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writer-in-theory · 2 years ago

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tell ourselves a good lie—spencer reid

summary: spencer falls for the one person who is untouchable to him: his sponsor. he knows it's a bad idea, but is he willing to take the risk? pairing: spencer reid x gn!reader category: angst with hopeful ending content warnings: 17+ for suggestive scenes and heavy topics, heavy discussions of addiction recovery, past drug use, narcotics anonymous meetings (only mentions going to them), language word count: 4.6k a/n: y'all, i am incredibly proud of this one. things about this topic always mean a lot to me, so i'm thankful for the opportunity to write and share something like this. i know i mentioned it in the content warnings, but take care of yourselves and take caution if you're triggered or sensitive to discussions of past drug use and active recovery, including mentions of na, cravings, etc. this fic was a part of @imagining-in-the-margins 'forbidden love' challenge. thank you so much for putting these together, these challenges seriously boost the creative motivation. also, thank you also for beta-ing this one! thanks for sticking with me everyone, and i can't wait to see what y'all think 💜

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“This is the last time,” Spencer promised against the skin of your neck, hands pressing you to the wall of the rec center storage room. “We can’t do this anymore.”

“Agreed,” you answered, head tilted back as though you were praying to the heavens when really you were begging for more, always more. As Spencer prepared to let you go, his hands held on tight enough to bruise, desperately wishing there could be any other conclusion to this story.

But there wasn’t, so he pressed as close to you as possible and tried to imagine there was another version of him somewhere that got that happy ending he so desperately needed.

There are three key rules stated before every NA meeting Spencer has gone to.

The first, no discussing outside issues during meetings. Though all of them in the group are law enforcement officers, it’s advised that none of them talk case stories while in meetings no matter how much they may want to. Second, confidentiality is key. With so many agents in one room, it would be far too easy for the wrong person to find out someone was present. Absolutely nothing leaves the room after the meeting is over, case closed. And finally, group members should refrain from dating for their first year of sobriety and should never date another group member under any circumstances.

They should’ve been easy to follow.

In fact, Spencer had always been known as a rule-follower. Rules were comforting, easy, and always there no matter what. They were a way to keep his life together when he felt like barely contained shards of glass. When he had no one, he had rules to guide him.

Then he met you.

“I have this old piece of sea glass,” the person beside him said once his second Narcotics Anonymous meeting had ended.

“I’m sorry?” Spencer asked, turning his head to face you as if a visual on the speaker would help contextualize what you’d said.

“You were shuffling those cards through the whole meeting,” you pointed out, pointing out the deck of cards still held loosely in his hands. “You gamble?”

“I used to. I’m actually banned from most casinos in Las Vegas,” Spencer chuckled, a ghost of a smile lingering as he watched his hands cycle through the cards. It felt like ages ago, those college years when he’d paid for schooling and his mother’s room by allowing men far older than he to underestimate him. He used to hate it, the amused glances as he’d enter the space as though no one truly thought he would be able to keep up. It was those amused stares that paid for so many of his meals, though, so he’d learned to be appreciative of them in the end.

“Damn, that bad?”

“That good, really,” he corrected. “Poker can be reduced down to a simple formula, and if you learn that then you’re more statistically likely to win.”

“You card-counted.”

“If you want to word it like that, then yes.”

“I do want to word it like that.” Before your playful grin appeared, Spencer would’ve had no way to tell if you were joking or not. “I’m Y/N.”

“I know.” The moment of hesitation was impossible to miss in your expression, leaving Spencer to scramble and say, “This isn’t my first meeting. I was here a month ago, you spoke at that meeting.”

“Oh,” you mustered up, eyes flitting about as you tried to find the answer in his face, “how long has it been?”

“A month and 8 days,” Spencer answered, and that seemed to be the right thing to say because your expression lit up.

Suddenly your eyes seemed to sparkle and your smile softened as you said, “Well, let’s see it.”

“See what?”

“Your first chip!” you cheered just loud enough for the next group over to hear. Though in his first meeting Spencer had practically sprinted out at the conclusion, this time he was lingering around like everyone else. Everyone here seemed familiar with one another, loudly laughing and joining in joyous conversation that was dichotomous to the struggle that brought them all together.

“Oh, I didn’t, I didn’t get one,” Spencer admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck.

You paused, simply watching him. It really wasn’t long, but your gaze was so piercing Spencer shifted in the uncomfortable metal chair that had been his all meeting. Then, like a wildfire you suddenly jumped into action, leaping up from your chair and waving at him to follow like an impatient child.

“Well, come on.”

“Where are we going?” Spencer asked hesitantly, knowing if you weren’t at an NA meeting for law enforcement officers that he would’ve already shut this idea down. Running off with some random stranger in the middle of the night, not having anyone who knew where he was or when he could be expected back, well that screamed future victim of the people he spent years chasing down.

“To get you a chip,” you answered simply, “c’mon I promise I won’t kidnap you or anything.”

Spencer winced at the wording, but if you noticed it you didn’t say anything. Instead, you softened your gaze and nodded your head in the direction of the exit. He didn’t know why he followed you, just that there was something about the way you looked at him that made him want to know more. You smiled and waved goodbye to nearly everyone on the way out, and Spencer noticed how all of them brightened up the moment they saw you. It reminded him of the way the team used to be before Hankel, before the hydromorphone, the heartbroken glances, and worried whispers, back when there were claps on the back and jokes that made his sides hurt each time he stepped into the office.

“How long have you been going here?” he asked as you led him down the sidewalk in the direction of the city center.

“Here specifically? Only a year, but I’ve been clean for over five.”

Five years. That number didn’t seem real, not when Spencer cried in disbelief and pride when he hit 30 days, not when it took him three tries to get to that point at all. And yet there you were walking beside him in real-time—and while he was watching you with wonder-filled eyes, you were watching a plane soar through the sky with a matching expression.

“What did you...?”

“What does it matter what I used?” you countered gently, glancing at him only briefly to prove you weren’t upset before looking back up at the sky. How you managed to walk without running into anything, Spencer wasn’t sure. Maybe it was because you memorized this path home long ago, or maybe it was the hope that you would be able to catch yourself should any unexpected obstacles crop up.

“Just about everything,” you answered moments later, “it started after an accident. I was driving back home from a crime scene and...well, you know how the story goes.”

“I do,” Spencer answered barely over a whisper, hand gripping his deck of cards a little tighter in his pocket.

Spencer couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent this much time outside. It was a perfect time of year—just cold enough to prevent any uncomfortable humidity but not so much as to make him shiver. It was slightly breezy, moving his hair enough to keep the sweat gathered on the back of his neck from matting it down. Though the detox process had ended weeks ago, Spencer hadn’t quite stopped sweating whenever he thought about all he’d gotten involved in for too long.

“Dilaudid.”

“What?” you asked, completely abandoning the flights overhead to look at him.

“I used Dilaudid. I was trying to forget a case.”

“It didn’t work, did it?” you asked, but hardly waited for an answer before continuing, “I mean, at first it does. Then it stops working and eventually, you just keep using because there’s no reason to stop rather than any purpose it might’ve had before.”

Spencer had gone most of his life not being understood. He was the small kid who was too smart for his own good, too greedy for more knowledge to actually live a ‘typical teen life’. When he’d joined the FBI, he thought this would be the moment he found the people who understood him. But while they were certainly his friends, all of them still treated him like he was Other, the Boy Wonder who was there to figure out everything none of them had. Yet here he was, 30 days sober and never feeling more of a sense of belonging.

This was the feeling he used to dream about as a kid, and all he had to do to get it was attend an NA meeting.

“It’s not much,” you warned as you led Spencer through the doors of an apartment complex not too different from his own. It was older, more worn as it sat deep in the heart of the historic district of the city.

Your apartment was clean, though obviously showed signs of life. A coffee mug sat in the kitchen sink, a jacket tossed over the side of the couch, a record still sitting on the turntable. And though it had been five years since you’d been where he was, Spencer still saw shadows of the living conditions he’d made for himself over the past month of recovery. Ibuprofen bottles decorated every room, always there to ward off the persistent headaches. Though he wasn’t sure, he’d guess that was just about the only medication in the apartment left. There were trinkets scattered around the place—little toys to be picked up and messed with when your fingers were aching to reach for something far worse. Flowers, so many flowers everyone as if to ward off the chemical smell that never seemed to ease despite all the bleach used everywhere.

“I like it here,” Spencer told you finally, following along as you tore through the apartment in search of something. The item you were looking for was found in a drawer in the kitchen, the sort of catch-all drawer that hid everything your heart couldn’t get rid of but your brain no longer needed.

“Spencer.” Your voice took on a much more serious tone, eye glinting as you held up a little yellow chip, inlaid with the words he’d spoken each time a meeting was concluded. “This was my chip when I reached one month of sobriety, given to me by my sponsor at the time. This is a huge accomplishment, and you deserve something to remember it by.”

“It’s only 30 days,” Spencer countered, preferring to keep his eyes on the coin than on your softened gaze.

“And those are some of the toughest you’ll experience. You’ll have to redo these 30 the most out of any, you’ll be more familiar with this chip than any others. It’s important to have it, to remind you that you made it here once, it’s always possible.”

It was true that this chip looked faded, worn in ways Spencer wasn’t sure a piece of metal could ever be. The edges were chipped and scraped, no longer smooth as they’d once been. The face was scuffed, the patterning had worn down as though it had been continuously rubbed by a thumb. This was a chip that had been cherished once, handed down through a long line of sponsors and newcomers who needed that reminder more than the one who’d long since passed their initial thirty for the final time.

“Thank you,” Spencer conceded, rubbing his thumb over that same surface and wondering when the last time you’d found comfort in this coin was.

“Well, I thought it’d be better than those cards, especially since I know you’re a card counter now,” you teased, bumping his arm with your elbow to prove there was no ill-intent in your words.

“I used to do magic tricks when I was scared,” Spencer admitted then, and he didn’t know why he was telling you all of this now. Derek had made a point once to remind him that most people didn’t find magic tricks as fascinating as he did, that people would create a certain image of him if he led with that knowledge. And yet, you already knew the very depths of the darkness that surrounded him now, what harm would magic possibly do to the image you carried of him? “Card tricks, mostly.”

“Why did you stop?” you asked curiously. All night you’d hardly asked direct questions of him, preferring to let Spencer come to you with whatever information he wanted to share. You couldn’t stop yourself now, head tilted to the side as you searched his face again.

If it were anyone else, Spencer might notice how close you still stood to him, how if he moved his hand just an inch forward he’d likely brush your skin. He might shudder at the proximity and step away, if it were anyone else. But it wasn’t, so he stayed, eyes still glued to the chip but his entire focus shifted to you now.

“My hands haven’t stopped shaking, since that case. I thought it was from the drugs at first, but it’s been a month and they won’t stay still. I think he’s taken this away from me too,” Spencer whispered, scared the words might shatter his world if he spoke them any louder.

“The pain will fade,” you started, words like gentle ribbons that floated through the air as you released them. “I can’t say it ever goes away, but the brambles will become littered with flower blooms one day.”

“The thorns will still hurt if they don’t go away,” Spencer countered, struggling to ever imagine a future where this pain didn’t overwhelm his every cell.

“The petals will kiss your scars and make it not so unbearable,” you insisted.

“How do you know?” Spencer begged still, pleading with you to make the world make sense. His expression cracked just like his voice did, and his hands shook from more than the memories. “How could you know?”

He supposed it made sense, that you’d be telling him all of this now. Thousands of people recovered from addiction every day, why couldn’t he be another number in that statistic? Still, all Spencer could see was himself scrambling to pull a syringe out of his bag at work, how jeopardizing the job he’d worked for years to get didn’t once stop him from continuing this habit. If that hadn’t convinced him to properly quit forever, what could you say to convince him otherwise?

“People like us, we all carry thorned vines around.”

It wasn’t long after that you became his sponsor.

It was Spencer’s idea, a suggestion spoken hastily in the diner the two of you always had dinner at after the NA meetings. He didn’t attend every day, nor even every week. The BAU still kept him busy, traveling all over the country and focused on the purest evil in the world. But you were always there when he got home, with another set of flowers to add to his growing collection.

And though Spencer could still swear he smelled the isopropyl he’d cleansed his inner elbow with, the sweet honeyed scent of flowers soon began to take over his apartment. It might someday become too overwhelming a scent for him but for now, it was a reminder. It was the same reminder you texted him while he was away on cases.

The flowers will still grow, no matter how harsh the conditions.

There was still hope for him yet, despite all the pain thrown at him over the past several years.

And as the days got easier, so too did talking to you. Eventually, Spencer felt empty when he wasn’t near you, as though there was a piece of him missing. You spent more time at his apartment than your own, and when Spencer asked if this was normal for sponsors you only gave him a sad smile in return.

Because Spencer wasn’t clueless, he knew this was far beyond the work of a sponsor and their sponsee. When you got up in front of the group to hand him his red two-month chip, the pride and love in your eyes were not that of a mentor.

The kiss you’d shared in the darkness of his apartment was not that, either.

It had been as gentle as the moment shared in your apartment nearly a month prior, lips barely brushing the other as though the touch could break the both of you. Maybe it would, maybe it was this moment after all that would shatter everything you and him had worked for.

Spencer knew it had been a bad idea to kiss you, knew that the supportive relationship the two of you had built together was far more important than the lonely ache beating against his heart.

So he told himself a lie.

“This is the last time,” he had whispered that night, “we can’t do this again.”

And you’d agreed, nodding your head where it rested against his chest. Your hair prickled against his skin there, making him squirm on the bed beside you. “Agreed. This is a bad idea.”

Spencer might have believed you meant it that time if only until the next time he was home and you’d shared his bed again. At some point, he realized he knew the planes of your body as well as he knew his own. You knew his too—you always seemed to know when he needed a gentle touch to guide him through the moment and when he needed someone to grasp tightly to.

“Agreed,” you had promised the heavens two months after the start of it all. You’d re-dressed then, quickly as though Spencer had not spent hours memorizing every inch of you. “That was the last time.”

“Until the next time,” Spencer murmured, mostly to himself as a comfort for the coming days you’d spend apart.

“No.” The word was harsh in the air, spoken with more resolve than either of you had had in these moments together. “This was the last, I mean it this time.”

“You don’t mean it.”

“Spencer.”

It was the same way you’d said it two months ago, that steely resolve enough to still his movements. He held his shirt in his hands as he stood in front of the only one he never tried to hide his scars from. Your eyes never lingered on the crook of his elbow, nor on the various marks other unsubs had left on him. You always looked beyond the brambles, and you had been the one to gently coax the rose blooms out from his heart.

He’d never felt so small under your gaze before, until this very moment.

“We’re better together,” Spencer argued, knowing that in moments, he could lose everything he’d held onto for the past two months. Everything that had made it all worth it, that had helped him push through the rough days and persistent cravings.

“We’re ruining your chance to recover from this, Spencer.”

“What do you mean?” he pressed then, eyes trying to find anything promising in your gaze. There was no sign of a joke there, only shuttered eyes and a trembling lower lip. “You’ve helped me through all of this. I wouldn’t have made it to three months without you.”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” you insisted, tears gathering in those eyes he loved to see sparkle with pride, with love. He hated the love he saw there now, though, the desperate ache of someone who knew they loved something they could no longer have. “I’ve become a part of your recovery, it’s too dangerous for us to continue this. If we ever broke up, if I ever upset you, it could undo everything. Grant me the courage to accept the things I cannot change.”

The words were spoken at the end of every meeting, a prayer to remind them of the importance of a good recovery path. Spencer knew what you were saying, that neither of you could change the situation you were in nor the trainwreck you were quickly hurtling towards. Still, Spencer wasn’t satisfied with that conclusion just yet.

“The courage to change the things I can,” Spencer fought back. It was a rule not to date within the group for a reason, because there was always a risk with these things, but what would he be without the courage to try? It would work for someone, why couldn’t it work for you and him?

But even without reading your mind, Spencer knew what you would say next. Even still, the words hit harshly against his chest, knocking loose the fear he’d tried to keep down. “And the wisdom to know the difference, Spencer.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re scared,” Spencer spit out, hurling the words as harshly as he could muster against someone he used to trust. Someone who, just like all the others, was trying to leave him now when he’d needed them most.

“Of course, I’m scared, Spencer!” you shouted then. “Imagine we do this. Imagine I move in with you, and we date, and you continue earning those chips. What if we have a fight, a bad one like many couples do. What if you lose the person who promised they’d always be a guiding hand through this, huh? You no longer have your sponsor there to call in the middle of the night when you want Dilaudid. I can’t risk being the reason you relapse.”

“You’re worth the risk to me!” Spencer countered, knowing in his heart that your words rung true but desperately trying to block out the sounds for his own sake.

“It’s not to me!”

And there it was, the words he’d never wanted to hear from your lips. You’re not worth it to me. Suddenly the entire future he’d begun to imagine with you crumbled away, leaving him exactly where he’d begun at his first NA meeting: completely, and utterly alone in this world.

“I’m sorry, Spencer, but I think you should find a new sponsor.”

Spencer didn’t say a word, hand wrapped around the two-month chip you’d handed him just a couple of weeks ago. You’d asked if he wanted a new one, but he’d shyly asked if he could have yours instead, only if you wouldn’t need it. You wouldn’t, you promised, so you’d handed him the chip that matched the worn one that had a permanent home in his pocket. He’d thought the irregularities of the chip would irritate him, but his fingers often sought comfort in the knicks and ridges you’d worn into it.

There was no comfort in it now, only a reminder of how quickly things can be abandoned, no longer needed. That chip had pushed you through rough times, had saved you more times than you would ever admit aloud to another soul—and you’d returned the favor by handing it off to someone else when its use had been fulfilled.

Spencer was a lot like that chip, in a way.

Those two weeks to three months were some of the toughest Spencer had been through.

But he’d made it through like he’d made it through all the others before. When you weren’t there to hand him his 90-day chip, John was. He was a good sponsor, always there for midnight calls but never overstepping any boundaries between them. John had also started using to get over a bad case. He understood Spencer’s struggles in the way you never quite had.

Maybe you’d been right after all.

When Spencer had confided in John about what had happened, the older man had laughed and clapped him on the back.

“We all try it once,” he told Spencer, “relationships like that are built on a foundation of nitroglycerine, they always go up in flames eventually.”

It wasn’t until another week had passed that Spencer understood. It was when he returned home after the case in Texas, where another boy traumatized by kids at school sought revenge Spencer had never yearned for.

He was exhausted, so many memories dredged up by it all. Hotch had told him to go to another meeting, but Spencer was too worn for even that. So instead he’d held John’s chip in his hand and made his way back into his apartment—cold, dark, and still covered with so many flowers his place smelled of honeysuckle.

It wasn’t until after his shower and dinner that Spencer found the envelope. It was on the floor by the front door, like someone had slid it under from the other side. There was a shoe print on the left side, evidence that whoever sent it had delivered it before Spencer had gotten home.

He didn’t recognize the handwriting spelling his name on the front, but within the first sentence, he recognized your voice immediately.

Spencer,

I’m sorry we left things how we did. I stand by what I did that night, but it could’ve been said so much better. I had all these beautiful words planned to explain myself, I wanted us to continue being friends after, but then in the moment I looked at you and lost every thought I’d planned. I hurt you, and for that, I will always be sorry.

Not much has changed for me, since then. I’m a sponsor for a person who is my age when I first started this journey. I’m doing a lot better with them than I ever did with you, I think I’m really helping them in a way I couldn’t do for you. I failed you as a sponsor, but I won’t let them down.

But trust me when I say, I never stopped believing in us. We found each other in the worst way, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t meant to be together. Not then, never then, but someday.

You need to find yourself right now, find the things that make this life worth it. What we went through, was too much for any one person. We all have to rediscover ourselves while we recover, and if I were still there with you then I’d be depriving you of that necessity.

Come find me, years down the road when you’re handing your chips off to another soul who needs the comfort more. I’ll be waiting.

-- Y/N

P.S. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to give you this.

Tucked within the letter was a green chip, not quite as worn as the first but still a familiar comfort to warm in his hand all the same. Even now, a surge of joy swelled in Spencer as he imagined you writing this letter, slipping the chip in because you knew he would make it to three months—you always believed that he would survive this, even before he believed in himself. After everything, you still had faith in him.

Maybe John had been wrong, maybe you and he weren’t built from explosives but were simply a plant that needed time and nurturing to flourish.

Someday Spencer would come find you, would sweep you off your feet, and never let you go again. He imagined retiring from the BAU then, going off to the small town you’d found a home in. The two of you would be older, and wouldn’t be completely made from thorns but rather a neat collection of varied flowers collected over the years. The two of you would spend days relearning each other, the right way. There would be happiness for the two of you, someday when the daily fight had eased.

For now, though, Spencer tucked the green chip away in his pocket and headed for bed.

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theyearoftheking · 4 years ago

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Book Thirty-Two: Needful Things

“Why is it that so many people think all the answers are in their wallets?”

When I started this blog, it was kind of funny how life events were lining up with the books I was reading. I finished The Stand just as we were starting to learn about Coronavirus. I read Misery while we were all stuck in quarantine. And this weekend I finished Needful Things just as riots were starting to break out all over the country.

I’m not egotistical enough to think my reading of these books is bringing them to life, but I’m also kind of terrified to crack into The Dome... just sayin. And I guess we did avoid murderous clown shenanigans with It, so maybe it’s just a freaky coincidence. But I might skip Sleeping Beauties just to be safe.

I might have discovered my new favorite Steve book. This was my first time reading Needful Things, and the story captured me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I was immediately reminded of Something Wicked This Way Comes; which my husband admitted to never having read/watched the movie, which is a real tragedy. But the book truly feels like one big piece of Bradbury fan fiction. And I’m not at all mad about that.

Before cracking into Needful Things, I recommend going back and reading Sun Dog, the last novella in Four Past Midnight. Sun Dog brings us back to Castle Rock, Maine, and introduces the characters we explore further in Needful Things. Reading it isn’t mandatory, but it does make for a richer experience. In the introduction to Sun Dog, King explains Needful Things is the last book he’s going to set in Castle Rock (lies). For those keeping count, we’ve got Cujo, The Dead Zone, The Dark Half, and The Body (Stand By Me). All these stories are referenced in Needful Things, and we even find out what happened to our friend Thad Beaumont from The Dark Half. Spoiler: it’s not great.

“By virtue of Thad’s drunken phonecalls, Alan had become an unwilling witness to the crash of Thad’s marriage and the steady erosion of the man’s sanity.”

Additionally, Thad’s wife Liz took the twins and deuced out. I mean... not surprising. I don’t know how one recovers from being stalked by their alter-ego, and having their house busted into by a bunch of sparrows. In case you need a reminder about all the shenanigans and bad luck Castle Rock has endured, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version:

Before I get into the plot of the story, I’m going to issue a Trigger Warning. Needful Things does deal with the suicide of a young boy, as well as the murder of two seperate animals.

Needful Things is a quaint little shop which just opened up in downtown Castle Rock, and it promises oddities and strange little finds. The proprietor of the shop is Leland Gaunt, and he seems to have something for everyone. Everything from aviator sunglasses worn by Elvis, to autographed Sandy Koufax baseball cards, to a splinter believed to have come off Noah’s Ark, to a necklace believed to cure arthritis. Every little oddity in the shop is wildly affordable, but comes with a few strings attached. Gaunt asks a favor, or a “prank” of each patron that comes into the shop.

Slowly but surely, he’s got the entire town feuding. It starts with two old women dueling on a street corner, because one believes the other killed her dog, and the other believes she threw mud on her clean laundry and broke her windows. Gaunt plays on the already growing tensions in town: the Catholic church wanting to have a casino night fundraiser, and the Baptists who are fiercely opposed to the idea. The embezzling city official who parks in the handicapped spot, and the deputy who is pressured by his boss to give him a ticket for it. Before long, these “pranks” and “favors” are adding up, and the town is thrown into a state of chaos. Meanwhile, Leland Gaunt just sits back and smiles.

It falls to Sheriff Alan Pangborn to try and figure out what’s going on in town, and how the riots started. He visits little Sean Rusk in the hospital, who witnessed his older brother Brian commit suicide. Brian had stopped into Needful Things and left with an autographed and personalized Sandy Koufax card, which of course came with a few small strings attached. Brian ends up committing a few acts of vandalism that led to the old lady duel. The guilt eats him alive, and he shoots himself. Sean tells Sheriff Pangborn Brian was acting strange lately, he had caught him mooning over a random, ratty baseball card. NOT the autographed, personalized Sandy Koufax card Brian thought it was... Because, dark magic.

So, Alan starts to get an idea of who is behind the madness plaguing Castle Rock. As his city is looting, rioting and falling down around him, he goes to confront Gaunt with prank snakes in a can. You know... a real prank... not like killing someone’s dog, or ruining their laundry. The snakes take on some kind of magical power, and send Gaunt on his way to Iowa. I speak for all midwestern folk when I say, “God speed to Iowa, Gaunt. That state could use some livening up...”

The book was fantastic; there were so many threads that came together at the end, it was masterful. And I speak for everyone who has bought crazy, random shit off the internet during quarantine... at least my Keds/truffle infused hot sauce/Christian McCaffrey jersey/protein powder/2 liter water bottle didn’t come with any strings attached. Just sayin.

There were two Dark Tower references... at two different points in the book, Steve referred to people battling as, “gunslingers”. No Wisconsin references, and I’m kinda glad. The last thing we need is some Leland Gaunt up in our already messed up state.

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 25

Total Dark Tower References: 25

Book Grade: A+

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

The Talisman: A+

Needful Things: A+

Misery: A+

Different Seasons: A+

It: A+

Four Past Midnight: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

The Drawing of the Three: A-

Nightmares in the Sky: B+

The Dark Half: B+

Skeleton Crew: B+

The Dead Zone: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Running Man: C+

Thinner: C+

Dark Visions: C+

The Eyes of the Dragon: C+

The Long Walk: C+

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Rage: C

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Roadwork: D

Christine: D

The Tommyknockers: D-

I hope everyone stays safe amid the riots and protests, and the ever-looming threat of Coronavirus. I’m one hundred pages into The Wastelands, and it’s the ultimate escape reading for me. Walking into Roland’s ka-tet is like coming back to see old friends. Lovely.

Until next time, long days & pleasant nights,

Rebecca

#stephen king #constant readers #needful things #castle rock #dark tower #ray bradbury #something wicked this way comes #cujo #the dark half #sun dog #the body #stand by me

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mama-m1na · 4 years ago

Text

Apocalypse: Chapter 8

~~~VIII~~~

When the time actually came for the group to start their operation Rhamina was correct in assuming that it was another 'Distract and Attack' mission.

Kiran had somehow arranged for them to perform at the casino that night and even got other members of Yukitara's group to accompany them as a jazz ensemble.

The other three members of Apocalypse would be acting as the group's bodyguards, but when they began performing they would be searching for members of the gang they would be confronting.

"God, this outfit is the shit!" the ravenette chirped as she took a look at herself in the mirror, "I still want to know how Hana got my sizes though."

The outfit consisted of a cropped purple halter top with pleated layers at the front, a matching skirt that had a high slit up the left side which allowed for free movement despite the skirt reaching the floor.

Some of her back and stomach were showing, but the teen still looked pretty classy with her hair down to hide the skin of her back and the jewelry she never took off.

When the time came for them to head off, they rode with Kiran and the rest of their allies in a white limo: which was slightly difficult for Cloud with his buster sword, but he managed.

"Alright," Kiran said as he passed out folders to the three other Apocalypse members, "This is who we believe is going to be showing up tonight, but what you really need to know is their crest. If they have that, then they're fair game."

"Damn, Kiran, this is really fucking detailed," Sierra commented as she looked through the various profiles, "Did you make these yourself?"

Rhamina raised a brow before looking over Kerstin's shoulder to see that the brunette was right, but what caught her eyes was a certain set of information that seemed way too hard to get unless one had followed the targets for a long time.

"Kiran, what exactly have you been up to in the past five years that I haven't seen you?" she asked as she looked up to the older male, "'Cause this seems like the kind of information a professional stalker would sell on the deep web."

Her last statement caused the other members that Kiran brought to bust out laughing as the said male nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"What's so funny?" the eighteen-year-old asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"It's because you made a very specific, but accurate guess," the Korean chuckled, "I've been working as an information broker on the dark web up until I joined this group."

"Aight," the ravenette shrugged as she leaned back into her seat and pulled out her phone to continue reading.

"That's it?"

"I mean, what do you want me to say?" she asked, looking back at her friend, "I've been working in the red light district since I was, thirteen-ish? I have no room to judge you for that shit."

"You've been working in that kind of place since you were thirteen?" one of the other Asian men asked with a raised brow.

"Yep! Went from serving drinks to beating people up for money," the teen explained with a bright smile on her face.

"Fuck yeah, that's one hell of an upgrade!" another one of the men laughed as he reached over to give the girl a high five.

Cloud stayed to himself as the others conversed as he absorbed the information he had just received.

He knew that Rhamina had been working in the red light district since before she met him, but he just couldn't imagine a younger version of the female doing it; especially, not after seeing the child version of the eighteen-year-old.

However, he also knew that she had to have learned her terrifying skills from somewhere; her fighting, her knowledge on the human psychology, and everything else she knew had to have come from some kind of experience.

When they arrived at the casino, the musicians began unloading their instruments as they were greeted by one of the casino employees.

As they were being led inside, Cloud couldn't help but notice how excited the ravenette looked, small clicking noises coming from her every now and then.

"She has a thing for gambling," Sierra explained as they passed the poker tables, the older female's eyes immediately lighting up.

"Don't ever play a serious game with her," Kerstin warned as she leaned in closer to the male, "She's a fucking sadist when it comes to games like that."

Once the group had made it to where they were set to perform, Rhamina turned to her friends and said, "Y'all can go ahead and get started for now, but just be as discreet as you can."

Walking around the casino, Kerstin and Sierra couldn't help but feel a little intimidated and excited while Cloud stayed indifferent.

Many of the members of Apocalypse lived in the middle or lower class of society, so they had never even stepped foot in such an extravagant place like the casino in North City when the world was still functioning.

"Man, Mina was lucky," Kerstin muttered as they passed another restaurant filled with nicely dressed people, "She used to perform in places like this all the time."

Upon seeing Cloud's brows to raise in confusion, Sierra explained what the seventeen-year-old was referring to while they continued walking through the marble halls.

"Professional fan dancers were a very popular form of live entertainment for the rich, so a lot of the time, Mina would be pulled out of school to perform in places like this," the brunette said, "Still made her nervous every time though... Her parents held her to very high standards."

Meanwhile, the ravenette was helping the group set up their electronics and going over the set order and list for the night.

While she was feeling confident in her skills and magic, the teen couldn't help but let her anxiety linger for a bit as she could remember the judgmental stares of her family.

'Shut the fuck up, Mina, you're a boss ass bitch who's doing this for a mission,' she thought to herself as she drank from a water bottle provided to them by the casino staff, 'The opinions of your heavily Asian family don't matter right now. You're basically a gang leader for fuck's sack!'

Despite her individual pep talk, the anxiety refused to leave, but the teen chose to ignore it in favor of looking at their venue.

They were performing in one of the ballrooms that had a stage at the front with multiple tables to the side with an open dance floor in the center.

By the time that the performance was supposed to start, the tables were full and the ravenette could see her companions standing in the back unscathed, but at the closest table to the stage she could see multiple of their targets.

As soon as the drummer finished counting off the first song, Rhamina started spreading her magic over the audience.

The song was of course a sultry jazz song that worked the female's lower range as she swayed to the beat.

It was about a soul who just wanted to have one last passionate night with their lover and as a pure romantic, the ravenette sold it completely as she took the mic and began weaving through some of the tables before returning to the stage for the end of the song.

Through the cheers and applause, the teen watched as many of their targets began to leave their table, leaving an older man alone at the table to continue watching the show.

Locking eyes with Cloud, Rhamina subtly nodded towards the leaving group before the next song started up.

The male followed her gaze and nodded back before getting the other girls to follow them out into the main casino.

As the group finished their set, the man never left, keeping his eyes glued onto the eighteen-year-old who practically ignored it until the show was over.

The group was basically surrounded by others who were telling them what a good job they did in their performance when the man approached her.

"Excuse me, Miss, but I must say that you gave a spectacular performance," he said as the female turned to face him, "You convey emotion well."

"Thank you very much, Mister," the ravenette said as she placed a hand over her heart, "The commentary means a lot."

"There is no need for formalities, you can just call me Robin," the man chuckled as he held his hand out to shake.

"Nice to meet you then, Robin," the female chirped as she took his hand with a smile, "I am called Hasu!"

Upon hearing the teen's performance name, Kiran looked over his shoulder to see the ravenette conversing with one of their targets, holding a thumbs up behind her back.

After a few minutes of talking about some random topic, Robin asked, "Hasu, do you happen to gamble?"

"That would depend on what type of game is being played," she replied with a small smirk, "What did you have in mind?"

"Just a simple game of poker, though I hope instead of gambling with money, you'd be okay with gambling favors," the male suggested, causing the female's heart to race with excitement.

"Raising the stakes are we?" the teen asked, nails digging into her wrists which she held behind her back, "I'm fine with that. That's what makes the game fun."

"So what exactly do you want from me if you win?" the ravenette asked as a casino employee led them to a private poker table.

"Your company for the rest of the night," the male replied as they took their seats, the dealer already shuffling the cards, "And you?"

"The honest answer to a few questions," Rhamina replied as she waited for her cards to be dealt to them, keeping her hands busy by playing with the poker chips.

"That's all you want from me?" Robin asked as they placed their starting bet, "Surely there must be more."

"I can't really think of anything else that I want," the female chuckled with a shrug as she checked her cards.

The game ended in about twenty minutes when the eighteen-year-old had run out of chips and lost the final game.

"Well, it looks like the goddess of luck had blessed you today," the teen sighed as she looked over to see that he had created a royal flush.

"Indeed she had," the male chuckled as they both stood to shake hands, "but I must say that was the most fun I've had in a game of poker, so I must thank you for that."

"I have to say the same," she replied with a bright smile before rolling her left shoulder back, "shall we go, then?"

"Indeed," the older male chuckled as he led the female over to an elevator that led to the attached hotel.

'Those little shits are probably fighting someone right now,' Rhamina thought as the elevator doors opened once again.

It was silent as the male led her down the empty marble hall and she knew something was up, he had lost that playful persona of his.

'That's how we're going to play?' she thought as he opened the door of a darkened hotel room to let her in.

When the lights came on, the room began to fill with a white gas and the teenager had turned around to see Robin in a gas mask.

As her body dropped to the ground, one last thought entered her head.

'Alright then... Let's play...'

About fifteen minutes later, the three other members of Apocalypse had made it to the top floor of the casino to see a very wobbly Rhamina held by two grunts as the older man held a pistol.

"Man, y'all are pretty stupid you know?" she giggled through her slurred speech, almost falling over if it weren't for the two holding onto her.

"So you're the three rats that sought us out?" Robin asked as he stepped forward, causing them to draw their weapons.

"Now, now, now, let's not do anything that might endanger the young lady," the man spoke as he cocked his gun and aimed it at the very giggly girl.

"What the fuck did you do to her?!" Kerstin growled, none of them backing down as the ravenette finally noticed her friends.

"There you guys are!" cooed the eighteen-year-old as she took a few wobbly steps forward, "You wouldn't believe how stupid these guys are, they blabbed about everything we needed!"

Before the teen could continue, the barrel of the pistol was aimed at her face causing a crazed glint to enter her eyes.

"Aw, is my chatter annoying to you?" she asked as she stepped forward so the weapon was resting right up against her forehead.

"What are you going to do? Shoot me? I honestly don't think you're motivated enough," the teen challenged as the three looked over at her in concern.

"What the fuck is she doing?" Sierra muttered as she looked to Kerstin who looked just as confused as her partners.

"I think she's finally lost it," the darkette replied as the older teen kept egging on the older male.

"Just pull the fucking trigger!"

Bang!

The three looked up in shock to see the ravenette completely fine as she held the man's wrist above her head, the gun still smoking towards the ceiling.

"Shame," the teen sighed in her normal tone of voice before she used her other freed hand to take the fun from this shocked grasp and shoot him in the leg.

"Looks like you were too slow," she continued as the two grunts just stared at her as she tossed the rope that was binding her to the side.

"How the hell did you get out?!" one of them asked before she cocked the gun once more with a closed eye smile.

"Y'all suck at tying knots," she replied before crippling them both as well, going to meet her companions who still stared at her in shock.

"Let's go, I know where Yukitara is," the ravenette spoke, ushering them out into the hall before leading them up to the roof, "Kiran should have told Hana already."

"Rhamina, what did they do to you?" Cloud asked, placing a hand on the female's shoulder as she looked to the sky for something.

"They gassed me with something that made my head go fuzzy, but that bang sobered me right up," she quickly explained before spotting a helicopter.

"That's her," Rhamina said as a ladder was lowered, "Come on we've got to go get Yukitara!"

"We're getting him now?" Kerstin asked as Sierra started climbing up the ladder despite all the wind being generated.

"Yep, if we don't, then that gives them a chance to move him," the ravenette explained, "one of them already went to report this, so up you go."

Once Kerstin was up Rhamina turned to Cloud and gestured to the ladder bet he shook his head and said, "I'll go up after you."

"Cloud, I'm wearing a dress," the eighteen-year-old deadpanned and before he could apologize, the female ushered him up, following closely behind.

"Thank you for doing this, Rhamina," Hana spoke from next to the pilot as they flew off to where her father was being held.

"Don't thank us yet," the ravenette spoke as her sibling noticed that the fifteen-year-old only thanked her, "Now we have to do the hard part."

"Not necessarily," the doll spoke as she gripped onto her parasol, " Not if I plan to tear their base to the ground."

"As you wish," Rhamina mused as she leaned back into her seat between Cloud and Sierra, "It is your turn after all."

Rhamina took the time in their flight to close her eyes and just breath.

Admittedly, all she wanted to do was just crash because being drugged wasn't fun, but she had responsibilities.

Her seatmates noticed this as they were quite tired as well, but said nothing and just took the time to rest and check their gear before arriving at a run down building where multiple people were already fighting.

As the helicopter hovered over the building Hana stepped up to the open side and her form radiated magic as she called, "Tower!"

Following her rising hand, a stone tower rose from the center of the building, ending just ten feet below the vehicle.

"Y'all stay here and take a break," Rhamina ordered as the younger girl lept down to her creation, slowly standing up, "Hana and I'll take care of the rest."

The teen then leapt down to the tower before anyone could protest and it began its quick descent into the building.

"Of course the brat is only taking Mina," Kerstin huffed as she looked to the hole left in the base of the opposing gang, "She didn't plan on taking the rest of us did she?"

"What do you mean?" the blond asked as the helicopter merely circled the building, giving them a good view of the fighting.

"Don't tell me that you haven't noticed how attached Hana is to Mina," the darkette said as she looked over to her teammate, "They go way back, but it's kind of fucking annoying."

"Yeah, but she is a force to be reckoned with, especially since Mina is the one who taught her how to use her magic," Sierra countered as she held her hammer between her legs.

"What kind of magic does she use?" Cloud asked as he looked over to the two teenagers next to him.

"She uses tarot magic or basically, she calls upon the spirits of the arcane to help do her bidding," Kerstin explained as she took out her phone.

"Have you noticed that all the people she trains end up being powerhouses?" the brunette asked from her spot.

"Really? Who did she train?" the seventeen-year-old questioned.

"Jessie."

"For real?"

"Yeah," Sierra confirmed as some bullets flew past the helicopter, "That month she spent in L.A. she was training Jessie and now he can kill a fucking dragon on his own."

Upon reaching the room where Yukitara was held, the two girls noticed two things; the man was alive, but he was being held in some sort of crystal.

"Can you take care of it?" the doll asked as the taller female stepped up to the large prism her father was suspended in.

"Of course I can," the ravenette chirped as she brought her hand up to the smooth surface with her hair floating behind her, "This isn't the worst thing I've had to consume you know."

The soft chime of a bell echoed in the room as the crystal began to melt, turning into a black liquid that crawled its way up the arm that was touching it.

Once the crystal was fully gone, Hana stepped forward to wake her father as the eighteen-year-old looked to her arm.

It looked as though the limb had been dyed black from the tips of her fingers up to her elbow, but she merely shrugged.

'I've dealt with worse,' she thought as the man caught sight of her.

"I heard you were out of commission for quite some time, Yukitara," the teen mused, placing her hand on her hip.

"Of course you would come running at the first sign of trouble," the Japanese man chuckled as he placed a large hand on his daughter's head, "Thank you for taking care of my daughter while I was away."

"Now, now. Let's not get things mixed up, I didn't do shit," the ravenette spoke before checking the time, "But we should get y'all home, it's getting late."

As the three Asians ran through the base who's owners were getting utterly destroyed they made it back to the original entry point where Hana once again summoned her tower.

"Looks like they've been having from," Rhamina hissed as she watched a shadow bird try to dive at the helicopter only for it to get shot at by Kerstin.

Upon seeing the tower, the pilot immediately flew over to allow them to board, but before Rhamina got on she pulled out one of her fans and threw it at the monster, severing one of its wings.

"Mina, what happened?" Sierra asked as they noticed her stained limb.

"I took another curse, it should be fully digested in a few houses though," the teen shrugged with a yawn.

"A curse?" Cloud questioned as the teen rested her head on his shoulder, not bothering to move upon seeing how exhausted the girl was.

"Yeah, or any magical ailments really," she muttered lazily, "My soul can break them down and consume them, and it speeds up or slows down depending on how much of my magic is being used."

With the main objective of their mission completed, the helicopter dropped the four off at the hotel before taking the two Yukitaras back to their home.

After taking the rest of the night and most of the next day to take a well deserved break, the four members of Apocalypse, both Yukitaras, and Kiran were taken to a Korean barbecue restaurant that was rented out for them that evening.

The conversation was filled with information on the group known as Scyphozoa; however, the tense subject was eventually broken by Hana.

"Rhamina, didn't you lose a game of poker to the man known as Robin?" the noirette asked before taking a sip of her tea.

"Yeah, I did, why?" the ravenette replied with a raised brow before eating some of the bulgogi she had been looking forward to the whole trip.

"I believe that you said you would dance for us if you lost a game of poker during your stay here," the fifteen-year-old smirked, causing the older female to choke on her food.

"Yeah, you did say that!" Kerstin chirped as she looked to the ravenette who was currently downing her water.

"And what do you know? There's a stage over there," Sierra added, gesturing to the large platform used for live performances.

"You want me to do that now?" Rhamina uttered with wide eyes as the brunette pulled a bluetooth speaker out of her bag.

"Okay, fuck all of you," the eighteen-year-old snapped as she took the speaker and walked up to the stage.

"How exciting, I get to see how much she's improved," mused Kiran as the female hooked up the speaker to her phone and set it to the back of the stage so she could hear it better.

Everyone put their attention on the female as she set at the center of the stage, kneeling in a bow towards the audience with the fan laid out in front of her.

Even if the girl wasn't in costume; Kiran, Hana, and Yukitara could tell that this would be a Japanese styled dance from the way she was set.

A few bars into the music the girl then sat up on her legs before flourishing the closed fan, allowing her gaze to follow the fluid motion.

As she stood up and stepped down the stage she made eye contact with her audience, making sure to keep her movements fluid and delicate.

The teen worked well to keep her movements loose and flowy so that the fan moved like a lead floating in the breeze.

She had excellent control of the fan and its extravagant movements as it blended well into her overall performance.

Even knowing close to nothing of the art form, the members of Apocalypse had to admit that the dance was stunning.

They could see each and every breath of the female took as she kept the soft smile on her face throughout the performance.

When the music ended and the female stood in her ending pose, those sitting at her table gave her a round of applause.

The ravenette then let out a sigh as she went to collect and return Sierra's speaker before saying, "There. Done. I did the thing."

"That was a wonderful performance, Hasu," the older Yukitara chuckled as she returned to their seat next to Kiran, "you should dance more often."

"Thanks, Yukitara, but I really don't have the time for when I have to make sure my kids don't die," Rhamina replied as she turned her attention back to her food.

"You did really good, Hasu," Kiran said as he patted the girl on the back, "You've come a long way since we were kids, you've a lot less tense now."

As the two got into a conversation about her performances, Cloud narrowed his eyes over at the male until a shadow stood over him.

"If you are available, I would like to speak with you outside for a moment," Hana requested in her usual flat tone.

No one paid the pair any mind as the doll led the blond right outside the large windows that gave a view to the table in the middle of the room.

"What did you want?" Cloud asked in a blunt tone as she crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight.

The emotionless female then surprised the male by giving a full, ninety degree, bow as she said, "I would like to personally thank you for helping to save my father."

"I was just following orders," the male shrugged as the female straightened herself out to stand while holding her hands clasped together at her stomach.

"Though that may be true, you still did it, so I thank you nonetheless," the noiret spoke, quickly bowing her head once more.

"Whatever," he sighed as he looked back inside to see Rhamina happily talking to Kiran, lightly shoving him with a smile on her face.

Following his gaze the female inwardly smirked before saying, "Rhamina speaks very highly of you, you know?"

"Huh?"

"She always sees the positive aspects of others she takes care for," Hana explained before letting out a sigh, "I just wish she would do the same for herself."

"What do you mean?" the male asked as he looked back over at the fifteen-year-old, catching the glint of an unknown emotion before it disappeared once more.

"Tell me," she started, looking straight into his bright blue eyes, "in the time that you've known her, have you seen her actually give herself a genuine compliment?"

"And I do not mean those jokes she throws out to give herself an illusion of an inflated ego," the teen clarified as she stepped closer to the man.

Cloud remained silent as he thought back to his interactions with the ravenette and he actually couldn't remember a single instance in which she gave herself genuine praise.

Hana then looked to the older female before saying, "I wish to be able to lead like her someday. I never noticed it much when we were younger, but she had many faces."

"I'm sure you've seen some of them already and I'm sure you've noticed how she has the respect, and in most cases friendships, of everyone in Apocalypse," she continued, stirring memories in the male of Rhamina's many personas, "Even here, not everyone had respect for me or even my father. Do you know how she gained that respect?"

"Not really," the blond admitted, "I never thought about it."

"While many would take being a multiple faced demon as a negative, she has learned to control each one and learned when to wear each one," the noirette explained, "That is how she gained the respect from others. She can read the atmosphere so easily and adjusts herself in response to it."

"Whether she is trying to comfort someone, gain the upper hand, or to even instill fear... she just knows," the fifteen-year-old continued, "I want to be able to lead like her."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Cloud sighed, grateful for the new information on the teen, but still confused as to why she would be revealing it to him.

"So you can get some insight on her true personality," Hana replied as she looked up to the twenty-one-year-old with a small smirk gracing her porcelain features, "Am I wrong to assume that you have taken an interest in Rhamina as a person rather than just simply your employer and boss?"

"What are you getting at?" the male snapped as heat flushed through his usually hardened form.

"No one would be staring at her for that long if they had no interest in her," the female continued as the ravenette looked at the two from her side of the glass, "Though if you really want her attention, you're going to have to be blunt."

"She's always been dense when it came to herself," Hana said as Rhamina stood up from her seat and walked out.

"You two alright?" the eighteen-year-old asked as she walked over, holding her hands behind her back, "You've been out here for awhile."

"Yes, we're fine," the doll replied as she turned to her long time friend, "Cloud and I were just talking about some things."

Now that the two stood side by side, the male noticed the stark contrast between the two females; from their looks, their personalities, and just the way they held themselves.

Despite their many differences, he could also tell they held some similarities as well; they both held a sense of unbreakable loyalty, the drive to become better in all aspects that they could manage, and their care for one another.

Cloud didn't have to know either one of them personally to see that they meant so much to each other.

He was brought back to reality with the sound of light laughter coming from both females.

"What?" he asked, defensively narrowing his eyes at the two.

"It's just that you looked really cute staring off like that," Rhamina explained with a soft smile as Hana used her wrist to hide her smirk at the male's reaction.

"Look at that, Rhamina, you've gone and made your brilliant swordsman flush," the fifteen-year-old teased in response to the bright blush that spread across the ex-SOLDIER's face.

"Hana, hush!" the eighteen-year-old chuckled as she looked away from the male who merely scoffed and began walking past them, towards the door.

"Cloud, wait! I'm sorry!" the ravenette cried as she reached over and latched onto the male's arm, causing him to tense.

"Please don't be mad," she said with her cheek lightly touching his bicep as she wore a lopsided smile with her eyes just looking up at his face.

The male just shook his head and pat her head, earning a happy trill before she let go, allowing everyone to walk back inside.

After everyone finished their very large meal filled with; lots of fun, drinking (mostly Kerstin), and dirty jokes (again, Kerstin) that were not really appreciated by the older Yukitara and Rhamina, they four from the Abyss were driven back to the hotel to pack up their things so they could leave as soon as they woke up the next morning.

As soon as the elevator reached the penthouse everyone started to their rooms, but as the ravenette was walking the world completely blacked out for a moment.

Before she could hit the ground Cloud, who was walking next to her, caught the teen by the shoulders and helped her steady herself.

"Are you okay?" he asked in mild concern as the female brought a hand up to her head.

"Yeah," came her breathy reply as she gave him a small smile, "My head just did something weird, I'm fine though."

"Are you sure?" he asked, keeping a careful hand on her elbow even as she started walking again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she chirped, placing a reassuring hand on top of his, "Just go and pack up, okay?"

Even though he didn't believe her words, the male released her, albeit reluctantly, before he retreated into his own room.

Once the ravenette was back in her room, she tried to brush off what just happened, but still couldn't shake off the looming dread she felt as she packed up her things.

Early the next morning, the four ate breakfast before meeting Hana and her father in the lobby to return the key cards to the penthouse.

"Thank you for letting us stay here," Rhamina said as she gave a bow to the father and daughter, "May your future endeavors be blessed."

"There is no need to thank us, Rhamina," the older male spoke with a chuckle, "You were doing your duty as a leader and an ally."

"Indeed," Hana agreed as the ravenette straightened her posture, "Without all of you, we would have been much less efficient."

"Well, see you guys when the occasion rises again and don't forget to get those deliveries over to us asap," Kerstin spoke before the four made their way over to their vehicles.

Once all of their things were loaded into the van, Sierra got in the driver's seat, Kerstin got into the passenger's seat, and Rhamina got into the second row of seats while Cloud started up his bike.

By the time the group returned to the Abyss the sun was higher in the sky, but it was still morning.

When Rhamina collected her things, they walked back into their building with Cloud since the other two had some other appointments to take care of before settling back in.

"So do you think you have a better feel of the San Diego area now?" the ravenette questioned as they ascended in the elevator.

"Yeah, it's not much bigger than Midgar," he explained before a comfortable silence overtook the pair.

When they exited the elevator on their floor, the two walked over to their doors before pausing to face each other.

"Thanks for coming with us, Cloud, I know I wasn't with you for much of the fighting, but you did good!" the female praised as she gave him a hug.

"Well, I better start unpacking," she sighed as she pulled away, "I've got work later today and it's a Friday, so I'm working late tonight."

~~~Fin. Chapter 8~~~

Masterlist

#Apocalypse #Chapter 8 #Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy VII #FFVII #FFVII Remake #Fanfic #Fanfiction #Cloud Strife #Cloud Strife x OC

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giagomez · 4 years ago

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Brian + Marco take on Rocky Gap 퍼스트카지노 in Maryland #2834

Each Player antes with the option of playing for a progressive jackpot and receives five cards face down. The Dealer gets five cards with one card face up. The Players examine their hands and decide to either fold, forfeiting the ante, or to make an additional bet, doubling the ante. https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=해외안전놀이터추천 At a live casino, the smallest ante bet you’ll find at a Caribbean Stud poker table is likely $5 but there’s a chance you can stumble across a $3 table every now and then. With online Caribbean Stud Poker you will find much lower limits – with the ante even capped at $2.50 in some cases. Casino design—regarded as a psychological exercise—is an intricate process that involves optimising floor plan, décor and atmospherics to encourage gambling. This is a fast-paced and exciting form of bingo typically played in fraternal organizations.

Harrah's Entertainment explains that Profile of the American Casino Gambler is based on two studies: Besides the full-scale casinos, racetrack casinos existed in eleven states: Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. These facilities are racetracks that also offer slot machines. Whether it will remain a popular casino top table game in the United States for long is unpredictable. Andrew Dougherty began making cards in 1842, his earliest cards came out with wrappers decorated with the familiar Eagle, and branded

This also goes for insurance; paying the premium on one’s life insurance is, in effect, a bet that one will die within a specified time. The city of Macau is the only Chinese territory where it is legal to gamble in a casino... and it also happens to be the world's largest gambling city. Many casinos use a loyalty rewards program used to track players' spending habits and target their patrons more effectively, by sending mailings with free slot play and other promotions. In the “Comp Points” page, you’ll learn how casinos reward loyalty in the form of free play, access to VIP rooms, free stays in penthouse suites, and complimentary food and drinks, to name a few things.

Players who have shown they will give the house a shot at their money are treated like royalty. Still standing as a cinema classic, Rain Man features blackjack, casinos, Vegas and card counting all-in-one. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins.This fully custom card deck desin was created by Renáta Farkas with the help of consultant Csongor G Szigeti.

Surprisingly, this doesn’t mean passing your dealer a joint in the casino. Passing your toke to a dealer is a gambling term that refers to tipping the dealer – and it’s good manners in most places, especially when you’ve won the hand. A possible origin for the word is that it’s short for tokens (of appreciation). If a player's first two cards are of the same denomination, such as two jacks or two sixes, they may choose to treat them as two separate hands when their turn comes around. Another game with the poker name, but with a vastly different mode of play, is called Acey-Deucey or Red Dog poker.An important alternative metric is house advantage per roll (rather than per bet), which may be expressed in loss per hour.

The players, each in turn, call for more cards dealt faceup one at a time until they bust or “stand.” Anyone dealt a natural wins immediately unless the dealer is showing an ace or a 10. Of these impacts, the positive benefits (such as increases in earned incomes, improvement of social welfare, and consummation of public facilities) and the negative outcomes (e.g. increase in the prices of goods, rise in crime rates, and expansion of various pollutants) are worth consideration because these events will directly or indirectly influence local residents to a certain degree. This is the earliest point any player could have a valid bingo.This bet is the opposite of the place bet to win and pays off if a 7 is rolled before the specific point number.

The game has a Hall of Fame, filled with the most memorable names from Blackjack. It currently holds 24 members with the 2019 inductee being Rob Reitzen. As the number of rounds increases, the expected loss increases at a much faster rate. This is why it is impossible for a gambler to win in the long term. It is the high ratio of short-term standard deviation to expected loss that fools gamblers into thinking that they can win. Older dealers and players may use the term "Big Red" because craps tables once prominently featured a large red "7" in the center of the layout for the one-roll seven bet. During the comeout, the seven is called "seven, front line winner", frequently followed by "pay the line" and/or "take the don'ts". 온라인카지노 In the casino version, the house is the dealer (a "permanent bank"). In casino play, the dealer remains standing, and the players are seated.

To determine the winning number, a croupier spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track running around the outer edge of the wheel. Some casinos also took the initiative of changing rules to make the game harder to play and win. In 1982, several casinos in Britain began to lose large sums of money at their roulette tables to teams of gamblers from the USA.House rules in American casinos vary.

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major369 · 4 years ago

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GTA Online Is The Casino Rigged? Testing 100 엠카지노 Hands And Results #1468

The payout for making a Flush is cut from 6x your bet to 5x your bet, but all other payouts remain the same. A dealer who busts loses; otherwise, the dealer pays anyone showing a higher count (without busting), and a push occurs for players with a matching total. All cards are collected and taken out of play before the next hand is dealt. The dealer will put an "Off" button on the player's specific bet or bets; this allows the player to keep his chips on the board without a live wager. Twelve is known as "boxcars" because the spots on the two dice that show 6–6 look like schematic drawings of railroad boxcars; it is also called "midnight", referring to twelve o'clock; and also as "double-action field traction", because of the (standard) 2-to-1 pay on Field bets for this roll and the fact that the arrangement of the pips on the two dice, when laid end-to-end, resemble tire tracks.

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The strategy here is never to take a card if there is any chance of going bust. Men (21%) were more likely to participate in table games than were women (9%). Game preference also varied by age; younger gamblers were more likely to prefer table games than were older gamblers. Players should not collect their winnings and betting chips until all bets have been paid. This is to avoid confusion and minimize the chance for players to steal other players' chips. It comes with an extensive history and is a source of income for many people, including professional players.

Casinos that reduce paytables generally have to increase promotions to compensate and attract customers. Most casinos offer clubs that are similar to airline frequent-flyer programs.Bingo is also the basis for online games sold through licensed lotteries. Except for blackjack, which has odds that change continuously as cards are dealt out, casino games are designed with a fixed mathematical edge in favor of the house.

In the early frontier gambling saloons, the house would set the odds on roulette tables at 27 for 1. Therefore, it should be valuable to prudently explore how local residents in Asian regions, particularly those with similar ethnic and cultural heritages, label meanings or viewpoints toward the universal developments of casino gambling.The Chinese played the game using sheets printed with Chinese characters, often the first 80 characters of the Thousand Character Classic, from which the winning characters were selected. A player could never know this, however, given he will only be playing for an hour or two, during which he may hope a large payout will make up for his many losses and then some.

VLTs also began to appear in Western Canada in 1991, with Alberta trialling them during the Calgary Stampede and Klondike Days events before beginning a province-wide program the following year. The Lowe-produced Bingo game had two versions, a 12-card set for $1.00 and a $2.00 set with 24 cards.However, if you hit a large, hand-paid jackpot, and service has been good from a change person, it doesn't hurt to tip. This eventually evolved into the American-style roulette game.

The sum of all the numbers on the roulette wheel (from 0 to 36) is 666, which is the "Number of the Beast". For splitting, the player should always split a pair of aces or 8s; identical ten-cards should not be split, and neither should a pair of 5s, since two 5s are a total of 10, which can be used more effectively in doubling down.Since the 1970s, Montana was the first state, other than Nevada and New Jersey, to legalize machine gaming. If the casino allows a maximum bet of $1,000 on a 35-to-1 straight-up, then on each 17-to-1 split connected to that straight-up, $2,000 may be wagered. Each 8-to-1 corner that covers four numbers) may have $4,000 wagered on it.

The odds bet is generally required to be the table minimum. Player cannot put bet the Don't Pass or Don't Come. Put betting may give a larger house edge over place betting unless the casino offers high odds. Blackjack is the only game offered by casinos, where it is proven that players can beat the dealer on the long term. 우리카지노계열 At 5x odds table, the maximum amount the combined bet can win will always be 6x the amount of the Don't Pass bet. This rare ability to hide the price of a good or service offers an opportunity for casino management to raise the price without notifying the players – if they can get away with it.

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rosettapie42558-blog · 5 years ago

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Chance To Win The Bahamas Trip

There is far greater awareness dedicated to intervention because it pertains to addictive behaviors. While some of the cable television programming that presents such events border on pure exploitation, the programming does help with showing the population a well-staged intervention might be beneficial. Now, most assume that interventions are for all those suffering from alcohol and drug abuse issues. This is not forever the situation because interventions may be done to aid those being affected by an addiction to casino games. They maintain your environment in the rooms easy so that you can allow clients to experience the game and win on their own great sums of cash inside a flux of time. This is the charm of the online version of the games. Their charm is increasing among all players. They are good playing fields for those players. The older players will discover by themselves some with the great offers as well as the new clients could also find by themselves great sign up facilities. The online flash games only have one duty that is certainly to provide through entertainment on the online bingo playing community. This kinds of plays opens many opportunities to the customers. If you have any concerns about wherever and how to use ebet (http://www.sequoiavote.com/ebet/), you can get hold of us at our internet site. They always welcome all clients inspite of what their ages are, sex, or religion. There is no any social barrier along with games. Although blackjack is preferred among professional casino players, it's now become common if you are into online casinos to play it. The popularity on this game has increased combined with the quantity of online casinos and much more and much more people are learning the strategies with this game to learn and win actual money online. Now with live blackjack, you may enjoy the rush and excitement of playing the overall game inside a casino without even moving away from your home. You can also apply advanced gaming strategies including card counting and averaging to enhance your chances of winning online live blackjack. Abroad, almost all of the countries has a more flexible legislation than Italy for your license of the casino. In Slovenia, for example, there are other than 10 casinos; the most important is situated in Nova Gorica. In general, the most famous cities in the world for your casino are Monte Carlo, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Reno. Las Vegas can be called Sin City not merely for the legalized gambling, but also to the chance to find alcohol without notice throughout the day or night, as well as the spread of countless shows for adults. Another item that factors into maintaining an allowance is knowing what your financial allowance is. Playing in a gaming venue with the knowledge you will be investing $200 simply $200 helps you gain an insight into how to work within a low cost. Obviously, you will need to have serious discipline when you are performing this and that is an excellent thing as it will aid in teaching you vital skills needed to be sure your financial budget stays on target.

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eidetic187 · 7 years ago

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post 8 facts about your character and tag eight other characters.

I. Spencer is multilingual

Canonly, he knows Spanish, Russian, Korean, and an African Language which escapes me (i tried looking through his wiki to get the name of it, and it’s not on there). In addition to this, I headcanon that he knows Japanese and Chinese, and @hrdisaster’s oc taught him Gaelic.

II. Reid gambled to help pay for his mother’s medical bills

We know he can count cards, and we know he’s banned from several casinos in Las Vegas Laughlin and Pahrump. Well, he has to get banned somehow, yes? And though he did go to college outside of Nevada, his mom was not put into a sanitarium until he was 18, as he had to send her there himself. If we assume he got one of his PhDs first, and had a FULL RIDE considering his intellect (you can’t tell me universities wouldn’t scramble for a student with 187 IQ and eidetic memory), and he started at 12 and a PhD takes 6 years, we can assume he finished his first degree & then moved back to Vegas and had her admitted. Then, if we add that there is no mention of a gambling habit in canon, i can only assume he would count cards to get money for his mother, as i can’t see any other reason for him to be banned. So i like to think that before he decided to join the FBI, he spent a couple years in Vegas, counting cards and saving the money he won to help pay his mom’s bills. I’d also like to add he knows how to get his money’s worth from machines, too; in Memorium, he wins i believe 2k+ from a machine, and when the woman next to him implies the machine is rigged, he answers that it’s all probability & math. So…he definitely knew how to get more than enough money from cards & machines.

III. Spencer likes to fix up old cars

This is a headcanon born from a conversation with a friend. I think it’s implied in canon that reid doesn’t enjoy driving very much (or at least that he’s not very good at it) Yet, his own car is a classic volvo, and he’s shown bonding with rossi over their love of classic cars. This could just be spencer’s weird aversion to anything modern (dude still doesn’t have a smartphone), but I like to headcanon that he has a think for fixing them up. He does have an engineering degree, so I like to think he has at least some interest/love for machines, especially older ones. I mean, if his car breaks down, not many people in the modern era now how to fix up a classic car. plus who doesn’t enjoy the image of mechanic spencer [eyes emoji]

IV. Spencer is agnostic

Doctor Spencer Reid, owner of 6 college degrees, likes to consider himself a man of science. And until he was 27, he was an atheist. As a man of science he had no reason or proof to believe that any god or other higher being was real. But after dying in Tobias’ shed ever so briefly, and experiencing what he did, he can no longer completely dismiss the existence of an afterlife or higher power. And this is a source of great conflict for him; he can’t explain the light he saw away with just ‘hospital lights,’ as he was in a dark & dirty shed when he died. Yet, as a man of science, he has no reason to believe the teachings of any religion. As a result, he settles for being agnostic; he believes there is a higher power but that there is no way for sure to know anything about it.

V. Spencer loves KDramas

In season 3 we learn that Spencer enjoys american soaps. I like to think that when he learn languages, he consumes the media to learn slang & grammar structure and the like. Someone with an eidetic memory can easily memorize a dictionary, but languages need to be learned in practice as well. You can’t just read a dictionary and then be fluent in a language. Considering he learned korean and likes american soaps…yeah, i feel like he would watch kdramas while learning korean and inevitably fall in love with them lmao.

VI. Not much of a drinker

Spencer’s not real big on consuming alcohol. He’ll drink wine (and maybe a fancy fruity drink) on special occasions, but he likes to drink as little as possible. This is in part due to his past drug addiction; after sobering up and fighting off possible relapses, he likes to stay away from anything addictive. We this especially when he refuses narcotics even in the hospital; no matter the pain he’s in, he refuses any medicine that can spark another addiction. I think this would go for any other type of addictive substance as well; he’s battled addiction once, he doesn’t want to do it again with a different substance. We also see this subtly in canon; in the Tobias episode itself, we see him playing a drinking game with what I assume are friends. However, after the Tobias & drug addiction arc, we rarely see him with alcohol, even when some of the team has alcohol. When he’s in a bar with rossi in season 8/9 (?), he orders an arnold palmer, which CAN be alcoholic, but tends not to be. it’s literally a mixture of lemonade and tea (the alcoholic version tends to be made with vodka so even if this WAS one of the occasions spencer would drink alcohol, i doubt he’d go with vodka so yeah. it was a virgin drink.) In short, spencer will drink on occasion, but he tries to drink as little as possible and he doesn’t drink without reason.

VII. not very sexual

Spencer is, without a doubt. on the asexual spectrum. Considering he hates the unknown, he’d probably search for a label, and he might settle with demisexual – meaning he will experience sexual attraction only after a strong emotional bond has been made. In other words, spencer is not likely to jump in to bed with just anyone, and considering his romantic history, spencer reid is probably still a virgin. The only reason I say probably is because he could have experimented with Ethan in college to try and figure out his sexuality, but i also lean a bit more toward the idea that even if he did experiment, he might not have had full on penetrative sex with someone. And considering the only serious relationship he had in canon was with someone he didn’t mean until the day she died, I think it’s safe for me to assume that spencer is still a virgin and is 100% okay with that fact. Sex is not something he’s dying to have; it’s in the background, a mere possibility if he ever gets into a serious enough relationship with someone to experience sexual attraction.

VIII. eyesight

Spencer has cataracts & wears contacts. The main reason he wears contacts is because of his job; if an unsub were to knock off his glasses in the field, he’d be incredibly vulnerable & find difficulty defending himself. So, he goes for contacts. However, sometimes he can’t be bothered putting them on in the morning, and sometimes they bother his eyes. so he has definitely shown up to work a few times in glasses. He does keep both glasses & contacts in his go bag, and will switch glasses for contacts if he needs to go out in the field.

TAGGED BY: @solucius TAGGING: you do you fam

#;; why would they need to know that ( about )#this took...a long time #but it was fun trying to think of stuff asdjflsdf

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angelinajoliea · 5 years ago

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radio2020stuff-blog · 5 years ago

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common online gambling games

It was 1994 in thе tinу iѕlаnd соuntrу оf Antigua and Bаrbudа, a certain law wаѕ passed whiсh made thе lосаtiоn a lеgаl juriѕdiсtiоn, аllоwing it to issue gаmbling liсеnѕеѕ. Thiѕ law раvеd wау fоr оnlinе gаming аnd until tоdау, most gambling соmраniеѕ wоuld base their buѕinеѕѕ in thе соuntrу to utilize thеir liсеnѕе 사설토토.

Thе gаming software саmе years bеfоrе thе соmmеnсеmеnt оf оnlinе gаming. An Iѕlе on Man-based ѕоftwаrе соmраnу саllеd Miсrоgаming dеvеlореd thе firѕt fullу ореrаtiоnаl оnlinе саѕinо software whiсh gаvе birth tо many оnlinе gambling ѕitеѕ. Whеrеаѕ Crурtоlоgiс, аn оnlinе ѕесuritу software соmраnу, рrоvidеd thе indiѕреnѕаblе ѕоftwаrе which mаdе intеrnеt trаnѕасtiоn ѕаfе, ѕесurе and wоrkаblе. By 1995, the firѕt оnlinе саѕinо wаѕ lаunсhеd.

Likе mаnу thingѕ thаt did not have a ѕmооth start, thе launch оf online gаmbling аlѕо mеt mаnу оbѕtасlеѕ. Onе mаjоr problem it met аlоng the wау wаѕ the lеgаlitу оf thе trаdе. The very idea аnd concept оf оnlinе gаmbling wаѕ орроѕеd аnd rеѕiѕtеd bу mаnу аnd especially in the Unitеd States. Senator Jon Kуl of Arizоnа fоr several times tried tо рrеvеnt American сitizеnѕ frоm gambling оnlinе and also рrоmоtеd аnti-gаmbling саmраignѕ.

Rесеntlу, on September 30, 2006, thе US Congress passed a bill ѕtаting the it is illеgаl for bаnkѕ аnd credit саrd соmраniеѕ to рrосеѕѕ рауmеntѕ from US rеѕidеntѕ tо оnlinе gambling соmраniеѕ. Thiѕ bill later bесаmе a law whiсh President Bush ѕignеd оn October 13.

But аlthоugh оnlinе gаmbling have uр to nоw bееn fought аgаinѕt by mаnу individuals, organizations and еvеn the gоvеrnmеnt, many аrе still сарtivаtеd bу the allure оf thiѕ addiction. Thuѕ despite аll the diѕрutеѕ, supporters аnd рlауеrѕ аrоund thе world аrе hооkеd in раrtiсiраting to оnlinе gambling. Mоѕt common online gаmbling gаmеѕ аrе:

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Online Sроrtѕ Betting, where thеrе аrе a variety оf sporting еvеntѕ thаt a player соuld wаgеr over thе intеrnеt likе fixеd-оddѕ gambling. Wagering оr bеtting could bе dоnе thrоugh Bооkmаkеrѕ, ѕрrеаd bеtting firmѕ аnd bеtting еxсhаngеѕ.

Online bingos are аlѕо аvаilаblе viа thе internet. Alѕо for Mоbilе gаmbling, thеrе аrе nоw developments in thе utilitу of wireless and сеllulаr devices in gаmbling nоtwithѕtаnding thе rаuсоuѕ debates fоr gambling online.

Thе Tор Cаѕinо Gаmbling Games

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Pоkеr

Thе most рорulаr vеrѕiоn of роkеr being played in casinos right now is Tеxаѕ Hоld’еm. Thе рорulаritу оf thiѕ gаmе iѕ said tо bе сrеditеd in a major way tо its еxроѕurе on tеlеviѕiоn, whеrе thоuѕаndѕ аnd реrhарѕ milliоnѕ оf people hаvе wаtсhеd famous сеlеbritiеѕ play Texas Hоld’еm fоr high ѕtаkеѕ. But уоu’ll nееd tо get a lot оf еxреriеnсе playing lоw limit games and learn the ins аnd outs of thiѕ роkеr gаmе before уоu саn consider уоurѕеlf worthy of рlауing in a high ѕtаkеѕ tournament in the саѕinоѕ.

The gаmеѕ уоu may have ѕееn оn television are Nо Limit Tеxаѕ Hоld’еm gаmеѕ. Whаt dоеѕ no limit mean? It means thаt аll thе сhiрѕ саn bе wаgеrеd аt аnу timе a рlауеr wishes. Thiѕ makes for exciting gаmеѕ оn TV, but if you’re a beginner, уоu’rе better оff playing Limit Tеxаѕ Hold’em gаmеѕ firѕt. Thе mоnеу уоu саn bеt оn еасh rоund iѕ limitеd, аnd thе bеtting rоundѕ аrе mоrе соntrоllеd to begin with.

Blасkjасk

Anоthеr popular саrd game that hаѕ bееn аn inѕtitutiоn in саѕinоѕ, blасkjасk саn bе рlауеd with оnе deck, uр to ѕix or even еight dесkѕ оf cards. Thе саrdѕ are held and dеаlt оut bу the dеаlеr during оnе-dесk оr twо-dесk blackjack games, whilе a “shoe” is uѕеd tо deal оut саrdѕ in games using thrее or mоrе dесkѕ. Nоwаdауѕ, though, соntinuоuѕ ѕhuffling mасhinеѕ аrе bеing used in mоrе аnd mоrе casinos. Thеѕе соntinuоuѕ ѕhufflеrѕ саn automatically ѕhufflе аѕ wеll аѕ dеаl out thе cards, mаking it easier аnd more precise for thе dеаlеr tо dеаl саrdѕ tо the players, whilе thwarting аttеmрtѕ аt card counting.

Nо matter hоw mаnу dесkѕ аrе uѕеd, thе bаѕiс рlау rеmаinѕ the same fоr blackjack – beat the dеаlеr. If a рlауеr gеtѕ a highеr соunt than the dеаlеr’ѕ withоut going оvеr 21, уоu win thе rоund. A “bust” means you’ve gоnе over thе соunt of 21 оn уоur hаnd. If thе dеаlеr buѕtѕ, уоu win. If уоu bust, уоu аutоmаtiсаllу lose, whеthеr or not thе dеаlеr busts his hаnd also.

Rоulеttе

Rоulеttе is a сlаѕѕiс gаmе whеrе you try tо predict thе correct numbеr that appears after thе ѕрin оf thе whееl. Aѕidе frоm bеtting on a ѕinglе number, рlауеrѕ аt rоulеttе can also bеt on a соmbinаtiоn of numbеrѕ, wager on the соlоr оf thе winning numbеr, or whether it iѕ gоing to be оdd or еvеn.

Thеrе аrе twо diffеrеnt rоulеttе whееlѕ being рlауеd in casinos еvеrуwhеrе. Onе is the European whееl, which iѕ thе older version. It hаѕ 37 numbered ѕlоtѕ frоm 0 tо 36. The ѕinglе zero ѕlоt mаkеѕ thе hоuѕе еdgе 2.63. The second rоulеttе wheel iѕ thе Amеriсаn оnе, a mоdifiеd vеrѕiоn оf thе Eurореаn whееl. Thiѕ vеrѕiоn hаѕ added a double-zero ѕlоt tо the already-present zеrо, mаking 38 numbеrеd slots аltоgеthеr. Because of that extra dоublе-zеrо ѕlоt, thе house edge inсrеаѕеѕ tо 5.26 whеrеvеr the Amеriсаn whееl iѕ uѕеd

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almaruf-blog · 5 years ago

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common online gambling games

Thе Tор Cаѕinо Gаmbling Games

Pоkеr

Blасkjасk

Rоulеttе

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jackgwe09887869-blog · 6 years ago

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In fact Casinos Are Also Being Constructed

Dragons might swim any day aside from Friday. This is not going to solely ensure that you are able to maintain their account but might also lead to new business via referrals. With a purpose to withdraw your successful amount, you might want to clear your bonus first by assembly the wagering necessities specified. If then your looking for some actually impressed and memorable leisure at your next occasion, then you actually need look no further. You’ll have to download the Bovada poker shopper and begin playing. After registering, you simply begin enjoying without spending a dime. When you choose to only play mobile slots at no cost in a demo mode then you definitely won’t be able to win any money however you will be capable to strive the sport out, not each site provides this function although. Many of the web sites give an equal sum of money as bonus which you deposited of their account. These on line web sites not simply enable you to uncover betting methods and the gambling methods and in addition the strategies to do completely free poker sites. Plus play free online casino in our Huge Blackjack and Slots Tournaments. As you know free slots by IGT usually include many unique options.

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The following Casino games are excluded from this Casino Welcome Bonus and any bets placed on any of those video games is not going to count as a qualifying bet. If you aren't over the age of 18, or are offended by materials related to gambling, please click here to exit. It does take some time to memorize so here is an abridged version that may work almost as properly. Initiated from the very fundamentals, the ball comes from the same place where the game is accepted as well as anticipated to have began. The sport also comes with a wild icon that has the ability to exchange different non particular icons on the game’s reels and paylines to assist gamers obtain a winning combo. If you happen to psychologically hate going bust and concern it - select one other game. Google is apparently going for a more open-source method, which, again, meets their talent and business design. You'll likely be eager about just how lengthy it's going to take so that you can recoup those losses.

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major369 · 4 years ago

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Facts About 온라인현금맞고 Tips #4957

Casinos are a huge source of interesting myths, legends, and stories that almost seem too good to be true. http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=안전공원 Such people often gamble in special rooms, separate from the main casino floor, where the stakes (i.e., the amount bet) can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Casinos have been linked to organised crime, with early casinos in Las Vegas originally dominated by the American Mafia[30][31] and in Macau by Triad syndicates. Due to the high payout rate (RTP) approximately 99.41%, it is also one of the top table games in any casino.

The game was further popularized by Edwin Lowe. While at a traveling carnival near Atlanta in December 1929 the toy merchandiser saw people eagerly playing a game called "Beano" following Ward's rules, with dried beans, a rubber stamp, and cardboard sheets. When you have numerous positive counts, adding the amount of your bet makes sense. Your brain is constantly scanning the world for things that are predictable and meaningful so that it knows what to do next. Each employee also watches for mistakes by the others because of the sometimes large number of bets and frantic pace of the game.

The house advantage or edge (the proportion of the stakes that the casino expects to win on average) of this game is one of the highest of most casino games. $1 Craps only on come out 3.29% per roll, $3.35 per hour, $67.09 per trip Some pachinko parlors may even give out vouchers for groceries at a nearby supermarket. Big 6/8 are unavailable. These bets are equivalent to placing or buying 6 or 8 as points, which have better payout for the same real odds, so Big 6/8 are rarely used and many casinos simply omit them from the layout. Casinos in Atlantic City are even prohibited by law from offering Big 6/8 bets.

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This is orchestrated by the player entering into "battle", where the player, in accordance with the item that machine is based on, must "defeat" a certain enemy or foe in order to earn another kakuhen. Casinos use every trick in the book to separate you from your cash as fast as possible. You may win on occasions, but continual gambling over time will result in losses for you, the gambler.Players wager by choosing numbers ranging from 1 through (usually) 80.

The standard deviation of a simple game like roulette can be calculated using the binomial distribution. The set of the optimal plays for all possible hands is known as "basic strategy" and is highly dependent on the specific rules and even the number of decks used. Good blackjack and Spanish 21 games have house edges below 0.5%. Some older gambling guides tell of a cat-and-mouse game in which the blackjack player uses tips to get the dealer to deal another hand before shuffling when the cards remaining to be dealt are in the player's favor.A pair of 4s should not be split either, as a total of 8 is a good number to draw to.

This rare ability to hide the price of a good or service offers an opportunity for casino management to raise the price without notifying the players – if they can get away with it. There are many variations of video poker. They include Deuces Wild, where a two serves as a wild card; Joker's Wild, where a joker serves as a wild card; Anything's Wild, where the player selects any card (by rank) to act as the wild card before the hand is dealt; pay schedule modification, where four aces with a four or smaller kicker pays an enhanced amount (these games usually have some adjective in the title such as "bonus", "double", or "triple"); and multi-play poker, where the player starts with a base hand, and each additional played hand draws from a different set of cards with the base hand. (Multi-play games are offered in "Triple Play", "Five Play", "Ten Play", "Fifty Play" and "One Hundred Play" versions.) As casinos do not allow any kind of computers, a graphical user interface would be of no usage anyway.Taking vig only on wins lowers house edge. Players may removed or reduce this bet (bet must be at least table minimum) anytime before it loses. Some casinos in Las Vegas allow players to lay table minimum plus vig if desired and win less than table minimum. Lay bet maximums are equal to the table maximum win, so if a player wishes to lay the 4 or 10, he or she may bet twice at amount of the table maximum for the win to be table maximum.

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oldschoolgameshowguy-blog · 7 years ago

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TJW = WTF?

A CBS Classic is Revived But Changes Nearly Everything (And Not In A Good Way)

“From Hollywood…it’s the game where knowledge is king and Lady Luck is queen...”

Sadly, the “knowledge” is largely gone from TBS’s revival of “The Joker’s Wild”, a classic CBS game show that rewarded actual book knowledge with cash and prizes of up to $25,000. Entertainer Snoop Dogg brought back a new version of this Jack Barry vehicle in October of 2017 and for those who remember and loved the original, this one is a huge disappointment. First, though, let me comment on the few plusses the show has.

It’s worth watching the show - once - to see the beautiful new set. Barry would have been proud (even envious). The designers created a stage that’s colorful, lively and engaging. You even hear slot machine sounds like you’d hear in a real casino. The 1990 revival had its own technology-driven machine – three TV monitors where the category wheels would “spin” but they weren’t terribly exciting to watch. At least with modern technology, the new Joker machine is something truly impressive.

Sadly, that’s where the list of positives end for me. There’s so many things about the new version of the show that I disliked upon viewing the premiere. The audience. The questions. The changed flow of play. And most certainly the host. If you’re a fan of Snoop Dogg, you’ll probably hate everything I’m about to say and dismiss me as a “hater”. Fine. But if you don’t know Snoop, you may agree with me.

Snoop’s persona – at least on the show – is that of a drug-friendly casino operator party guy with a streetwise sense of humor. That, of course, is nothing like Jack Barry or, really, any other quiz show emcee of any of the classics. Even Gene Rayburn of legendary “Match Game” fame was wild and wacky without seeming stoned. And I don’t find Snoop’s manner appealing – in the context of a quiz show. As a music performer, not being all there can add to an artist’s charisma. But not for leading a vehicle like this. (Michael Strahan of ABC’s “The $100,000 Pyramid” would have been a finer choice to helm this revival. Frankly, I can think of at least a dozen other people I’d rather had been at the helm of the new “Joker”.)

Snoop is supposed to be the main draw for the show - but with the original, it wasn't about the host. It was about the game, at least for the viewers. Jack Barry was an affable host, like many emcees of the day, but he wasn’t playing a version of himself, and a seedy one at that. He was actually trying to clean up his image, having been implicated in The Quiz Show Scandals of the 1950’s. He needed to be squeaky clean. Luckily, it worked.

A good game show host - to me - knows how to set up tension and the big moments. Snoop seems too high - or high acting - to be tense about anything. It’s all about laughs, money, and that “big-ass” slot machine. If you’re watching a game, as a viewer, you don’t want to be going, “What just happened?”

Snoop has famously said “The Joker’s Wild” was one of his favorite shows growing up, and that he used to watch it with his grandmother. Why was it a favorite? Was it the big money? The set? It looks like that the oversized slot machine what fascinated him because I don’t get the impression it was the intellect displayed by the contestants. I don’t think Snoop would have done so well as a contestant on the CBS original.

The new version of the game is not a general knowledge quiz – at least, as you’d see on “Jeopardy!” with Alex Trebek. (I wish there were more examples of knowledge game shows on American TV but they’ve all but disappeared – American TV producers presume that the average viewer doesn’t find book smarts entertaining. When I was growing up, viewers had more selections – among the better of them, “The Who, What or Where Game” and “College Bowl”. Even shows like “Gambit” or “Hollywood Squares” had questions where viewers could learn something factual.)

On the new version of “Joker” questions are more about streetwise subjects or comedic themes. The category names are too silly to recount here, but I was reminded of the equally frivolous names chosen for categories on the 2000 “Pyramid” revival with Donny Osmond (which I was glad to see bite the dust). Sometimes it’s possible to be too cutesy.

Even the 1990 version with Pat Finn, disappointing as that was, had quiz questions about real topics – they were given as definitions, where the player had to define the person, place or thing Finn read off his cards. The message Snoop’s “Joker” sends is that there's zero value in knowing school subjects or facts. With who made it into the White House in 2016, this show is suitable for a “post-fact” era.

New “Joker” isn’t even the same game structurally. Designed to fit within a single-half hour, with no carry-over champions (even the current incarnation of Family Feud with Steve Harvey lets families stay five days to win a new SUV), this version of “Joker” is a contest to see who can amass the most money during game play, not whether they can reach a particular amount. That dramatically changes the game. There are fewer moments for natural tension. A wrong answer to a question can’t be picked up by an opponent for credit, as in the original version. There is no “final spin” rule if a player reaches the winning amount before players have had an equal number of spins. And a three-Joker spin is lame, as it only counts for $500 towards a daily total. There is no Joker’s Jackpot, no five-game big payoff, and no sizzle associated with getting Jokers anymore, no matter how much the audience joins in with “Joker! Joker!! Joker!!!!”

Speaking of the audience (and the players), in scanning with my eyes, I didn’t see anyone present over the age of 30. Just a soundstage full of twenty-somethings. Snoop is probably the oldest person on that stage. The original “Joker” wasn’t so narrow in its appeal, and that might have been part of the reason it was a classic – you could see students, fathers, mothers, teachers, artists, young adults, older adults, everyone. It seems that Snoop’s version of the show basically says, “If you ain’t a club kid, or you don’t dig me, you too old.” I think lots of college students across the country who tune in “Jeopardy!” daily would disagree. (I was also non-plussed by the standing ovation at the beginning of the show – I remember when standing ovations had to be earned.)

If you ran the original CBS version of “Joker” now, it wouldn't connect with Snoop’s target audience on the TBS version, because that target audience doesn't value book knowledge – at least not in this arena. Get outta here, nerds – you’re not wanted here.

I am also not a fan of “lovely assistants” unless they “work.” It seems that these days, a female assistant (it’s always gotta be a female) is comely and attractive but doesn’t necessarily have much in the way of personality. Catch 21’s Nikki was pretty but bland also. The last show with a “lovely assistant” I could handle was “Wheel of Fortune” - Vanna White may be long in the tooth, but she has depth and seems more real. On the original CBS version, Jack handled the entire show, solo – and even the 1990 revival with Pat Finn was a single-star affair.

How could this version of “Joker” ever have been green-lighted for production? Simple - times have changed. Broadcasters and production companies are greedier than ever, and ever eager to push the envelope to get a new generation of viewers, and the eyeballs advertisers covet. I suppose some of that is to be expected, but taste seems to have been lost with it. And it borders on sacrilege to take an old brand and put something else entirely with it - it’s just wrong.

“The Joker’s Wild” was never intended to be a comedy game show. There have been other game shows that were expressly designed as humor vehicles - “Make Me Laugh”, “The Hollywood Squares”, “The Gong Show”, “Match Game”, “Every Second Counts”, “Can You Top This?” - but taking a venerated quiz and turning it into a comedy vehicle isn't a good idea. If I had my way, this show would have been called something else.

Another part of the problem is that the industry itself has changed since the 1970s - indeed, the concept of entertainment is more than TV and radio - and producers, accountants and suits are greedier than ever, wanting a guaranteed success. Most folk under 30 now have TV, streaming music, social media, gaming consoles, and dating/hookup apps to entertain themselves. And so TV has to have bigger and bigger spectacles to push the envelope – witness, a game show with open drug references (“420”).

And then you have what I could call “new generation” producers – folks whose interest is in leaving their own mark on a classic genre rather than respecting what made the genre work – it’s all about them. I have seen revivals come and go in recent years, but they never stay. They all have to be edgy. They all have to be “explicit”. They all have to be bawdy. I dare one game show packager out there to bring back a classic (I’m thinking “The Big Showdown” from ABC) without retooling every g’damned thing from top to bottom for an exclusive 18 to 24 aged demographic. If I had the independent wealth and connections, I’d do it myself but...here I sit, typing a blog instead.

Richard Kline’s company tried to redo “Joker” in 1990 by changing nearly everything and it was a flop – only after several months in did they try to retool the game with classic “Joker” rules, but it was too late then. However, having seen this new “Joker”, that ‘90 version is no longer the worst.

TBS is a cable channel so they can show offerings like this. I just cannot imagine CBS running this - except as a gag. If Snoop’s “Joker” gains traction, look for an SNL parody one of these coming weekends.

If you wanted to have a game show in a night club - and all that implies - you'd get Snoop’s reboot of “The Joker’s Wild”. With the exception of the beautiful new set, there is little that a fan of the original CBS “Joker” will enjoy. “Jeopardy!” or quiz show fans can rightfully wince. And TBS? Nice gimmick, guys, but you better promote the hell out of this show to your millennial “base” to make it a commercial success.

Meantime, I will stick to reruns of the classic CBS show on You Tube.

GRADE: F

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