Eh? What kind of cookie? What does that have to do with anything? There's nothing your planet produces that I can't eat. There is nothing alive that exists in this entire galaxy that I can't consume!" Tl'ak boasted proudly. "So go ahead, tell the rest of these insects what kind of poison you tried to foist on the Grand Advisor. I'll be sure to tell him when he gets here!"
"There was no poison. That was a plate of chocolate cookies. I call them my quadruple chocolate explosion cookies."
"Chocolate? Psh! I've heard of that. It's perfectly safe for everybody in this room to eat! Even those pathetic little rats, the Clincinn, can eat it without any ill effects. It's only your pitiful pets that have issues with the stuff."
"Mmm... that's true. But do you know why I call them chocolate explosion?"
"Because you lack imagination, and want to make your offering sound more impressive than it actually is?"
"No. I call them my quadruple-chocolate explosion cookies because they have four chocolate ingredients in them. Chocolate powder. White chocolate chips. Dark chocolate chips." She counted each one of the ingredients with her fingers, extending an extra finger with each one for punctuation until a gurgling in Tl'ak's gut interrupted her. The human smiled wickedly. "And of course... chocolate laxative. You should be coming to the "explosion" portion quite soon, from the sounds of it."
Another audibly loud gurgling rumbled through, cutting through the silence in the room with ease. The reptilian doubled over, clutching his abdomen. His limbs felt weaker than the time his brother had given him a triple dose of the poisonous y'reb from his home system. He survived the attempted coup. His brother did not.
"Wh-what have you put in these?"
"I just told you. They've got a healthy dose of chocolate laxative mixed into the batter. The chocolate masks the taste of the laxative. I made this batch by request of the Grand Advisor, as apparently his house has been hit with a nasty case of Grilliu recently. If you or I were infected with this nasty germ, it would cause nothing more than slight gas, and maybe a little loose stool. The poor Grand Advisor, however, has the opposite problem and is unable to eliminate without a little extra help. He asked me if I could work my magic to make the stuff more palatable. From the destruction you wrought upon that batch of cookies, I'd say I succeeded."
Tl'ak groaned miserably, feeling the very familiar sensation of gastric upset coming up quickly within him. He jammed his legs uncomfortably close together as he looked desperately around the room. There, across the Grand Hall, was the ostentatiously named Elimination Chamber. Praying that his cloaca would hold out long enough for him to relieve himself, he made a mad dash for the bathroom.
"You wretch! You scoundrel! You unclean son of a Tilbek's daughter!" Several attendees gasped at the rude expression. "When I get done in there, I swear upon my mother's fangs that I will deal with YOU!"
And still, the human looked nonplussed. "Good luck with that"
A murmur rippled through the Grand Hall, and the whispers that reached Tl'ak's ears spoke of uprisings, weakness, and defiance. He would be sure to make a spectacle of destroying the nasty little insect that inspired them. And after that, he'd make an even grander show of subjugating the species that created her.
Finally reaching the door, he made a motion to push it open, only to have his momentum carry him snout first into an immovable object. Despite the sizable THUMP, the door did not budge. Frantically he alternated pushing and pulling the door, the inevitable evacuation of his insides bearing down on him. It refused to move.
With a mighty roar, Tl'ak embedded his claws into the face of the door, and gave a mighty heave. He intended to rip it completely off its hinges. The door creaked in defiance before completely shattering into thousands of filigreed pieces, many of them still embedded into the slab of solid grey blocking the doorway and preventing access to the bathroom.
Tl'ak felt as though somebody had just dumped a bucket of ice water over him. "Wh-what in the name of Sithrak is this?"
"Cement."
He slowly turned his head to face the human still seated in her chair at the table. "What."
"Cement.", she repeated. "It wasn't easy to get ahold of enough cement to plug up the entire bathroom, and it certainly won't be cheap to pay for the repairs. But it was absolutely worth it to banish you from the conference room."
What should have been a fierce snarl turned instead into an agonized whimper as a fresh reminder of his hubris roiled his gut.
"Unless of course, you intend to relieve yourself behind the potted plant before the Grand Advisor arrives?" The suggestion was met with a smattering of uncomfortable giggles from the peanut gallery. "If I'm not mistaken, there is another restroom two floors down. If you hurry, you might make it there before your insides make it to the floor beneath your feet."
"You... you'll pay for this..." Tl'ak gasped, stumbling towards the exit. "I swear it. You'll pay for your trickery, and your people will pay for daring to send something as treacherous as you into the Grand Hall as their representative!"
Nobody spoke as the sound of the Tl'vank warlord's curses grew ever fainter as he departed down the long hallway leading out of the Grand Hall.
"Um... If I might beg your pardon Grand Representative Erin of the Humans..." A tiny Clincinn hopped up on the table, his fat furry shoulders shaking with anxiety. Gossamer puffs of soft, silvery fur wafted around him as he spoke. "But I seem to recall that the Elimination Chamber located two floors below this floor was ALSO filled with cement. Have you somehow switched the chambers with your magic?"
Erin stared at him for a moment, before his question seemed to register in her mind. A wide smile spread across her face, and she laughed. "Oh...! Oh! Oh, no booboo. I don't have any actual magic. It's just a bit of human terminology that means I'm very good at what I do. But I did fill both bathrooms with cement. Even if he manages to reach the one downstairs, he isn't going to be able to use it. I fully intend to make sure Tl'ak doesn't come back to the Grand Hall, and if that means paying for a few new bathrooms, then so be it."
"A few?", the Clincinn on the table asked, his tail swishing in curiosity. "How many did you fill?"
The smile on Erin's face hardened as the Grand Advisor to the Allegium finally entered the room, signalling the start of the Grand Conference.
"All of them."