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p-artsypants · 5 years

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Arcadia or Bust (14)

Guys, this is the chapter I’ve been waiting for. You have no idea how much research I did to get this right. Hope you enjoy!

This one is for @anxious-freak, who’s recovering from heart surgery. He’s a real bro and always encourages me to do my best. I hope this chapter doesn’t give you horrible flashbacks, because I just realized what I did to Jim.

Ao3 | FF.net

—

Things were getting better.

After his date with Claire, Jim had come back home to assure his mother that everything was fine.

Both her and James were in the living room, talking. James had a large ice pack on his head, and looked rather pitiful.

Barbara only smiled at him.

“I uh…” Jim began. “I’m sorry for being so rough, I guess...”

James held up a hand to stop him, “Jim, I don’t hold anything against you. I...haven’t had a fix since I came here, so I find myself extremely angry and irritable all the time...I never should have hit your mother. I’ve apologized to her...and now I’m apologizing to you.”

Jim tugged on his horn. This sounded too familiar, though he didn’t want to admit it. “I understand...” then he pointed a harsh finger at him. “Don’t let it happen again!”

“Oh, I won’t!” James agreed, with a little laugh, since he would be an idiot to even touch Barbara now.

From there, Jim and James reached a little understanding.

Jim was very slowly adapting to trying to live his old life with his new body.

The next day at school, he didn’t wear any sort of disguise, only a hood when he went outside.

Senior Uhl stared at him, blinked, and then continued on like nothing was wrong.

In gym, the students played a game to see how many people could sit on his back before he couldn’t push up on a push-up.

It took six people, including Toby, to keep him down.

“Lake!” Coach Lawrence bellowed across the gym.

“Yeah Coach?”

“You’re joining the football team! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!”

“But—“

“NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTS, LAKE!”

“I don’t know how to play football!”

Steve threw an arm around his shoulders. “Oh don’t worry, Jimmy Boy! We’ll teach you all you have to know!”

“Looking forward to it...” he rolled his eyes.

“This week is an away game, but I expect you to be ready to play next Friday.” Then Coach rested his hands on his shoulders. “Please Lake, we haven’t won a single game the last two years, but we have eight left this season! If we win those eight, we can still go to state.”

“Alright, alright.” He rolled his eyes. “But you better work it out with Miss Janeth. She wants me to be in the drama this year too.”

“Oh we already talked it out. It’s a spring time production.”

“Unbelievable.” Jim muttered under his breath. “It’s like I’m not my own person anymore.”

“Welp, that’s what you get for being the savior of the Earth!” Coach praised, slapping him on the back.

Soon the bell ring, and the rest of the day went by in a flash.

Through no fault of his own, Jim didn’t get the opportunity to learn football until the end of the week. Between the other player’s in practice, and Trollhunter duties, Jim found himself turning to the one person left to teach him.

Though Arrrgh wasn’t exactly a teacher in the first place. “Take ball. Cradle ball. Love ball. Run with ball. Stop at yellow pole. Bury ball in the ground.”

Jim smiled at his friend. “Uh, thanks Arrrgh. That was…that was something.”

—

Friday morning, Jim returned back to his house in the early hours. He showered and dressed for the day, ran a load of laundry, and straightened up the house, as usual.

Why James couldn’t do any of this? No idea. Jim was just glad he never had to see where he had been living up until now.

Though, given that he claimed to be a millionaire at one point, he probably had a maid. But that wasn’t his business, and he didn’t actually care.

Jim made several lunches. Pasta Primavera for Toby, Claire, and Barbara, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for James. He also left five dollars on the counter for Merlin’s McDonald’s craving. That man was going to get fat if he didn’t slow down.

Finally, 8 o’clock rolled around and it was time for school. Toby and Claire waited patiently outside.

“Morning!” Claire chirped.

“Good morning, mi amor.” He swooped down and gave her a smooch on the cheek.

“Gross.”

“Aww, jealous Tobes? Wanna little smooch too?”

“Not from you, Jimbo. I got a gal waitin’ for me.”

“Suit yourself. Here,” he handed over the two bags. “Pasta Primavera, with fresh veggies!”

“Looks awesome Jim!” Claire praised. “But what about you?”

“Oh uh,” he wandered over to the recycling bin. “Let’s take a look.” He grabbed a paper bag and filled it with a variety of trash. A few tin cans, a sock with hole in the toe, and a black, plastic wrapped block that had been sitting on top of the lid. “Ready!”

“Awesome! Dude, I’m so glad you got that truck. Now I don’t have to ride my bike to school every day.”

“Aw cmon Tobes, bike riding is good for you!”

“Yeah, but considering all the running around we do daily, I think I’m pretty set. Did you know I lost 10 pounds over the summer while you guys were gone? I would have lost more, but I was gaining muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Agreed Claire, amicably, “Swinging that hammer had to be a work out. Darci must be loving it.”

“Yeah, I gotta bulk up so I can carry her over the threshold, y’know?”

“Okay, that’s cute.”

They arrived at school, Jim making sure his hood was up before exiting the car. They made their way through the courtyard, several students waving in greeting, while others couldn’t help but stare.

Jim got it. He looked scary and he was different. But god, couldn’t they try to be a little more subtle? Surely everyone had seen him by now, right?

At any rate, Jim yawned as he took out his books for his first few hours, and then stuffed his lunch in his locker.

“You okay, Jimbo?” Toby asked.

“Yeah, just kinda tired. I didn’t sleep last night.”

“Nightmares?”

“No, I literally never slept. Arrrgh and I were…kinda playing football.”

“Oh, so you’re good for next Friday?”

Jim laughed. “Not even remotely! There’s so many rules I don’t know. It was fun to just tackle each other. It was just wrestling, but there was a Football there.”

Toby snorted. “Well, everyone else is going to be tired too. Don’t think you’re the odd one out.”

“Haha, very funny.”

In homeroom, Senior Uhl took attendance, now used to Jim’s appearance. Once everyone had been accounted for, the students were free to roam for the half hour. Steve was immediately next to Jim.

“Okay, so what I’m thinking is that you come to the game tonight at St. Joe and watch. I’m sure coach will let you sit down with the team if you’re learning.”

“St. Joe? Isn’t that like three hours away?”

“Yeah, but it’s not that bad.”

Jim groaned slightly. “I don’t know if I want to drive that far.”

“Well, I’ll see if coach will let you ride on the bus. Especially if he wants you on the team.” He paused a minute and added, “Toby and Claire can come too. If they want.”

“I’ll see if I can swing it. What time should I be here for the bus?”

“I dunno. Ask Coach.” Steve shrugged, wandering off.

Toby turned around in his seat. “Gotta answer every call, huh?”

“Yep. Thankfully the whole Gunnar thing is over now, and I’m not trying to balance my life with the end of the world.” He noticed the student next to him clicking his pen as he worked on his homework, but tried to ignore it. “As long as no major disaster strikes, I’ll be fine.” He knocked on his desk.

The clicking continued.

“It’s just one season. This will give you another chance to test your strength! It’ll be awesomesauce! Just...mowing down the other team left and right!”

“It’ll actually be a better test of self control and—would you knock it off!?” He shouted at the poor boy next to him, a roar coming out.

The kid fell out of his seat in fear. “I’m sorry! I didn’t even know I was—please don’t hurt me!”

“Is there a problem, Mr. Lake?” Senior Uhl asked, arms crossed.

Jim felt awful. “No! Oh no no! I’m sorry!” He reached over and picked the kid up off the floor with ease. “I don’t know what got into me. I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay...” the kid returned, warily. “I’ll just use a pencil instead.”

The rest of homeroom passed in silence for Jim, and in whispers with the rest of the class.

The next hour, Jim and Toby had History with Mr. Strickler. Though he was the principle now, Walt still had an affinity for History and for teaching. That, and it was hard to find a replacement for AP US History. And who better than someone who lived through it?

In class, Jim was doing fine. As long as he had something to focus on, he was able to act like a human being.

Then the clicking came back again.

Jim growled in his throat, catching Toby’s attention.

“Pst, Jimbo, wasn’t wrong buddy?”

“Nothing, it’s fine.” He glanced over to the kid who had been clicking in homeroom. He was using a pencil. But he glanced up and met Jim’s eyes, widening when he heard the clicking too.

“It wasn’t me...” the kid mouthed.

Jim nodded, and glanced around the room. Then he saw it. Shamus, a friend of Steve’s and local bully, was looking right at him, clicking his pen on purpose.

Jim snarled at him in response.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Lake?”

Jim swiveled back around, realizing in annoyance that he had fallen right into Shamus’ plot. “No sir, just...sensitive to that clicking noise.”

“Yes, it is quite unpleasant. Whoever is doing that, would you kindly stop? I’m sure everyone would focus better if you did.”

The clicking ceased, and Jim breathed a sigh in relief.

Until math class, which was shared with Shamus again. This time, Claire sat behind Jim.

About twenty minutes passed before Shamus started in again, the clicking penetrating right into Jim’s skull.

He only put up with it for a minute before he stood out of his chair and cried out, “oh come on!”

“Jim?” Miss Janeth asked, impatient. “Something bothering you about the lesson?”

Defeated, Jim just lied. “I’m sorry, I have a migraine, can I go to the nurse?”

“Sure Jim, take the pass.”

He took the placard and hurried out of the room.

Perhaps it was cowardly, but it was safer to just run.

Jim stayed away for the rest of the class period.

At lunch, Toby and Claire met up with him in the cafeteria, as he sat with his shoulders hunched.

“How’s your head?” Claire asked, delicately scratching his scalp.

“It’s fine. I was just getting annoyed by Shamus’ clicking his pen. I decided to leave instead of getting angry...or worse.”

“It wouldn’t take much from you to get him to lay off.” Suggested Toby. “Just stand over him and dare him to pick a fight with you.”

“I’m not threatening anyone. At least, not any humans.”

“It’s always better to take the high road with bullies.” Claire stated. “He’ll move on to someone else tomorrow.”

Jim groaned at that. “That’s what I’m afraid of. What’s a clicking pen compared to being shoved in a locker?”

“No offense Jim, but I’d pick the locker. That’s only hurting one person. You getting angry? HULK SMASH.”

Jim exhaled, his lips flapping like a horse. “Yeah yeah, I know.”

“You’re getting better at it.” Claire insisted. “Getting annoyed by a clicking pen is totally normal. Heck, I wanted to punch him too.”

He laughed at that. “Alright, I guess I’ll believe you.” Finally, he opened his lunch, as did the other two, and meal time commenced.

It was while he was in the middle of one of the tin cans that Steve made his presence known. “I heard Shamus was being a real butt snack today. You want me to put him in the ground?”

“Nah,” he crunched in the can. “I’ll take care of it if I need to. It’s really not that big of a deal.” He took out the black, plastic wrapped block next.

“You just say the word, and I’ll knock his block off!...what is that?”

Jim took a bite, revealing a white, powdery center. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know...and you’re eating it?”

“Yep. It tastes pretty good, whatever it is.” He finished it in another bite, and then moved on to the sock for desert. “Oh wait...ah! Muh mouf wen numb!”

“Your mouth’s numb?” Asked Claire.

He wiped his tongue with a napkin, trying to get rid of the sensation. “Yeah! It ‘eels like noeecaine.”

“Novocaine? It’s that bad?”

Eli, Who was sitting behind Jim, spoke up. “Hey, my mom packed some Cucumber Melon La Croix, if you want a sip.”

Jim snatched the can and downed the whole thing.

“Good thinking Eli!” Said Toby, “gross soda will probably taste good to Jim!”

Eli sighed, “that’s my favorite...”

Jim smacked his tongue, the sensation fading. “Man, that was weird. I still don’t know what that was. But I’m never eating it again!”

Soon, the bell rang and it was time for gym.

Dodgeball.

Every highschooler’s nightmare. Over inflated red rubber balls that left bruises for days, and that smacking sound with a metallic ‘ping!’ that haunted you for a lifetime.

And everyone wanted to be on Jim’s team. For obvious reasons.

“Lake!” Coach shouted, once warm-ups were over.

“Yeah, Coach?”

“On your knees,” he pointed to the ground.

Jim, throughly confused, did as he was asked, and knelt on the ground.

Coach Lawrence dug around in his pocket and then put something on Jim’s horns.

A questioning touch revealed them to be corks.

“I don’t want you popping any balls.” Coach offered as an explanation, with a firm slap to the butt. “Also, use your non-dominant hand, and don’t throw too hard.”

“Sure. Don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Alright, Steve and Shamus, you’re Captains. Flip a coin to see who picks first.”

Steve won, and picked Jim first.

Suddenly, Shamus was feeling sort of sheepish for the pen clicking.

The teams were divided up equally, and Coach blew the whistle to start the game.

That’s when the shit hit the fan.

Jim’s heart started to race, more than what was normal after exercise, though he hadn’t run much yet, and he hadn’t even broken a sweat during warm-ups. It built, faster and faster, until he wondered if it was going to jump right out of his chest.

Am I having a heart attack? He thought.

It was like his consciousness was pulled back inside his head, like someone else was piloting his body. And yet he was acutely aware of everything. The world felt slow, and he felt fast. His face and chest felt warm, his hands cold and clammy. Light, fast, and ready to do anything. His limbs tingled, as he just itched to move.

Move. Move.

The ball was in his hand one moment, and gone the next.

—

To the outside world, it happened way too fast. The whistle blew, and Jim stood frozen in place. The game had begun, and everyone was dancing around, trying to dodge. But not Jim, he just stood there, his face full of confusion.

“Lake! Get your head in the game!” Called Steve.

Shamus took the opportunity to throw the ball, and it hit Jim squarely in the chest, hard enough to wind a normal kid, but it didn’t even phase Jim.

“Lake, you’re out!”

And just like that, he charged at the ball, grabbed it, and chucked it as hard as possible. It whistled through the air, and nailed Shamus in the face, a loud crack echoing across the gym, as he fell with a thud.

“Lake! What did I just say about throwing?!”

Jim whipped his head around, his eyes dilated to almost completely black. He snarled at the coach.

Some of the kids on the other team called back from where Shamus was on the floor. “He’s out cold, Coach! I think his nose is broken.”

Toby jogged over, not noticing his state, “Jim, you said the pen thing wasn’t a big deal…”

Jim snapped his eyes over Toby, his jaw tightening, and his muscles coiling like a snake ready to strike.

“Jim? What’s wrong?” Asked Claire, genuinely upset. “Yeah, c’mon man! What’s your deal?” Steve got up into his face, “this isn’t cool.”

Like that was going to snap him out of it. Fuming, Jim easily lifted Steve off the ground and threw him across the gym, where he luckily landed on a mat from the ropes.

Coach was not letting anyone else be injured though, as he cried out, “Run! Go!”

His shout prompted Jim to roar loudly, and tear through the gym, over to the doors outside, and rip them off their hinges.

“Jim…” Claire watched him go.

“You follow him, I’ll tell Mr. Strickler!” Suggested Toby, running towards the locker room.

—

Jim didn’t know why everyone started shouting at him. He could barely understand what they were saying, they were all so slow. His eyes darted around the room. Everything seeming more…colorful, loud, and overwhelming. The shouting was irritating, and he wanted them to stop. His jaw felt tight, though he wanted to say so much.

Steve got in his face, saying something. This furthered his irritation, and he flung him away, like he weighed nothing. More shouting, more noise, and he just got angrier and angrier, until he roared and ran from the room.

Everything around him was so light. The door ripped off its hinges like cardboard. He ran outside, his skin sizzling in the sun, but it didn’t really hurt.

It just made his angrier.

He ran out into the street, racing passed cars that seemed to stand still.

What’s going on? He thought. Why is everything so slow? Is this a troll problem? What do I do? Why am I so angry? Why is everyone looking at me?

He ran into a car on accident, and in his anger, turned it on its side. It took no effort, and he did it again to another, then another. A running car had exhaust spilling out, and the smell was delicious. Without another thought, he bent down and huffed it.

What am I doing? This isn’t me. Am I dying? Everything hurts…

It was then that he realized there was nothing wrong with the world, but there might have been something wrong with him.

But he couldn’t stop it, and he didn’t want to either.

People were running in slow motion. Screaming and pointing at him. Their words were slow and unintelligible, but he had a guess what was being said.

They hate me. They’re scared of me. They think I’m a monster. Stop looking at me! Stop judging me!

He saw detective Scott on his radio, and knew it was about him.

I’m not a monster. I’m just me. What is going on? Is this a nightmare?

He looked down at his arms, seeing them dusty and sizzling. This should be a lot more painful. I must have passed out. This is a dream. I can do whatever I want!

What a dangerous thought for him to have.

—

Toby burst into the Principal’s office. “Mr. Strickler! Mr. Strickler!”

Startled, Walt nearly threw a handful of papers in the air. “Can I help you, Toby?” He asked, with a tinge of irritation.

“It’s Jim! He’s gone totally bonkers! He knocked Shamus unconscious with a dodgeball and threw Steve across the room!”

“What! Why?”

“I don’t know! It’s like he just snapped! We were playing dodgeball and he just…snapped!” There really was no other way to say it.

“Where is he now?”

“He ripped the door off and ran outside!”

“In the sun!?”

“Yes!”

“Call Blinky and Arrrgh, we’ve got to track him down!” He directed, grabbing his keys and pulling out his phone. He tapped away and then put it to his ear. “Barbara, it’s Jim. Toby said he’s out of control. He’s run out in sunlight, so we might need you…yes, of course. I’ll bring him to the hospital then. Okay, I’ll text you.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Toby cried, feeling sick.

“I don’t know…it…it almost sounds like Grave Sand. But, I don’t know where he would have gotten any. Did he look any different?”

“His pupils were huge! His eyes were almost black!”

“I don’t know what that could be. We need to catch him, and then I’ll find out. Let’s move!”

—

Claire was running as fast as she could, though it was getting harder and harder to keep the pace. It felt like an hour she had been tracking him down, but gauging the sun in the sky, it had been a bit longer than that. School was probably over by now, but she had yet to actually find him. She followed a trail of destruction. Upturned cars, ruptured roads, and fallen street lights. There was no one on the street, and with good reason. She could hear police sirens all over the city.

“Jim?!” She cried out for the nth time. “Jim! Where are you!?”

A roar echoed from up above, and she saw he was on the roof of a building, looking down at her with his darkened eyes. He looked awful. His clothes were in shreds, his hair a mess and slick with sweat, and his skin more gray than blue and cracking badly.

“Jim…” She reached out to him. “Come on down, please. Let’s talk.”

Oh, he was coming down alright, but not to talk. He leapt from the building and crashed into the road, cracking it on impact, then he snapped his eyes up meet hers and vaulted over to her, grabbing her around the waist. He swept her off her feet and she fell against him harshly.

“Ow! Jim! What’s wrong with you? Why won’t you say anything!?”

He just ran with her, still draped over his shoulder, towards the canal.

She clung to him so she wouldn’t flail all over the place with how fast he was running. But she did weasel her phone from her pocket. She dialed Toby.

He picked up immediately. “Claire! Where are you?! Did you find him?!”

“He found me! I think he’s taking me to Trollmarket.”

“He still raging?”

“Totally unresponsive. The town is a mess!”

“Yeah, I know! We’re on our way!”

With that, Jim jerked, and her phone fell out of her grasp. She had it with him, and startled thrashing, kicking and hitting his back. “Put me down right now! Jim!!”

He shook her, forcing her to calm down, as he leapt over the side of the bridge and down to the ravine. He came to a stop by the wall. He didn’t have a horngazel, and therefore, no way into to Trollmarket.

That didn’t stop him from trying to punch his way in.

Claire wriggled again, trying to get free, but he just held her tighter, crushing her waist. “Stop it! You’re hurting me!” She turned and looked at him from her awkward vantage point over his shoulder, and could see that his arm was red with blood.

His punches got slower and slower, and his grip on her began to relax. Finally, he let her go.

She landed on her feet, ready to interrogate him, but saw they weren’t out of the woods yet. His eyes were still dilated, but drooped heavily, like he was going to drop any second. He staggered around, reaching out for her, but not with any real direction. One hand came up and grasped at his chest, right over his heart. His breathing was harsh and grating.

“Take a breath breath.” She demanded, “calm down.”

He heaved, throwing up on the cement. There was some remnants of the white powder that had been in his lunch.

She couldn’t even catch him as he collapsed onto the cement.

“Jim…” She knelt at his side. She turned him onto his back, and examined him. His whole body was cold, and his pulse was erratic, faster than she’d ever felt a heartbeat.

“Claire! Claire are you there?!” Walt shouted from the edge of the canal.

“Yes, I’m here! Jim is too! He’s out cold!”

Walt and Toby ran to her, thankful to see that Jim had finally exhausted himself.

“We need to get him to the hospital. Barbara will know how to help him. Or she’ll be able to keep him sedated until we can find out what’s wrong.”

Together, they loaded him in his car and off they went.

Barbara was in the ER when they arrived, ready with a stretcher to take care of him. “Jim! My baby! What happened to him!?”

“We don’t have any clue,” Walter admitted shamefully. “I’m going to try to find out though. And perhaps Blinky will know.”

She felt his pulse as he was talking. “Oh my god, he’s having a heart attack! I need some electrodes on him, stat. Let’s move people!” She called to a nurse.

He was taken back to the ICU, and monitored. Barbara didn’t try to force anyone from the room, since she was worried enough herself. “He’s in ventricular tachycardia. 240 bpm. I need the defibrillator, we need to reset his heart back to a normal rhythm. 200 joules.”

Claire and Toby stood in the corner, holding each other, as the paddles were placed on his chest, and he jolted from the electric shock.

“Again,” Barbara commanded, after listening.

A total of ten shocks, and finally, it seemed that his heart rate had come down to a somewhat normal state.

“Intubate him and get him on 200 mg of labetalol.”

“Are you sure? That’s a lot…” Asked the nurse.

“Jim ate a blender once, he’s going to need a much higher dose.”

“200 mg of labetalol, coming up.”

As the nurse rushed out, Barbara cleaned his bloody hands. With scrutiny, she felt his fingers. “Doesn’t seem like he broke anything, but we’ll get an X-ray once he’s stable.” She spoke calmly, but there was a tremble in her voice.

“Is he going to be okay?”

Barbara jumped for a second. “Oh Claire, I forgot you guys were here. Um, yes, I think so. His heart rate is lowered and he’s breathing a little bit better now.”

“Do you think this is a troll thing? Or is this a human thing?” Asked Toby.

Barbara grimaced. “Well, I don’t want to say anything for sure…but it looks an awful lot like—“

She didn’t finish her thought however, as her phone started going off.

“Oh for the love of mud!” She exasperated, pulling the phone out and answering. “James! What is so important that you have to call every fifteen minutes!? Your son is in the ICU and I have more important things to do than feed you!” She paused, listening to his demands. “No, I don’t know anything a plastic wrapped block on the garbage can. Trash doesn’t go out on Fridays.”

Toby ran at Barbara, grabbed her phone and put it on speaker. “WHAT ABOUT THE BLACK PLASTIC BLOCK!?” He shouted.

“Ow! Jesus! None of your business kid! Why the hell are you asking?”

“Please sir, Jim’s my best friend and something’s really wrong with him! He ate that block for lunch and now—“

“Whoa whoa whoa what?! He ate it?”

“Yes! He thought it was trash!”

“Jesus Christ on a motorbike. You’re telling me…that Jim swallowed…a brick?”

“It wasn’t a brick. It was a white powdery stuff.”

“Not a building brick. A brick! 50,000 dollars worth of blow!?”

“He did what?!” Barbara shrieked.

“That’s what it was! 1 kilo of pure, clean cut cocaine! And our 16 year old monster ate it!”

“Is…is that really bad?” Toby asked sheepishly.

“Uh yeah! A guy like me can sit down a do 4-5 lines in two hours, maybe 2-4 grams, depending on the line. A kilo? A thousand? That’s enough to kill an elephant!”

“You’re dead meat, Lake,” Barbara grit out. “I’m calling the police as soon as Jim is stable. So you’ve got a few hours to vanish. I loved you once, so think of this as an act of mercy.”

“Sorry Babs. Since all of my supply is gone now, thanks to Jim, there would be no evidence. I gotta hide out here for a little while longer. Jim will probably be fine, freak that he is. If not, good riddance.”

Barbara angrily hung up the phone.

Nurses had come in early in the conversation and got to work getting Jim hooked up. Now he was settled, intubated, and breathing normally. His EKG showed an only slightly elevated heart rate.

“If that man doesn’t get out of my house, I’m going to be the one needing labetalol.” She sighed.

“I mean,” One of the nurses spoke up. “We just heard him confess to having a kilogram of cocaine and leaving it somewhere a minor could ingest it. So we could testify.”

Barbara took a deep breath. “Thank you. I am seeing a lawyer to get this all sorted out. But for right now, I’m just worried about my son. With that new information, I think we’ll have to have his stomach pumped.”

“Barbara? He did throw up before he passed out. I think I saw a lot of the cocaine in the vomit.”

“Good, then he didn’t digest all of it. But just to be sure, order a stomach pump, x ray, and 50 mg of prophylaxis for his burns. The worst looks like the back of his neck and his arms.” She touched the scarred tissues, which was rock hard. “I’m not actually sure how to treat these kinds of burns. Blinky might be able to help with that.” She walked up to him, pushing his bangs away from his forehead, and kissed him gently. “My poor little boy. You just can’t catch a break, can you?”

#arcadia or bust #trollhunters #troll!jim #jim lake jr #claire #jim x claire #toby domzalski #fanfiction #trollhunters tales of arcadia

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epickendall · 5 years

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The Summer of Del'goxoth part 12

It has been two weeks since Danny came to Gravity falls under witness protection from the FBI and Danny has been enjoying the most out of his summer. As he and Wendy have been hanging out with each other for almost every day of the week, the two get into their own adventures. Like Danny posses Pizza guy to show Wendy his other powers that have not been seen on TV or on the Internet. Then Wendy took Danny a walk in the forest to find Gnomes and Manotaurs playing Texas Hold 'em for the pize to be a couple of crystals.

Now in the afternoon of Monday, Danny and Wendy were hanging out at Danny house playing Super Smash Bros on Danny Switch in the dining room where Wendy was Three and o against Danny in the game.

"How are so good at this game?" said Danny

"Practices and years of picking Samus for Smash Bros," said Wendy then beat Danny again and then winning again.

"that's it I'm taking a break," Danny putting the controller next to him.

"So Danny, you do know what this week is?"

Danny thinks then answers pop in his head "Summmerween,"

"Yep, are you excited?"

"You bet I cannot wait for Halloween in the summer,"

"So what is your costume going to be Danny?"

"I have not decided, yet I'm stuck on two costumes I wanted to get, but what about you, Wendy what are you going as?"

"Well, I'm going to be a werewolf just like in Teen Wolf,"

"Which Teen Wolf? The movie or the TV show?"

"The Teen Wolf the movie with Micheal J Fox,"

"So how's your costume going to look like?"

"It is I'm going to wear wolves ears; Then I'll get orange fur from a source of mine, then I'm going to use my old clothes to ripped and tear like I was transforming into a werewolf I have the whole design on my phone let me get out,"

Wendy searches for her pockets for her cellphone, but it was not in any of her pockets she checks Danny couch to see if her phone falls between the cushion she looked to see it wasn't.

"Crap,"

"Lost your phone, Wendy,"

"Yeah, I thought I had it with me in my pocket,"

"Where and when you last remember took your phone out Wendy,"

"Let see," Wendy thinks for a second then snap her fingers "I remember I was texting my dad at the Mystery Shack then I help out Soos with fixing a broken window, and I put my phone the crasher counter,"

"So think your phone still there?"

"Probably,"

"So then let's go it then,"

"I don't know Danny it's going to a while to get to the mystery shack since I didn't come here with the Mystery Kart,"

"Oh, then how about I take you?"

"You mean you're going to drive Washington car I don't think he going let you do that Danny,"

"No, I mean I'll just fly you there," Danny grabbed his blonde wig and turned into his ghost form.

"Danny, is it a little risky to flying across town in your alter ego?"

"Not if we are up in the air high enough that no one could see us,"

"I see,"

"So are you ready Wendy,"

"Danny you do not have to do this you know,"

"Wendy you are my friend I want to help you then,"

"If that then" Wendy jumps into Danny's arms and he blushes a bit "then let's go, Ghost boy,"

Danny turn him and Wendy invisible he flies out of the house before yelling at Washington "I'm going out for a minute,"

"You better not get yourself in trouble Danny!" shouted Washington

Danny flies up in the air while carrying Wendy in his arm; he flies so high up that they are above Gravity falls and out of everyone sight from the town he and Wendy switch off being invisible.

"Woah! We are so high up in the air Danny," said Wendy smile and looking down

"I'm guessing you're enjoying the flight so far?" Said Danny smiling as well

"You bet Danny, do you fly this high often?"

"Yeah, back when I kept my powers a secret, but I was like flying this high,"

"Why is that?"

"It just helps me relax if I got stress and felt like I was on a spaceship,"

"I could see why I would love to have the ability to fly get away from some problems and take a break from it,"

"Well you better hold on tight Wendy it might go a little fast getting to the Mystery Shack,"

"No problem Danny,"

Danny flew to the mystery Schack he looked at Wendy to see she was having fun and it reminded him the same expression Sam made when he and Sam did this type of stuff at their height of their relationship. Danny suddenly gets flashes of Sam and him breaking up that made Danny depress for a moment, and Wendy notices.

"Danny, what wrong you looked sad?"

"Oh, Wendy it's nothing remember,"

"What is it Danny cmon you can tell me what's bothering you,"

"See Wendy I used to do this with my EX,"

"You mean Sam Maddison,"

"How did you know?"

"The news and a bunch of Instagram post,"

"Of course,"

"So why did you two break up,"

"Half of it because of my rise of fame and missing important dates that led to our breakup,"

"Oh,"

"I'm Sorry Wendy you probably did not want to hear about me talking about my ex,"

"Its fine dude I have been through my share of a breakup,"

"Really! I would not imagine anyone breaking up with you,"

"Well, my ex try to use some mind tricking song to make me stay as his girlfriend,"

"Your Ex sounds like a dick,"

"He was I was mad at him for a couple of weeks until I forgive me For it. how about you and Sam Danny how is it between the two of you?"

"We're still trying to make being friends again without being awkward and all,"

"For the short time knowing you Danny I think you could do it,"

"Thanks, Wendy, it's mean a lot," Danny smile again.

"No Problem Danny,"

Danny and Wendy arrive at the Mystery Shack Danny were about to change back to his human form until his ghost sense comes out.

"Wendy there is a ghost near us,"

"Really, Danny, there is a ghost near us?" Wendy looked around

"Yeah stay close to me,"

"I got a better Idea then that Danny," Wendy grabs an Ax from a tree stump.

"Wendy I don't think an ax would work against a ghost,"

"Trust me, Danny, it can differently hurt a ghost," Wendy with a determined smile.

"I can't make you change your mind can I Wendy,"

"Nope,"

"Then let's go in the Mystery Shack and get your phone before anything bad can happen,"

Wendy and Danny go to the front door of the Mystery Shack they try to open it, but it was locked Danny phase through the door and opens it from the inside the Mystery Shack was quite dark once Wendy and Danny go further in.

"I'll find the light switch, Danny,"

Danny looks around to see if the place was clear of any ghost and especially if the ghost is Logan Hall trying to get back at Danny. Then Danny gets knockdown when something jumps on the chest he falls to the floor Danny screams. Wendy quickly finds the light switch she turns around once the lights were on to see a small dog, with green fur and wearing a black collar licking Danny face.

"Danny, are you okay! is that dog hurting you?" said Wendy runs over to Danny with Ax in her hands

"I'm all right, Wendy, I actually know this dog," said Danny getting up from the floor holding the dog in his arms.

"You do?"

"Uh huh, Wendy, I introduce you to meet Cujo," Danny hold up the dog Cujo barked happily at Danny tries to lick his face again.

"So is he your dog Danny?"

"Kinda every time he gets out of the ghost world he always comes to me,"

"I guess he misses you back at your home and he came all the way here in Gravity falls to be with you, Danny,"

"It would seem like it, Wendy,"

"if so then Danny can I pet your dog,"

"Sure Wendy maybe he'll like you as well,"

Wendy put the Ax down she pets Cujo who at first was a worry then happy again as he like Wendy petting him and licks her hands.

"It seems he likes me," Wendy kept petting.

"That good I hate to see him turn angry that would be trouble,"

"Why would he get angry turn trouble,"

"He turns into a six-foot angry dog if something pissing him off,"

"Oh.." Wendy stops petting Cujo "it sounds kinda cool though,"

Wendy grabs her phone from the cashier counter she, Danny and Cujo leaves the mystery shack and go back to Danny house unaware that Logan Hall was watching them from afar with an evil grin.

#gravity falls #Danny Phantom

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oldnintendonerd · 6 years

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Pickup Post #11 - Slim Pickins

It is officially that time of year. Off season.

Ugh.

Locked in to nothing but thrifting to find anything. Not necessarily a bad thing, the browsing can be done in a nice heated store, you’re out of the weather. But it does come with it’s limitations, you are sure to never come away with any real amazing deals. The chances of finding that giant box of goodies that says “$10 - Whole box” on it is zero, because it’s a retail location. You find a stack of 10 games you want, you are paying $2.99 times 10 plus tax. Granted the odds of finding a stack that big at one time that you like is also pretty close to nil. But, you can still find some stuff at thrift stores if you happen in at the right time.

Let’s get to it.

The first thing I ran across since the end of the last pickup post was, incredibly, a Dreamcast game. Unfortunately it was not complete, I’ll get that out of the way right now. The manual was not inside. Also missing was the second disc, which, fortunately is only a bonus soundtrack disc, it is not part of the game. At least that means the only game disc is there and it can be played in its entirety.

Grandia II - Found 2017.12.28 at Goodwill

It wasn’t even with the video games, or even with the CDs, it was tossed on the shelf over with the misc electronics. Typically where you’d see a console, or controllers or something. Unfortunately no console or controllers, but this is not a bad find. After grabbing this, I went back to the CD section and combed through it more carefully, just in case there were more that actually did make it into the CD section, and I did find two more games. But they were crappy sports titles that weren’t even worth a few bucks. I can’t stand most sports titles, so I left them. I was buying some CDs that day and had this in a stack of music. She counted down the stack, saw this as a double disc CD and charged me $0.99. Not a bad deal since it wasn’t complete. A buck though? I’ll take it. Great start.

Moving on.

Sealed Wii Fit Plus - Found 2017.12.29 at Goodwill

Sealed games are ALMOST always a good bet, especially if you find them at a Goodwill. This one seemed to be no different. Paid $3.21, and Pricecharting has new priced in at $19.97. More than six times the value. I honestly almost didn’t even check it figuring it would have to be nearly worthless. I mean, it’s WII FIT. Wii Fit. I recently sold a complete in box Wii Fit, with the board (very clean) and a mint copy of the game for $2. The person even had to think about it for a second too. So it is insanely hard to get rid of these in this area. I mean look at the shelf of another Goodwill.

Just thrown around like they are old bathroom scales (hah!). Those have been there for weeks. At $3.99 they don’t move. Apparently the Plus version is a little more valuable though. I’ll take it, it’s hunting money fodder there. Nothing special.

I did run across this guy the same day.

You can even see the Wii Fit Plus box where I set it down to snap a pic of the doll. Did a quick search on my phone, didn’t turn up anything spectacular, there was one on eBay that wasn’t selling, priced at $35 that had the sword and shield. This one, no sword, no shield, and had some significant wear on it. I passed. I’m not one to have a lot of figurines in my collection either. I’m about the games.

Moving on once again.

The holidays came and went. On January 9th I went into the Goodwill that is usually the most lucrative.

From afar I saw a nice stack of Wii games that were not there the last time I was in. Like 18 games. I got excited and hurried over to the shelf.

I was immediately let down.

I posted this on Instagram that day too. Terrible titles. All schlock. I couldn’t believe it. Either they had come in early that day or the day before and had been plucked clean of all the AAA titles (AKA anything First party, Mario, Donkey Kong, etc), or AA titles (AKA third party quality from Sega or Square, that kind of thing), so all that was left was what is in that picture, or the parents just had little kids AND a budget. I mean come on, iCarly? Rudolph? Smurfs? On and on. Cmon, buy ONE good title.

Tucked behind them all though...

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec - Found 2018.01.09 at Goodwill

In very good shape, the reason I bought it was not just that, but it was also complete. I have a copy of this already but it is just the disc and the case, I did not have the manual. The most ideal situation here would have been if this case happened to be empty, they would have given me the case and manual for free. Honestly, I could have taken the disc out, left it in the store, and gotten a free case, but I’m not like that. If I were I could have a crap load of free games. Take the discs out and either pocket them, or put them into other cases and double up the discs. Pay for half the games you buy, walk out of the store with the other half “free cases” and then pop the games back in once outside. They don’t ever check the cases I am buying. But again, I’m not like that. It’s charity, and $3 for a game, especially when you can get them in very good shape like this, is really a good price. Had I bought this game on eBay, a quick search turns up a recently sold copy for $5.97, complete, tested, and shipped. They don’t show the disc so you don’t even know if it would be as nice as the one I got, you just know it should work. I’d rather the hunt, and ultimately, the better price.

Anyway, back to my copy of the game. My current, incomplete copy disc is maybe a B, and this disc is an A-, much better condition. The other copy can be bundled or traded at a later time. Some people don’t care about the manuals. Me, for some reason, I just love handling a copy of a game, and it having that weight of being complete.

Call me weird. Moving on.

Went back a couple days later on the 11th. Found the stack of schlock Wii games drastically reduced in size. Someone else must have had some little kids that could be into those types of games. Who knows. Maybe three remained from the 18. There were a couple added Wii games, including this next one.

I’d actually already found this one at another Goodwill in very mint condition, so I didn’t need a copy, but figured since this one was sealed, I might as well snag it. Sealed usually fetches anywhere from double, on up to quintuple or more of the normal CIB price.

Sealed Wii Play - Found 2018.01.11 at Goodwill

I was right, couldn’t pass up a sealed copy. Pricecharting has it at $5.25 CIB, and $15.99 sealed at time of writing. So about triple price of CIB, and almost exactly quintuple what I paid, of $3.21. Not as good as the payback on Wii Fit Plus, but I’ll take it.

On top of Wii Play, there were several PS2 games that were not there before. Which was exciting at first. But that was quickly dashed when I realized what I was looking at. Probably the tail end of a lot that was brought in the day before, and been picked over already. A lot of the games were even OK (i.e. not Madden games, or other sports schlock), but were left because they were scratched. I mean looks like someone used them for a hockey puck on a sand paper rink scratched. Horrible. There were two Dragonball Z games, and couple others I don’t remember (I will try to start snapping more pics while I’m hunting), but do recall thinking “damn, why do they have to be so scratched!?” Because I probably would have picked them up otherwise.

You really do have to hit these stores daily so as not to miss anything. I just don’t have the time to do that.

I managed to find a copy of Star Wars Battlefront among what was left that was not too scratched, and was fairly confident that my PS2 would be able to play it.

Star Wars Battlefront - Found 2018.01.11 at Goodwill

I’m not a huge fan of the Star Wars franchise in general, but these are pretty well known, and well liked games, for $3, and black label, I figured why not add it to the collection. Case and manual were at least in good shape, and the disc... I’d give it a C+. It does play in my fat SCPH 39001. Also installed to the HDD just fine. So... Winning.

I do have SWBF II in the collection as well, but it isn’t complete, so it is hovering in the void between “in the collection” and “available for bundles or trade”. As I mentioned before, I really only like to have complete games in my disc based games collection, hence why I decided to buy a whole other copy for GT3, just to complete it. Cart based is a little bit too tall of an order to want complete games. The budget just doesn’t allow for it. If I happen to stumble across a decent priced copy of Super Metroid, or Link to the Past complete, and its in nice shape, I’d get it to display. But I’m not seeking them out, its just too much.

Anyway, that’s it for this round. Nothing stellar, but not complete crap either. Which is honestly what I thought these months would bring.

Hopefully get some hunting money back in the bank once I list a couple of these items along with a couple others I have that need to be sold.

Official business. We had $96.09 after I sold the PS2 at the end of the last post. The first find was Grandia II, that was $1.06 after tax taking the total to $95.03. Then Wii Fit Plus takes us down another $3.21 totaling $91.82. After that I picked up GT3 for another $3.21, takes us to $88.61. The sealed Wii Play and Star Wars Battlefront purchase came to another $6.42, which puts the total at still a respectable $82.19.

$82.19 game hunting money remaining.

2018.02.06

#nintendo #wii #star wars #wiifit #wiifitplus #sony #ps2 #playstation2 #wiiplay #starwars #battlefront #battlefront ii #starwarsbattlefront #granturismo3 #zelda #link #sega #dreamcast #grandiaii

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thornburgrealty · 6 years

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Arms and adequate speed senators he dropped

There’s going to be cheap hockey jerseys tweaks. wholesale nfl jerseys free shipping His minutes always be limited because he plays on the Warriors and they like to go small, but his efficiency is elite. },type:application Markus Naslund Jersey Womens ld+json},],styles:,links:},tracks:,os:},assetURL:http: ,referrer:,hideGettyCopyright:false,hideFooterLinks:false,hidePrivacyNotice:false,hideNav:false,hideScores:false,hideShare:false,isFromCnn:false,isEmbedded:false,isSettingCookie:false,pageType:article,currentPage:2670671-meet—the-15-year-old-qb-who-made-cam-newtons-jaw-drop,url:http: articles 2670671-meet—the-15-year-old-qb-who-made-cam-newtons-jaw-drop},user:}; –> Panthers quarterback Cam had heard the stories about . He never showed a whole lot of emotion, but he was truly happy nfl jerseys cheap about that. Id put him top 7. Always smiling. For the second straight , a Kings nfl jerseys cheap rookie earned first-team All-Rookie honors … I apologize if I hurt somebody’s feelings, or I hurt somebody’s thought, Guillen told the writers. , right now it’s nfl jerseys outlet just working hard, making sure everything stays healthy and then three weeks we’ll worry about what we need to worry about. That was , who was drafted out of Pitt with the No. He’s got the credentials, even as a fourth-rounder, and he’s got the mentality that not only fits Arians but Goodwin. We have maybe 50 or 55 coaches come through here the . The tour guide said the Broncos locker room is even nicer, which is hard to imagine because the guest stuff is like the nicest stuff I’ve seen and it is even nicer than this?

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gamethyme · 7 years

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Hitting the Table: <i>Gekido: Bot Battles</i>

Let me start with a heads-up for you: I'm going to say a lot of things that make this sound like a bad game. There are a number of things about this game which deserve criticism. But - and this is a significant but - I still think this is a fun game that is worth having in your collection. At Origins, I spent a lot of time around the CMON booth. It's where a lot of my friends family were. The first game that I demoed in the booth was Gekido: Bot Battles. Remember how Rise of Augustus is often described as "strategy Bingo" when introducing it to a new person? Gekido is "strategy Yahtzee." The game is themed around an arena battle with robots trying to destroy one another. Each turn, you pick your target and then move and attack them. You can also hold your move until after the attack. The arena is only nine spaces, so getting them in range is very rarely a problem. All attacks are melee attacks with a range of "adjacent." To attack, you roll dice. You get a total of three rolls, and can keep as many (or as few) dice as you want after each roll, trying to get specific combinations. After your first roll, you need to lock dice into the attack you want to use. Some attacks have a feedback issue - if, after three rolls, you haven't completed your attack, then you take damage instead. More difficult attacks do more damage. This all seems pretty straightforward so far, right? Now let's add the wrinkle (that also adds most of the problems): There are a ton of ways you can modify the outcomes. As you take damage, you unlock powers. Some powers are simple (take less damage on attacks, for example). Some powers are less-clear ("force an opponent to re-roll their dice"). There are also terrain modifiers for the board. And, of course, there are cards that can be used as part of an attack (or defense). You can only use one power per roll. Keep in mind that each attack can be up to four rolls. And that's where this game introduces Timing Issues. Each attack goes like this:

Attacker rolls dice

Attacker assigns dice to their board to choose an attack

Repeat until either the chosen attack is successful the dice have been rolled three times.

But now we add powers, and the timing of power use is not in the rulebook. There are some powers that let you roll additional dice (or that short your opponent a die for their first roll). Those are clearly played before Step 1. There are other powers that are clearly played after Step 1.

But what happens if I use a card to flip a die and then my opponent wants to force a re-roll? Whose action takes priority, here?

Remember: Each player can only use one power per roll (whether it's the robot's powers, a card, or a board effect).

Suddenly the timing looks like it could be this:

Attacker may activate a power or play a card.

Defender may activate a power or play a card.

Attacker may react to defender play if they did not do so in in Step 1

Roll dice.

Attacker may activate a power or play a card if they did not do so in Steps 1 or 3 above)

Defender may activate a power or play a card if they did not do so in Step 2 above

Attacker may react to Defender play if they have not used a power so far this roll

Attacker assigns dice to their board

Repeat until either the attack is successful or the dice have been rolled three times (four if an "extra re-roll this attack" power was used).

"React" is defined as "may play if the Defender did and may not play if the Defender did not."

Here's the thing, though: This timing sequence isn't spelled out in the rules. Maybe it looks like my nine-step list, only it should say "Defender" where I typed "Attacker." Maybe I need to flip "Defender" and "Attacker" only in steps 1-3 or in steps 5-7. There are four different timing options, there.

This forum thread suggests that the process is:

Defender may activate powers and/or use cards

Attacker may activate powers and/or use cards

Defender may play the "Cancel" card

Roll Dice

Defender may activate powers and/or use cards (if they have not already done so this roll)

Attacker may activate powers and/or use cards (if they have not already done so this roll)

Defender may play the "Cancel" card

Attacker assigns dice to their board

Repeat as needed.

There is still a minor issue with that thread as posted - it doesn't address the "only one power/card per roll" thing with regards to the Defender's cancel option. But that may be just for simplicity's sake in the post. The poster (Sean Jacquemain) is someone I know and trust (he's a former Asmodee Demo Guy, and an all-around great guy).

I may put together a reference with that timing that I can laminate, print out, and keep in the game.

Again, because this bears repeating occasionally while I tear this game apart:

This is a fun game. It is the only board game that we brought home from Origins that was 100% new-to-me. We'd planned to bring Delve home, and there are a few other games that we'll be picking up when they appear at Fantasium (which reminds me: I need to e-mail them to touch base ... ).

The game has a handful of (minor) component-based shortcomings, too.

The floor tiles are blank on the back. Had they been double-sided with different terrain on both front and back, there would have been a wider variety of arena types available. It's a missed opportunity, but not a deal-breaker.

There are only nine floor tiles, and there are a limited number of ways to assemble them into a "legal" arena, because four of those nine are corners and one of them is the center. It's another missed opportunity to make the arena more dynamic and interesting.

The insert is weird. It's plastic-molded to hold the robots perfectly, which is fine, only one robot is on the back of the insert (so you can see it through the window on the back of the box). So you need to remove the insert to put the game away.

The game includes two kinds of dice and there are two spaces in the insert that could be for those dice, but it's really not clear.

There's no space in the insert for the board itself. If the board were a traditional four-fold (or even two-fold) board, that'd be one thing. But when the board is nine separate squares, there really should be a spot for it in the insert.

The insert won't hold sleeved cards. This is a very minor complaint and should be filed under "Eric whining."

Again:

THIS IS A FUN GAME.

I don't buy games I don't enjoy enough to want to play them multiple times.

There is errata for this game (follow that link and scroll down). Honestly, it's very minor. Two boards say "upgrade" when they should say "power" instead. Of course people are complaining about it. Personally? Errata happens. And sometimes you only find rules flaws once a game is in the wild.

So now that all that negativity is out of the way, let's talk about the fun of the game:

Timing issues aside, the game is very simple and easy to learn. You can almost play it with eight-to-ten-year-old children. And there are probably children in that age who could handle it.

The included bot figures are adorable and awesome. Which improves the Kid Appeal.

The dice are brightly-colored, and the player control boards make it clear which faces are opposite one another for purposes of "flip."

The bots themselves not only look different, they also (mostly) play differently, as each bot has a different set of powers and the attacks do different amounts of damage.

Each bot has a "duel" version for two-player games as well. Again, these play differently from the non-duel versions of the same bots.

There are six bots, and the game caps at 4 players. This, combined with the (somewhat) modular board means that it won't be The Same Game every time you play. The fact that there are cards is a further level of randomness to shake things up a bit.

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