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[Share] My Collection Index (646GB)
Sharing my library. It's a mixed bag, from some truly atrocious quality to some hi-res titles. I don't have a huge online storage as I'll just be using the free Mega account (It just went down to 15GB from 50GB). Please comment on any specific titles you'd like me to upload and I'll reply with the link once uploaded. -If there's no quality specified in [], then it's 16/44.1 -Sample rate is only listed when it's higher than 44.1/48 -[16 or 24] is 16-bit or 24-bit -[When this # is 3 digits] Indicates MP3 and the number is kbps -[96] MP3 at 96kbps, stay away from these. I told you it's a mixed bag lol 2 Chainz - Based on a T.R.U. Story 2 Pac - 2Pacalypse Now, Strictly 4 My NIGGAZ, Me Against the World, All Eyez on Me, Americaz Most Wanted 8 Mile Original Soundtrack 8Ball - Lost 21 Savage - Slaughter King [320], Savage Mode, Savage Mode II [24] 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin', The Massacre 112 - 112, Room 112 A Boogie wit da Hoodie - The Bigger Artist [256], Artist 2.0 [24] A Great Big World - Is There Anybody Out There? [320] A$AP Ferg - Furious Ferg A$AP Rocky - Live.Love. ASAP, Long. Live. ASAP Aaryan Shah - In the Making, The Arrival: Part II [24] Ace Hood [320] - Studio Album: Gutta, Ruthless, Blood Sweat and Tears, Trials & Tribulations Mixtape: Ace Won't Fold, All Bets on Ace, Final Warning, Street Certified, The Preview, I Do It.. For the Sport, The Statement, Body Bag Vol.1, Sex Chronicles, The Statement 2, Body Bag Vol.2, Starvation, Starvation II ACG: .hack_Sign OST 1+2 [320] Castlevania - Akumajo Dracula Best Music Collections Box Curse of Darkness - Prelude of Revenge Harmony of Despair Lament of Innocence Lament of Innocence Limited Edition Music Sampler Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate Symphony of the Night Death Note OST 1+2+3 [320] Detective Conan OST 3 Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy VII OST Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks Final Fantasy VII Remake Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy X Gensomaden Saiyuki - OST, Single Collection Guilty Gear X - Heavy Rock Tracks, Rising Force of Gear Image Vocal Tracks Guilty Gear XX OST Guilty Gear XX - Sound Alive/A.S.H. Hikaru no Go - Theme Song Selection Howl's Moving Castle - OST, Symphony Suite [320] Hunter x Hunter - OST 1+2+3, The Last Mission Joe Hisaishi - Dream Songs/The Essential Joe Hisaishi Koudelka Legend of Mana [320] Madlax My-HiME - OST 1+2 Neon Genesis Evangelion - Single Collection NieR:Automata Noir - OST 1+2+3 Ragnarok Online Complete Soundtrack Rurouni Kenshin - OST 1 [320], OST 2+3+4, CD BOX [320], Director's Collection, Premium Collection, Songs, The Best Theme Collection Shaman King - Comics Image Album, Melody of the Spirits, Osorezan Revoir ~au revoir~, Osorezan Revoir ~prologue to shaman~, Single Vocal Album, Vocal on Parade!! Slayers TRY Treasure BGM Spirited Away [320] The Legend of Zelda - Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time Tsubasa Chronicle - OST 1+2+3+4 Yu-Gi-Oh! Theme Song Single Collection Z.O.E. - Zone of the Enders, Anubis: Zone of the Enders Zenki - Character Song Collection 2, OST 2 Raigou Shourin!! 軒轅劍三外傳:天之痕 - 三個人的時光 風色幻想 - 1+SP+2+3+4+5 Adam Ben Ezra - Discography Adam Lambert - Trespassing Adam Lopez - The Popera, Showstopper, Till the End of Time Adele - 21 Afek-T - Les brumes Agnes Obel - Philharmonics, Aventine, Citizen of Glass [24], Myopia [24] Akon - Trouble Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls [320], Sound & Color [192~320] Alejandro Fernández - de noche - clasicos a mi manera, Confidencias [320] Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor Aloe Blacc - Shine Through, Good Things, Lift Your Spirit Amber Run - 5am [320], For a Moment I Was Lost [320] Amy Winehouse - Frank [160~320], Back to Black [196~246], Lioness: Hidden Treasures [320] Andrea Bocelli - Romanza, Verdi Angra - Discography (1992 - 2010)[160~231] Anita Baker - Rhythm of Love Anthony Ramos - The Freedom EP, The Good & The Bad Ariana Grande - My Everything [24], Dangerous Woman [24], Sweetener [320], Thank U, Next [24] Arvo Part - Various works Aurora - Discography (2015-2019)[24, except Infections of a Different Kind which is in 320] AZ - Do or Die Az Yet - Az Yet [320] Babyface - The Day Bad Meets Evil - Hell: The Sequel Ballet Class Music [320] Banks - Discography (2014-2019)[16~24] Basso Profondo from Old Russia Belly [320] - Another Day in Paradise, Inzombia, Mumble Rap Beyoncé - 4, Beyoncé, Lemonade Bilal - 1st Born Second Bill Evans Trio [320] - Explorations, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Waltz for Debby Bill Withers - Lovely Day: The Very Best of Bill Withers Billie Eilish - Discography Birdy - Discography [320] Bishop Briggs - EP [320], Church of Scars, Champions [24] Black Hill - Discography (2014-2019)[16~24]
Stvannyr - Secrets of the runes
Black Panther - Original Score [24], The Album [24], Wakanda Remixed [16] Blindspotting - The Collins EP [320], The Miles EP [320] Bloom - Sinses [320] Blue - All Rise Bob Marley & The Wailers - Legend Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Creepin on ah Come Up EP Brent Faiyaz - A.M. Paradox EP, Sonder Son, Lost EP, Fuck the World Bruno Mars - Discography (2010-2016) Busta Rhymes - The Coming Call Me By Your Name OST Camila Cabello - Romance Cardi B - Gangsta Bitch Music Vol.1 [128], UnderEstimated - The Tour Album [128], GBMV2 [128], Invasion of Privacy Carolina Eyck [320] - Theremin, Waves Case - Open Letter Céline Dion - All the Way.. A Decade of Song, Courage Charlotte Cardin - Big Boy EP, Main Girl EP Charlotte Cardinale - Florescentia Chase Holfelder - Major to Minor (Vol. 1) Chet Faker - Thinking in Textures, Built on Glass [320], Lockjaw Childish Gambino - Camp, Because the Internet, 3.15.20 Chingy - Jackpot Chloe x Halle [24] - Sugar Symphony EP, The Kids Are Alright, Ungodly Hour Choral: Aliqua, Chor Leoni Men's Choir Discography, Christmas with The Princeton Singers, The Manitou Singers - Repertoire for Women's Voices, Vol. 2 Christina Aguilera - Christina Aguilera [320], Stripped, Back to Basics, Bionic, Lotus [320], Liberation [24] Cirque du Soleil - Discography (1992-2015)[128~320, 3 albums in 16] Clann - Kin Fables, Seelie Classical: 100 Great Symphonies Bach - Selected Organ Works, The Famous Cantatas, The Six Motets Beethoven - Complete String Quartets, Piano Sonata No.8 op.13 'Pathetique', Piano Sonata No.14 op.27 'Moonlight', Piano Sonata No.23 op.57 'Appassionata' Brahms - Brahms on Life and Love, Requiem, Symphony No.1 Bruckner - Te Deum Chopin Complete Piano Music [192] Dvořák - Mass in D, Requiem, Symphony No.7+8+9 Fauré - Requiem Glazunov - Violin Concerto in Am op.82 Grieg - Piano Concerto op.16 in Am Liszt - 10 Hungarian Rhapsodies, Piano Works Mendelssohn - Symphony No.4, Violin Concerto in Em Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A, Concerto in C for Flute, Harp, Orchestra, Horn Concerto No.4, Piano Concerto No.20, Piano Concerto No.21, Requiem Paganini - Salvatore Accardo plays Paganini's Guarneri del Gesu 1742 Schubert - Piano Sonata No.14+19 Schumann - Piano Concerto op.54 in Am Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, The Symphonies [192] Verdi - Requiem Vivaldi - Concerto in C for Violin and Double Orchestra, Concerto in D for Violin and Double Orchestra, The Four Seasons clipping - CLPPNG [24], There Existed an Addiction to Blood Coco OST Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise Corey Payette - Children of God, Les Filles du Roi Craig David - Born to Do It Curtis Clearsky and the Constellationz - Indigifunk D12 - Devil's Night, D12 World Daley - Those Who Wait [192], Days & Night [320], The Spectrum [320] D'Angelo - Brown Suger, Black Messiah [24/96] Darren Hayes - Spin Daveed Diggs - Small THings to a Giant, Seven Nights in Chicago [320] David Morin - Every Colour Deen Squad Mixtape 2015 [320] Destino - Forte, Beginning Again Destiny's Child - Destiny's Child, #1s Disclosure - Caracal DJ Danger Mouse - The Grey Album DJ Drama - Quality Street Music 2 Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No.1+2+3+4+5+6+8+9+12+14+15, Violin Concerto No.1 DMX - It's Dark and Hell is Hot, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, ...And Then There Was X Dr. Dre - 2001, Compton Drake - So Far Gone [320], Thank Me Later [320], Take Care [320], Nothing Was the Same [320], If You're Reading This It's Too Late Dream Theater - Discography (1989-2019)[16~24/96] Dream Warriors - Subliminal Simulation Dru Hill - Dru Hill, Enter the Dru Dumbfoundead - We Might Die [320], Inside/Outside [24] Dylan Brady - All I Every Wanted, Choker [128], Dog Show [128] Eagles - Hotel California Eazy-E - It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, Eternal E Elijah Blake - Bijoux 22 [128], Drift [253~276], Shadows & Diamonds [320], Blueberry Vapors [320] Eminem - The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, Encore En Vogue - Funky Divas ES Posthumus - Unearthed [320] Evanescence - Discography (2003-2017)[16~24] Fantastic Negrito [320] - The Last Days of Oakland, Please Don't Be Dead Far East Movement - Free Wired FKA Twigs - LP1, Magdalene Flipsyde - Discography (2005-2012)[128~320] Florence + the Machine - Discography (2009-2018)[16~24/96] Flume - Skin [24] For vance - From Muscle Shoals [24] Frank Ocean - Discography (2011-2016)[16~24] Frank Sinatra - Ultimate Sinatra Frozen OST Fugees - The Score Future - Beast Mode [24], Future [24/96] Gallant - Zebra [320] Game of Thrones - S1-8 OST, Various Orchestra Albums, For the Throne Ghost - Meliora [24] Ginuwine - Ginuwine... The Bachelor, 100% Ginuwine Gorillaz - Gorillaz [24], Demon Days [24], Plastic Beach [24], Humanz [24/96] Grace VanderWaal [24] - Perfectly Imperfect, Just the Beginning Guru - Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 GZA - Liquid Swords Hamilton: An Americal Musical - Cast Recording, Hamildrops, Instrumentals, The Hamilton Mixtape Hans Zimmer - The Dark Knight [24/96], Inception [24][5.1], The Dark Knight Rises [24], Intersteller [24], The Classics [24/96] Harry Potter OST Hercules [192] Higher Brothers - Black Cab, Five Stars Hozier - Discography (2013-2019)[16~24] Igorrr - Hallelujah [320] Il Divo - Discography (2004-2018, except A Musical Affair)(320~16] In tha Beginning... There Was Rap Ingrid Michaelson - Discography (2005-2014) J.S. Ondara - Tales of America (The Second Coming) [24/192], Folk n' Roll Vol.1: Tales of Isolation [24] Jacques Loussier Trio - Vivaldi- The Four Seasons James Blake - Discography (2011-2019) James Vincent McMorrow [320] - Early in the Morning, Post Tropical Janelle Monáe - Discography (2010-2018)[16~24], Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase) EP Janne - Meeting the Wolf EP Jay-Z - Discography (1996-2017)[16~24] Jeremy Dutcher - Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa [320] Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure? [24] Jhené Aiko - Chilombo [24/96] Jimi Hendrix - Experience Hendrix- The Best of Jimi Hendrix JMSN [320] - Priscilla, Pllajë, JMSN Joe - All That I Am, My Name is Joe John Coltrane - Both Directions at Once/The Lost Album John Legend - Discography (2005-2016)[320~16] Jon Mcxro - The Fifth of Never [287~310] José Tomás Molina - Discography (2014-2019)[16~24] Josh Groban - Discography (2001-2015)[320, except Stages in 16] Joss Stone - Introducing... Joss Stone Juice OST Justin Timberlake - Discography (2002-2013)[16~24] k.d. lang - Ingénue, Invincible Summer Kadebostany - Pop Collection Kanye West - Discography (2003-2019)[320-24] Kendrick Lamar - Discography (2011-2017) Kerry Muzzey - Trailer Music 3, The Architect, Trailer Music 4: Neo Kid Cudi - Discography (2008-2013) Kiel Magis - Kiel Magis Kieran Fearing - Reprieve Kieran Martin Murphy - The Painter's Hand, Theatrics Korean: DJ Doc - 4th Album eAeon - Guilt-Free H.O.T. - We hate all kinds of violence, I yah!, Age of Peace OST, Outside Castle, The Best Rain - First Drop Shinhwa - First Mythology, My Choice, Wedding k-os - Exit, Joyful Rebellion, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco Krizz Kaliko - Son of Same [239~270], Go [320] Kwabs [157~246] - Wrong or Right, Pray for Love, Walk La La Land - The Complete Musical Experience [24] La Quinta Estación - Sin Frenos [192] Ladysmith Black Mambazo [192~257] - The Very Best of Lana Del Rey - Discography (2012-2019)[16~24] Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Le Flow - The Definitive French Hip Hop Compilation Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares - Vol.1+2 [320] Le mystère des voix Corses - les plus belles polyphonies [320] Led Zeppelin - Discography (1969-1982), Remasters [24/96] Lenny Kravitz - Greatest Hits Leonard Cohen - The Future Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien - The High Road to Kilkenny Leslie Odom Jr. - Leslie Odom Jr. [24], Mr. Lhasa de Sela - La Llorona [320] Lil Dicky - Hump Days [256], So Hard [320], Professional Rapper [128] Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake Linkin Park - Discography (2000-2017)[16~24/96] Lionel Richie - Back to Front Loïc Nottet - Selfocracy [320] London Grammar - If You Wait [24/96], This is a Beautiful Thing [24] LP - Lost on You [320] Ludacris - Chicken-Beer, Release Therapy Ludovico Einaudi - Echoes: The Einaudi Collection, Divenire [320], Nightbook, Islands: Essential Einaudi [320], Elements [320], Seven Days Walking [24] Luniz - Operation Stackola Mac Miller - Circles [24] Madredeus - Various albums (1987-2005)[128~320] MAGIC! - Don't Kill the Magic [320] Maksim - Discography (1999-2010)[320, except 2 albums in 16] Mandarin: 5566 - 1st Album Energy - E3, 無懈可擊, 米迦勒之舞 F4 - 煙火的季節 IPIS 蟑螂 - 第四蟑 RuRu - 美麗心情 S.H.E. - 青春株式會社, 美麗新世界, Together 不能說的秘密 OST [148~224] 伍佰 - 夢的河流, 冬之火 九重天演唱會特選錄音專輯 伍思凱 - 分享 南拳媽媽 - 南拳媽媽的夏天 周杰倫 - Discography (2000-2004)[16 except 同名專輯 in 320] 宋岳庭 - Life's a Struggle 張信哲 - 精選, 從開始到現在 張學友 - 走過1999, 張學友音樂之旅Live演唱會 張智成 - 凌晨三點鐘 張衛健 - 齊天大聖孫悟空 徐婕兒 - 愛之初 戴佩妮 - 怎樣 手牽手大合唱 林俊傑 - 樂行者, 第二天堂 海豚灣戀人 OST 王心凌 - Begin... 臥虎藏龍 (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) OST 范逸臣 - 同名專輯 蔡依林 - 看我72變, 城堡 薔薇之戀 OST 許慧欣 - 孤單芭蕾, 幸福 謝霆鋒 - VIVA, 了解, Viva Live 謝霆鋒演唱會 郭富城 - 目眩城迷 全精選 陳冠希 - Edison Chen 陳小春 - 抱一抱, That's Mine Mandido - Time on Our Hands Marc Anthony - Discography (1993-2013)[320] Marian Hill - Act One [24], Unusual Mario Frangoulis - Various Albums (1998-2014)[128~320] Marques Houston - MH Mase - Harlem World Master P - Ghetto D Max Richter - Discography (2002-2020)[16~24/96] MC 900 ft. Jesus - Welcome to My Dream, Open Step Ahead of the Spider Meek Mill - Dreams Worth More Than Money [24], Championships Metallica - Discography (Remastered)(1983-2020)[24] Metro Boomin - Not All Heroes Wear Capes [320] Miah Luz - The Coming LP Michael Bolton - Only a Woman Like You [320] Michael Bublé - Discography (1995-2013)[96~320] Michael Conway Baker - Four Musical Portraits Michael Jackson - Discography (1972-2014)[320 except Invincible in 16] Migos - Discography (2015-2018)[209~24] Miguel - Discography (2010-2017)[16~24] Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool [24/192], Bitches Brew [24/88], Kind of Blue Mirah - Discography (1997-2009)[198~256] Misha Mishenko - Discography (2016-2019) Missy Elliott - Under Construction Moana OST Mobb Deep - The Infamous Mos Def - Black on Both Sides, The Ecstatic Moulin Rouge! OST Muddy Waters - Anthology Muse - Origin of Symmetry [24/96], Absolution [24/96], The 2nd Law [24/96], Simulation Theory, Drones [24/96] Musical Theatre - Various Musical Cast Recordings (1934-2017)[170~202, except Come From Away and Hamilton in 16] Nahko - Dark as Night, On the Verge, Hoka [320], My Name is Bear [320] Namie Amuro - Break the Rules, Genius 2000 Nas - Illmatic, It Was Written, Stillmatic, God's Son, The Lost Tapes, Street's Disciple, Life is Good Naturally 7 - Discography (2000-2015) Naughty by Nature - 19 Naughty III Nav - Good Intentions [24] Ne-Yo - Discography (2006-2012)[320~16] Night Lovell - Discography (2014-2019)[320] Nina Simone - The Essential of Nina Simone [24/96] Nipsey Hussle - Crenshaw, Victory Lap Niykee Heaton - Bad Intentions, The Bedroom Tour Playlist Norah Jones - Come Away with Me, Feels Like Home, Not Too Late, Pick Me Up Off the Floor [24/96] Notre-Dame de Paris (Musical) Cast Recording Obie Trice - Cheers October London - Discography (2016-2018)[320] Omar LinX - A Cold Welcome [320], City of Ommz [320], The Living Dead EP [128], Victor [320], M.O.R [320] Omarion - O, 21, Ollusion Once OST [96] Onegin (Musical) Opera Babes - Beyond Imagination P. Diddy - No Way Out, The Saga Continues... PartyNextDoor - PX3 Pentatonix - Various albums [128~320] Peter Gundry - Discography (2016-2019)[16~24] Pharrell - Girl [24] Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon [24/88][DSD64], Pulse Playboi Carti - Die Lit PNL - Deux frères [320] Portishead - Discography (1994-2008) Post Malone - Discography (2016-2019)[16~24/88] Prince - Discography (1978-2019) Pusha T - Daytona [24] Putomayo - World Reggae, Asian Lounge Quavo - Quavo Huncho [320] Queen - Greatest Hits Rae Sremmurd [320] - SremmLife, SremmLife 2 Raincity - Tell Me, Stuck on Replay, Raincity EP Raleigh Ritchie - You're a Man Now, Boy [320] Rick Ross - Discography (2006-2017) Ricky Martin - Ricky Martin, Música + Alma + Sexo [192] Rihanna - Anti Rockapella - 2 Roscoe Dash - J.U.I.C.E. [320], Dash Effect [160] ROSK - remnants Ruelle - Up in Flames, Madness, Emerge Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2, RTJ3 Instrumentals [24/96] Sade - The Best of Sade Sam Cooke - Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964 [123~252] Sam Smith - Discography (2014-2017) Sandra van Nieuwland [320] - And More, Banging on the Doors of Love Santino Le Saint - Cloud 304, Xeno, Blue Pill [24], Rage of Angels Sara Bareilles - Discography (2007-2015)[320, except What's Inside - Songs from Waitess in 24] Scorpions - Discography (1972-2015) Scott Leonard - 1man1mike Sevdaliza - Discography (2017-2020) Shai - If I Ever Fall in Love [128] Sia - Discography (1997-2017)[16, except OnlySee + Healing is Difficult in M4A260, This is Acting in 24/96] Sigur Rós - Discography (1997-2013) Snoop Dogg - The Doggfather, Tha Last Meal, R&G (Rhythm&Gangsta): The Masterpiece, The Blue Carpet Treatment Solange - A Seat at the Table Southern Journey - Bad Man Ballads (Songs of Outlaws and Desperadoes, Vol. 5) Stacey [128] - Stacey, Stacey (Reconstruction), First Move Stevie Wonder - The Definitive Collection Stromae - Cheese [256], Racine carrée [24] Sun Kil Moon - Discography (2003-2017)[320, except Benji + Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood in 16] Swollen Members - Bad Dreams SWV - It's About Time System of a Down - Toxicity SZA - Ctrl T.I. - Trouble Man Heavy is the Head Tamia - Tamia Taylor Swift - folklore [24] Tech N9ne - Discography (1999-2013)[192~320], The Storm, Enterfear TGT - Three Kings The Beatles - Discography (1963-2009) The Carters - Everything is Love The Chorus OST The Chronicles of Narnia OST The Cinematic Orchestra [320] - Every Day, Man with a Movie Camera, Ma Fleur, To Believe The Game - The Documentary, Jesus Piece [320], Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf [320], The Documentary 2+2.5 [320] The Godfather I+II+III OST [320] The Great Gatsby OST The Great Tenors - Vol.1+2, In Concert The Lion King - Complete Score [128], Return to Pride Rock [128] The Lord of the Rings OST [24] The Lumineers - Cleopatra [24/96], C-Sides [24], Live Tracks [24], III [24] The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die, Life After Death, Born Again The Nutcracker (Ballet) [24/96] The Pink Panther OST [320] The Savannah Leigh Band - City of Grey The Tango Project - The Tango Project The Tenors - Discography (2008-2015)[156~254, except Under One Sky in 16] The Tony Rich Project - Words The Weeknd - Discography (2012-2020)[16~24/192] The xx - Discography (2009-2017)[320, except I See You in 16] Three 6 Mafia - Most Known Unknown Timbaland - Shock Value Tinie Tempah - Demonstration [320] Toni Braxton - Toni Braxton, Secrets Tony Bennett - The Essential Tony Bennett, a wonderful world (with k.d. lang), The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection, Duets II [320], Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 Tory Lanez - Discography (2010-2020, except Daystar)[160~320, except Chixtape 5 + The New Toronto 3 in 24] T-Pain - Discography (2005-2012)[192~16] Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman Travis Garland - Discography (2011-2015)[160~320] Travis Scott - Discography (2015-2018)[24~24/88] Trey Songz [320] - Trey Day, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, Chapter V TroyBoi - icekream [128~320], SoundSnobz [128~320], Left is Right [128], V!BEZ [128], V!BEZ, Vol.3 Tsar B - The Games I Played [320] Tyga - Discography (2008-2016)[320], Legendary Tyrese - I Wanna Go There UltraVillain - Lost in You [320] Ulvesang - Ulvesang [24], The Hunt Unity: Athens 2004 (Olympic Games Album) Usher - Discography (1994-2018)[16~24] Van Morrison - Moondance Vitas - Discography (2001-2009)[128~256, except A Kiss as Long as Eternity+20th Century Hits in 16] Waka Flocka Flame - Flockaveli Whitney - Light Upon the Lake Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston Wisin & Yandel - Discography (2000-2012)[320] Wiz Khalifa - We Dem Boyz [320], various songs [320] Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y - 2009 [24] Wyclef Jean - Carnival, Vol. II- Memoirs of an Immigrant X Japan - Discoraphy (1988-2017)[16~24/96] XXXTentacion - Revenge [320], 17 [24/192], ? [320] Xzibit - Restless Yann Tiersen - Discography (1995-2003)[96~160] YG - My Krazy Life, Still Brazy, My Life 4Hunnid [24] Young Bleed - My Balls and My Word Young Buck - Buck the World Young Thug - Barter 6 [320], Slime Season [24], Slime Season 2 [320], I'm Up [320], Slime Season 3 [320], Jeffery [320], So Much Fun Yuki Kajiura - Discography (includes side projects: FictionJunction/YUUKA, Kalafina)(Anime soundtracks 1996-2018) Yuna - Chapters [320] Zed Yun Pavarotti - French Cash [320] Zeina [320] - Odd One Out, various singles
As a long-time contributor to this sub, I know we love nothing more than discussing our degeneracy. If nothing else, hearing such stories makes you realise there are other people out there who have lived similar experiences to you. Stories of epic failure provide a sense of comfort. Stories of unexpected triumphs provide a feeling of hope. The following bets - and the circumstances surrounding each - were not necessarily story-worthy. However, there were a number of intricate details which I felt were worth highlighting. Aside from the statistical rollercoaster than one experiences throughout a game (i.e. going from "how can this lose?" to "this bet is over"), there are other factors which can have significant ramifications for one's betting endeavours. This is where the factor of timing comes into play. How often have you bet on something purely due to the fact that the game was starting shortly? It could either be a straight wager on the game. Or, you might have decided to add the short-priced "lock" to boost your odds. How often has this then come back to bite you? Or conversely, this random event - where your betting urge coincided with the scheduled timing of this event taking place - results in a recuperation of losses from previous games that you "studied" prior to placing your losing wagers? Without further ado, this is my story. It is but a speck in the ocean that is my entire betting career. But it was a Sunday night full of swings, sweats and... well I won't spoil the ending. As you read this, I want you to keep the headline in mind. Specifically, the wordstiming, luckanddegeneracy. It's early on a Sunday evening in Melbourne, Australia. Approximately 6PM to be exact. We are currently under the world's strictest COVID lockdown. We have an 8PM curfew, and I was keen to get in a 1 hour walk before returning home to make dinner. Now typically - as I had already walked my dog several hours earlier - I would not go for another on my own. But for some reason, I just had an urge to get some fresh air. Here is the first element in play: timing. At 6:10PM, an AFL (Australian Football) was scheduled to begin. As I begin my walk, I inevitably flick through my preferred bookmaker's iPhone app and this game catches my eye. Part of me says "don't bet it". The other part of me curb-stomps that voice in my head and says "don't be a pussy". Now on another note, I placed a daily deposit limit of $3000 on my account. To some, that is insanely big. I generally bet $1000 or so, and so this stops me from stupidly chasing the day's losses. Here is where another element peaks it's head: luck. I had deposited $1750 that day. Had I reached my limit, the following events would only have existed in a parallel universe. But as luck would have it, I had $1250 to play with. So I said 'fuck it' and made the deposit. It's about 6:05PM now and I don't have much time. I sift through the markets on offer and decide it's best to play a Same Game Multi (parlaying multiple events from the same game). With not much time left to make a decision, I quickly check the weather forecast in Gold Coast (where this game is taking place) and note that there is meant to be rain in the second half. (Spoiler: there was no rain in the second half). As this sport is played outdoors, this would favour the unders. So I come up with a bet that looks like this:
First quarter OVER 23.5
First half OVER 48.5
Full match UNDER 125.5
West Coast +34.5 handicap
Margin: either team by 1-39
Bontempelli 15+ disposals
Macrae 20+ disposals
ODDS: 4.10 A bet of $1250 would pay $5125. I was ready to place the bet. The problem? The match was only seconds from beginning. The time stamp on when the bet was accepted: 18:09:55 I made it by 5 measly seconds. Ok, so game begins rather uneventfully. Now it's worth noting for those who aren't familiar with AFL that you can score by 1's and 6's. It's late in the first quarter and the total is sitting at 22 points. Needing over 23.5, I'm in desperate need of a goal. The whole bet is about to come crashing down without it. With only seconds remaining a player marks the ball from a score-able position. The siren sounds. Now in AFL, if a mark is taken before the siren ("buzzer"), the player may take their kick. As luck would have it, this legend kicks it right through the middle of the goal posts, and the first quarter score ends on 28. We live on! Second quarter ends, and the combined total is 52 points. Again, we survive the over 48.5 by less than a full goal! (But this one cleared with a handful of minutes left to play, so there was no sweat involved). I'l wrap up the remainder of the game fairly quickly, as it is rather uneventful. The final score is 47-49, so the total under 125.5 hits easily, the +34.5 and margin 1-39 hit comfortably, and both players rack up well over their required disposals. Fantastic. My account hits $5125. By this stage, some would be satisfied. I wasn't. I was out for blood. The smart move would have been to withdraw, say, $4000. Play with the remaining $1125 (house money), and lock in a profit. But what's the fun in that? I scroll through the upcoming events and see that there is a Chinese Super League (soccer) match starting in a few hours. This isn't the first example of degeneracy in this story, but it's probably the biggest. So what do I do? Another Same Game Multi of course. And how much do I bet on it? $5125 of course. The bet:
Beijing Guoan: win or draw
Total corners: OVER 7.5
Total goals: OVER 1.5
BOTH teams to score in BOTH halves: No
ODDS: 1.95 A bet of $5125 would pay $9993.75 Here's where the rollercoaster of events begins. 5 minutes in, we have our first corner. 13 minutes in, we have our second. Corners are looking good. Fast forward to half time and Beijing are leading 2-0.
BOTH teams to score in BOTH halves: No = WINNER
Total goals: OVER 1.5 = WINNER
Beijing or draw = TBD, but looking good!
Corners OVER 7.5 = ONLY 2 FUCKING CORNERS IN THE FIRST HALF!
Remember, they had already accumulated 2 corners 13 minutes into the match. 32 minutes without a single corner! The live odds for over 7.5 were now over 3.00, and I was losing hope. The second half begins and approximately 10 minutes passes without a corner. I'm fucked. The next 15 minutes feels like God (aka Bob from NBA Daily Discussion) had blessed me. A flurry of corners results in an 8th corner before the 70th minute mark! What looked like a total sweat, turned into the easiest of victories. Or so I thought... The final leg: Beijing or draw - who by the way, were 1.50 favourites to win the match - were still up 2-0. One book had the opposing team at 81.00 odds to win from here. But you guys can guess what happened next. Wuhan goal! I'm still leading 2-1. My brain: "it's all good man, you still have a 1 goal buffer". Barely a few minutes later... Wuhan goal! It's now 2-2. My brain: "it's cool, you just need a draw, you're still likely to win this". Including the 6 minutes of added time, I have to sit through approximately 20 excruciating minutes of soccer, with just under $10k on the line. Luckily, Beijing did 75% of the attacking. Wuhan did have a few minor chances, but nothing that made the heart sink. The referee blew the full-time whistle, and I slowly unclenched my ass cheeks. I waited to see my account balance, just to make sure all was kosher. (You know, we've all been there, when we thought we bet on a certain team, but because their names are all Chinese, you actually bet on the wrong Beijing or something like that). My balance appeared at $9,993.75. It was time to call it a night. I reflected on the past 6 or so hours that I had just been through, and the 3 things that kept popping up in my mind again were timing, luck and degeneracy. P.S. Sorry to all the Djokovic and Heat backers. Brutal. Especially Djokovic. I'd say that's a once-in-a-career circumstance, but I think that would be understating how unlikely it is that the best player in the world get's DQ'd because he inadvertently hit a ball into an official's neck out of frustration.
Putting an asterisk on every VFL/AFL premiership ever
Recently there's been a bit of a debate around the traps concerning this 2020 season and whether or not the eventual premiership should have an asterisk next to it. And that's a silly debate, because of course every VFL/AFL premiership ever can have an asterisk next to it. Just pick and choose the asterisks that you personally believe should exist:
fake Grand Final, was just the prelim in disguise again - also illicit Geelong pre-season affair with the VFA's Richmond clearly taints the whole season
1908
Carlton
Essendon clearly psychologically scarred by vicious Fitzroy riots
1909
South Melbourne
Argus system 'challenge match' is kinda bullshit
1910
Collingwood
season tainted by Carlton bribery scandal
1911
Essendon
season tainted by player expenses shenanigans
1912
Essendon
rules tinkering: players have to be branded with numbers on their backs so that fascist 'Stewards' can report them - I mean what is this, the Napoleonic occupation of Iberia???
1913
Fitzroy
silly finals system allows Fitzroy to play St Kilda again in the GF after losing to them in the prelim
1914
Carlton
Jamieson illegally in the back of Bollard, South robbed, #justice4bollard
1915
Carlton
comp too imba after University pulls out
1916
Fitzroy
wrong for spooners to also be premiers
1917
Collingwood
season compromised by WW1
1918
South Melbourne
Carlton too distracted by the Allies thumping the Kaiser to perform well
1919
Collingwood
season clearly unbalanced by the winless Melbourne having their first professional season (ie. with paid players) eight years after the rest of the comp
1920
Richmond
a player debuts in the Grand Final for Richmond and plays a key part in the result? that's too implausible to be true
1921
Richmond
Richmond's season tainted by ball-stabbing incident in R7
1922
Fitzroy
season tainted by Richmond fans death-threating an umpire into retirement
1923
Essendon
Grand Final played on Caulfield Cup day? that's not even close to September
1924
Essendon
nonsense round-robin finals system that was immediately scrapped
1925
Geelong
compromised draw with the three expansion teams
1926
Melbourne
Collingwood into the GF without winning any finals - a contrived win for Melbourne
1927
Collingwood
GF the lowest-scoring match in 20th or 21st centuries, not good enough to count as a real GF
1928
Collingwood
Pies players under a bribery cloud
1929
Collingwood
Pies hoarding all the goals and premiership points actually the cause of the Great Depression? #wakeupsheeple
1930
Collingwood
Geelong defeats Collingwood in the Preliminary Final but the Pies get to go again because the Argus system is a joke
1931
Geelong
R6 was played in two halves, either side of R7 and R8? you can't count 1931! how do we know who even really won?
1932
Richmond
uh... Melbourne playing three games for premiership points at the Motordrome and losing all three clearly tainted the season in ways we can't fully appreciate
1933
South Melbourne
Bloods deviously importing so many players from WA they should be called the "Swans"
1934
Richmond
I mean technically Richmond kicked more goals on the day but that's no match for Bob Pratt's 150 goals in the season
1935
Collingwood
Bob Pratt taken out by a brick truck the Thursday before the GF and you can't prove it wasn't a Collingwood player driving the truck
1936
Collingwood
Gordon Coventry rubbed out for 8 weeks and missed finals but clearly he was just a fall guy and they should have suspended the whole team
1937
Geelong
Sellwood? Hawking? Abbott? if the Cats were going to time travel modern champions back to take the cup at least they should have come up with better fake names
1938
Carlton
MCG 12,000 over capacity? some people actually watched the game from on the grass inside the fence? well that's just unsafe
1939
Melbourne
rules tinkering: VFL trying to get holding the ball called more often - now you can't just drop the ball when tackled!
1940
Melbourne
if you don't think St Kilda winning the Patriotic Premiership was the real premiership that year then you might as well go kiss A-dolf Hitler's boot
1941
Melbourne
season compromised by WW2
1942
Essendon
season compromised by WW2
1943
Richmond
season compromised by WW2
edit: Methuen's suggestion - Jack Broadstock shouldn't have been on the field: went AWOL in order to play and was arrested by military police before Jack Dyer intervened
1944
Fitzroy
season still compromised by WW2 (no MCG)
1945
Carlton
Bloodbath
1946
Essendon
some of the Bombers' record 11 third-quarter goals have to be fake, it's statistics
clearly the season should have ended on the drawn Grand Final, 69 to 69
1949
Essendon
Coleman kicks his 100th goal for the season in the concluding minutes of the GF - a story stolen directly from Jack Titus in 1940, you have to ask what else was faked about Essendon allegedly 'winning' this premiership #fakenewsflag
1950
Essendon
Essendon's captain was the biggest Dick ever to play Aussie rules
season tainted by weather so wet and muddy they had to introduce white balls mid-season
1953
Collingwood
Cats' full-forward caught having an affair and forced out of the team, they then lose the GF and you can't prove it wasn't a Collingwood player in disguise sent to seduce him
edit: showmanic also suggests St Kilda kicking the ball out of bounds deliberately (legal until 1969) to use up time at the end of the match
1967
Richmond
competition clearly unbalanced by players wanting to play for the Galahs rather than compete for the premiership
1968
Carlton
too windy
1969
Richmond
VFL tinkering with the dang rulebook again to try to boost scoring: now you get a free kick if the opposition kicks it out of bounds on the full??
1970
Carlton
Syd Jackson probably should have missed the game through suspension
1971
Hawthorn
R21 Fitzroy v Carlton played in zero-visibility fog clearly a sign of interference by ghosts, season should have been abandoned
1972
Carlton
too many goals
1973
Richmond
take your pick of option 1, cheap hits and punches take out three Carlton players or option 2, Francis Bourke and Royce Hart not supposed to be playing but played anyway
1974
Richmond
Tiges tainted by R7 brawl at Windy Hill
1975
North Melbourne
season ruined by pointless rules tinkering: bizarre, wacky centre 'square' introduced to replace sturdy, traditional centre diamond
rare second-ever drawn GF clearly contrived for the advantage of the first TV broadcast
1978
Hawthorn
political interference: North Melbourne supporters clearly too exhausted from booing Malcolm Fraser in R20 to effectively encourage the team to victory
Carlton illicitly obtains special powers from Helen D'Amico
1983
Hawthorn
Morwood/Foschini transfer clusterfuck making a mockery of VFL transfer rules - plus the Big V goes down to both SA and WA, just call off the season already
1984
Essendon
season destabilised by breakaway competition rumours
1985
Essendon
season tainted by biff: Lethal breaks Neville Bruns' jaw, John Bourke for the Pies reserves gets suspended for 10 years and 16 matches
1986
Hawthorn
illegal Tasmanian bank account
1987
Carlton
compromised draw with the new expansion teams
1988
Hawthorn
compromised draw with the new expansion teams
1989
Hawthorn
illegal Tasmanian bank account
1990
Collingwood
replay of drawn Pies v Eagles QF pushes back whole finals schedule, disadvantging Essendon
1991
Hawthorn
take your pick of option 1, you can't play a legitimate GF at Waverley or option 2, match tainted by Bound for Glory
1992
West Coast
Vic teams get their zones taken away and a foreigner team wins as a result #AntiVicBias
1993
Essendon
Baby Bombers bust their way through the salary cap
1994
West Coast
rules tinkering: arbitrarily changing the length of quarters from 25 to 20 minutes
1995
Carlton
Diesel Williams the recipient of not only payments outside the salary cap but also one of the first ever racial vilification charges
1996
North Melbourne
West Coast forced to play 'home' semi final at the MCG
1997
Adelaide
psychological warfare: Port Adelaide entering the comp and blasting innocent ears with their terrible club song - Crows unfairly advantaged by being already partly immune to Port bullshit - alternatively steroids in the AFL
1998
Adelaide
Crows somehow allowed to win flag from 5th on the ladder edit: and while losing their first final, just like Carlton the next year
1999
North Melbourne
finals system is so shit that Carlton finishes 6th, loses first final, yet progresses to semi-finals where they play West Coast who are once again forced to 'host' a semi at the MCG - Blues make it to the GF where they're rolled by Norf
2000
Essendon
season compromised by accommodations for the Olympics (and retrospectively, Lions' intravenous saline scandal and Carlton's salary cap breaches)
2001
Brisbane Lions
Lions' intravenous saline scandal (and retrospectively, Carlton's salary cap breaches)
2002
Brisbane Lions
six games not involving Carlton forcibly moved to Princes Park after Carlton moves games to Docklands - meanwhile Carlton wins the spoon and then has their salary cap cheating exposed, fuck 2002 Carlton basically - also Adelaide forced to 'host' a semi-final at the MCG
2003
Brisbane Lions
all the non-Vic teams made finals #AntiVicBias
2004
Port Adelaide
Brisbane forced to 'host' home prelim at the MCG - also because Port's win triggers insufferable debates about whether to count SANFL Port's flags
1) Cats commit murder in broad daylight and get away with it, 2) disgraceful Melbourne v Carlton spoonbowl with priority draft pick at stake, 3) 'Guttergate'
2008
Hawthorn
morally bankrupt Hawthorn triple team Fev to stop him also getting to 100 goals
2009
Geelong
take your pick of option 1, season tainted by Melbourne's tanking or option 2, Hawkins hitting the post
2010
Collingwood
St Kilda robbed in broad daylight and the police did nothing about it
edit: NitroXYZ's suggestion - St Kilda robbed of momentum by replaying the GF the following week rather than playing extra time, replay replaced with extra time from 2016 season onwards
2011
Geelong
tainted by Meatloaf and the lavish Gold Coast concessions
2012
Sydney
season tainted by Essendon doping regime and the lavish GWS concessions
2013
Hawthorn
season tainted by revelation of Essendon doping regime
2014
Hawthorn
Brendon Bolton coaches Hawks to five wins from five games while Clarko out with Guillain–Barré syndrome yet nobody tests Bolton to see if he's some kind of cyborg or superman (though clearly swapped back for the real human version to go coach Carlton)
2015
Hawthorn
treatment of Adam Goodes puts a stain on the whole comp
2016
Western Bulldogs
umpiring so biased the AFL had to apologise for it
2017
Richmond
THEY'RE WEARING THE WRONG JUMPER
edit: NitroXYZ's suggestion - Cats forced to play 'home' QF at their opponent's home ground; veryparticularskills' suggestion - Cotch dodges suspension after PF
2018
West Coast
Sheed played on
edit: PyrrhicNicholas' suggestion - Maynard was blocked
I work at a train station that services unusual destinations. For the first time, I boarded one of the trains.
The Exploding Passenger “Elle... There was something watching me play in the garden earlier. I saw it in the trees.” “Don’t be silly, probably just an animal or something.” “It wasn’t!” “Don’t be a scaredy cat. Tell mum and dad if you’re worried. Why are you in my room anyway, leave me alone.” That was the last interaction I had with my little sister. Irene didn’t protest or even attempt to say another word when I dismissed her, she just skulked off, presumably used to my shitty pre pubescent attitude that had blossomed around that time. I was ten years old and just starting to develop any kind of interest in being cool. My eight year old sibling just didn’t make the cut, especially not when she still believed in fairytales. Irene was a creative child almost to a fault. She was convinced there were fairies, nymphs and gnomes alive and well, populating the corners of the world that people didn’t look in. I thought she was utterly ridiculous, despite secretly wishing I lived in her make believe world. Now; with the job I have and the things I’ve witnessed, I deeply regret writing off her stories completely. I’d spent a lifetime running from my guilt. I don’t know for a fact that she ever spoke to my parents about the watcher but I suspected that she did, and that their guilt over ignoring it was what solidified our family’s downward spiral. Is it a little sick that I resented her? In my mind Irene got to spend eternity in fairytale land, never growing up and dealing with reality, while I was left to clean up the drunken mess my parents became. It didn’t seem fair when I was a little kid. It didn’t seem fair as an adult either. Especially not as I sat in my car, severed finger in its box in one hand and return ticket to Thistle Park Station in the other, parked up at my workplace on my day off. I felt quite farcical, following the advice of a strangely knowing old lady. A lady who had outright said that there was potential for the finger to be a dead end. A game. There were a million other things I could’ve been doing that weren’t chasing answers to an impossible question. Either way I felt a responsibility to the memory of my sister to at least check, regardless of my desperate previous attempts to numb the pain by forgetting all about her. Her being alive would change so much. If Irene was out there I had to bring her home. I lifted my hood to avoid being seen by any of my coworkers. I didn’t work alongside the day crew often but we intermingled from time to time and I didn’t feel like sharing my deep familial trauma with them. I knew my boarding one of the trains would’ve caused quite a stir. Skulking past the ticket booth I noticed Amanda, my daytime counterpart, frantically cleaning the desk. I’d never interacted with her, but I had always been mightily irritated by the booth smelling of bleach. I complained about it to Atlas near constantly. She was an obsessive cleaner and I always arrived to an immaculate work station that I would soon turn into my preferred chaos. It took quite the resolve not to peek in and ask her to stop. I managed though the urge, continuing on to the platform. Thistle Park was situated on the Village line, a few stops beyond Monsoon Valley but way before Cordyline Hill, where the train terminated. It bought me some comfort that I wasn’t going too far from home; the journey, if it ran according to schedule, should’ve only taken me 46 minutes. I settled on a bench at the far end of platform 5, noticing a few familiar looking youths on bikes by the stairs at the other end, waiting for the same train I was. They were regulars at the station, often passing through late at night, inconspicuous in dark tracksuits always on bikes. They’d never caused me any particular bother but I’d noticed that no matter how often I’d encountered them I never saw their faces. It seemed the angle was always off, but it felt like more than that. One uneventful night I even made a game of it, watching them on every camera I could to catch a glimpse. No avail. They were no different on the platform, playing and interacting with each other, moving around freely. Just never turning quite enough for me to see a face. The faceless youth, as I lovingly nicknamed them, had always seemed relatively harmless whilst I was working, but crossing the threshold onto the platform and facing the prospect of travelling to the destinations that I’d always found mysterious had left me with a deeply uncomfortable feeling in my gut. Even passengers as innocuous as them seemed more dangerous without my plexiglass fortress and security button. More sinister. I tried googling some of the stations when I first started, without any real results. The stations that we serve don’t appear on any other line in the city and judging by the passengers that travel to them, I wasn’t sure I’d be entirely welcome. I didn’t fit in and amongst the eccentric customers my incredible plainness stuck out like a sore thumb. Now approaching Platform 5 is the Village line service to Cordyline Hill. Please stand clear and mind the gap between the train and the platform. My legs wobbled as I got up from the bench and tried to remain steady while the train sped to a stop. My anxiety irritated me. I don’t know what I expected, to be eaten by some sort of monster within moments of embarking on my journey? Ridiculous. Thoughts of Irene kept me focused. There were only two other passengers in my carriage. An older man, maybe late forties sat in the left corner facing the window and central was a teenage girl. The girl was disheveled looking, washed out pink hair sticking up in all directions and dirty, slightly ripped clothes. She had headphones suck over her ears, creating a gentle, rhythmic hum throughout the small space. I hesitated for a moment before settling on a seat. Compared to some of my more eccentric customers my two carriage mates were positively average. That was, until the man let out a gentle growl, helping ease my decision to sit closer to the girl, and also to the exit. As the train pulled away the robotic announcer told us that the first stop would be Monsoon Valley. I sunk into my seat, thinking about the explosive man from my shift the night before. Atlas had laughed about staff at MV having to deal with him and being so close we had frequent contact with the guys working there. Despite this, I’d never once wondered what Monsoon Valley looked like. Is that strange? All the customers, the destinations, the incidents and never a moment of curiosity. I wondered if there was something wrong with me. I watched out the window as the city scape entered winding fields that I never knew were so nearby. It seemed almost impossible that such vast expanses of natural beauty could be so close to a concrete jungle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the pink haired girl glance at me on occasion and I was careful not to make eye contact. The closer we got to Monsoon Valley the more unbelievable the landscape became; the winding fields became deep valleys between intimidating, rolling banks and hills. The sky outside the window, despite it only being early afternoon, was a dusky shade of lavender. The change was sharp, from blue to purple, eliciting an audible gasp that I tried to stifle. Beautiful and otherworldly, a glaring reminder that I was somewhere entirely new. The train slowed as we reached a picturesque village, smatterings of cottages set in beautiful plots of land with rivers separating them littered the view as we reached a quaint station that sported a hand carved, wooden platform sign. Welcome to Monsoon ValleyHome to the end of the Rainbow I felt my brow furrow as I struggled to conceal my confusion and amazement, pulling my hood further over my head in a pathetic and frankly futile attempt to hide how out of place I felt from my carriage mates. Home to the end of the Rainbow. I wish I could say that didn’t make me want to step off the train and chase the impossible location it promised. Had it not been for the red body-part box in my pocket I probably would’ve done just that. It felt as if we sat at that beautiful, quaint little station for an eternity. Like the driver was tormenting the valiant explorer inside me. Goading me. I was grateful when the doors finally shut that no one new had joined my carriage. Everything I could see of Monsoon Valley was gorgeous, but almost too much so. The idyllic little area had a mysterious feel, and not one I particularly liked. I wondered what sort of people might live in a place like that. The next stop will be Blackwater Place. Change for the Epstar line. I pondered what the next stop would look like and more importantly, what Thistle Park was going to bring. Monsoon valley had surprised me, although I wasn’t sure where my expectations had started. I didn’t get long to delve too deeply into my thoughts because mere moments after we pulled away from the quaint little station the pink haired girl stood up and took a seat directly next to me. “You’re not a local, are you?” She asked, a knowing smile in her eyes. I ignored her at first, hoping she would just go back to her seat and stop bothering me but she was persistent. “Where are you headed? Hey!” She got closer and closer to my face until there were only millimetres between us, revealing crusted makeup and open sores on her own. “Thistle Park.” I answered eventually through gritted teeth, giving minimal information in the hope she would at least back away. She didn’t. “Ooh. Ever been before? I bet you haven’t!” “How would you know?” “If you looked that scared at the last place then you definitely haven’t been to Thistle Park. Ha. The Valley is for suckers chasing the rainbow, a holiday compared to the park.” Engaging with the girl terrified me but not half as much as going into my situation blind did. Even if, best way, Irene was alive and well in Thistle Park, I still had no idea where I was going to start looking. Maybe she could provide some answers. “Are you from there?” I asked nervously. The girl laughed. “No, I’m headed further up the line, but I’ve spent some time there. A nice, innocent looking girl like you wants to be careful in a town like that.” She licked her dry, cracked lips picking up bits of what appeared to be day old red lipstick flakes. I smelled stale cigarettes on her breath and she scratched at her greasy hair that had flattened under her headphones, now perched on her shoulders. Everything about the girl was repugnant. Still, I couldn’t bare to take my eyes away from her for even a single second. I was entranced by her, suddenly completely uninterested in the views outside the window. She was all I saw. “My name is Penny, what’s yours?” She asked, deep brown eyes fixed on mine. “It’s Amanda.” I answered, thinking on my feet and assuming the identity of daytime counterpart me, in an attempt to protect myself. It didn’t work. “No it isn’t.” She frowned. Those three words were said with such a seriousness and change in tone that I felt my heart stop for a couple of beats. Just like it had when Agnes used my full name with such ease. I was defenceless from the moment the train pulled away, and I was starting to regret my impulsive decision to follow a note on a finger. “There’s no purpose lying is there, Elfida?” I felt sick. “Who are you and where the fuck am I?” I retorted. “I’m Penny. I already told you that. It doesn’t matter where you are but it does matter what you’re looking for and I know what you’re looking for... or maybe I should say who you’re looking for?” I must’ve become visibly uncomfortable because Penny smirked before continuing. “I’m warm aren’t I? Ha. The resemblance is uncanny, I can’t believe it took me an entire stop to work it out.” “You know where Irene is?” My sisters name stumped Penny briefly, she genuinely looked dumbstruck for a moment before another smug grin stretched across her face. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” She laughed, throwing her head back in a wicked cackle, flakes of painted skin dancing on her lips. “Answer me... please.” I remained transfixed on Penny, the background beginning to blacken as I lost all sense of anything but her mocking, disgusting face. I felt a fear and a vulnerability that I wasn’t used to and couldn’t explain. It’s like she put me in a vacuum and replaced all the oxygen with her laughter. It reverberated through my soul, making me feel tiny, powerless... weak. I felt so weak I could barely sit up. I tried to look down at my hands to see if I could move them but my head was frozen and she was all I could see. The fear started to get worse and my chest pounded as I took in short, sharp breaths, desperate for air that she hadn’t tainted or weighed down. “How are... you... doing this?” “Doing what Elfida? We’re just having a conversation. Don’t you enjoy my company? I think you need something to calm your nerves. I KNOW! Music!” Penny grabbed the headphone from round her neck and licked her lips furiously as she placed them on my head. I fought my broken body to stop her but it was pointless, I was completely paralysed. The sounds that entered my ears and dug into my mind were horrific. Instead of the gentle humming that I had first noticed stepping into the carriage, the headphones blasted screaming and sounds of excruciating pain into my ears. It was a symphony of distress... torture.. a cacophony of pain... and it made every bone, muscle and organ inside me hurt. I don’t know when I started to wail, but I did. “That’s it, be part of the music!!!” I read on Penny’s lips, glee written all over her face, unable to hear her over the unimaginable screeching. I hadn’t felt fear like that before. A thousand abstract thoughts crossed my mind as I searched for something to distract me from the pain. What if I never even made it to Thistle Park? What if I died here, on this train, at the hands of a dirty teenage girl? What if Irene was out there and I couldn’t save her? The black splotches blocking out the view behind Penny grew, taking over her face as I screamed and pleaded for air, desperate not to die. I felt faint and the world started to blur... she started to blur. Then a crash. It came from the back of the carriage and was the result of the doors that connected us to the next car smashing, glass raining down on the floor. Penny turned, breaking the eye contact and providing me with some minor relief. Paralysis waning, I yanked the headphones off and pelted them at the floor, craving the end of the torment. My vision started to stabilise, and I noticed that the growling man in the corner was turned, facing the two of us as Penny stood, hissing at the newcomers who had burst through the adjoining door. The man had teeth like nothing I’d ever seen before, crowding his mouth and overhanging at sharp points in all directions. I would’ve usually spent longer inappropriately staring at the man. Even in my line of work, fangs were uncommon, especially ones as mighty as he was sporting. I didn’t get a chance to linger on them, however, I was interrupted. Penny Screamed. I tried not to look, hugging my knees to my chest and screwing my eyes up tightly to avoid whatever was terrorising something as terrifying as she was. Her scream was followed by the sounds of ripping and tearing, whimpers and then eventually silence. “Are you alright, miss?” A young boy’s voice asked, breaking the quiet. Slowly I opened one eye, noticing spokes and rubber. Penny laid on the floor, no obvious signs of breathing, with what appeared to be tyre patterned wounds across her face and chest. The entire aisle was littered with bikes. The faceless youth stood at the angles I expected to see them, hoods up and turned just enough to conceal any identifying features. All except one. I looked up at my nearest rescuer, finally catching a glimpse of his face after all the wondering. I tried to hide my shock as I did but with what I saw it was a challenging task. He didn’t just have once face, he had three.
I'm a commentator for a tournament of nightmares. I found out where the NFC gets its nightmares from.
This is where our journey started. There was a broadcast lost in the static yesterday, I suggest you look it over before continuing. - NFC OPENWEIGHT CHAMPION ALDUIN VON TRIER VS NFC ABYSS CHAMPION ABADDON THE DESTROYER “BEGIN!” The clock starts ticking. Wasting no time, Alduin rushes forward, gripping the top of her belt and slamming it into Abaddon’s face, the sickening crunch ringing out as steel meets skull. His body contorts and leans back, but does not falter. The locusts converge around his head and begin pushing back, wrapping around her hand and the belt while a free gnarled fist finds its mark on Alduin’s stomach. The wind knocked out of her. She pushes the belt harder and forces his body to bend back; the joints creaking under the pressure. He reciprocates with two more shots, enough to stop her forceful push and back her up. Creating some extra space, Abaddon sweeps the legs and grabs an errant foot with one hand, holding her as if she were a child. “Should you treat me lightly, Alduin Von Trier, I will make sure you carry the scar of that failure with you. Always.” In a flash, Abaddon gripped her ankle tighter and with ungodly force hurled her into the canvas, face buried into the mat and unmoving. He was unrelenting as he picked her hulking frame up and slammed her again in the opposite direction, flinging her around like a rag-doll. “I… I can’t believe what I’m seeing! He’s throwing her around like she’s nothing at all. Who would have ever envisioned this being done to the NFC Openweight Champ?!” This creatures power was horrifying beyond measure, 90 seconds in and he’d thrown her several times before flinging her across the pit and into a wall, head slumped forward and legs outstretched. “I did not spend a lifetime of pain and suffering toiling against the denizens under the pit; the collective consciousness of so many people’s fears, superstitions and cultures, just to fall short here against a mortal. Even a powerful one.” The locusts screeched, and he pulled out a blade from his armour. 3 minutes. “One slice from this and you will begin to rot from the inside out. It will consume your flesh, your bones and your soul. Once the rot has sufficiently spread and you are nothing more, I will take what remains as a memento, before moving onto… bigger things.”His gaze flashed up at me and I felt the incessant buzzing in my head, more images flashing; A bald, beautiful woman in a fancy suit with the most unnerving grin about her. A young man in a dark suit with a pompadour and cold, dead eyes. A shadow with a monstrous spider-like face, devouring an unseen infant with glee. All of them flashing rapidly in front of me as they turn to stare in the same way Abaddon does. Cocking their head to the side, eyes narrowing ever so slightly and a twisted grin across their faces. “They’re the same. How are they the same?” I grabbed my head and felt faint. So much was being thrown at me in such a short amount of time and while it certainly wasn’t the physical ordeal, the competitors had gone through, the mental strain was taking its toll. I focused myself, straining my eyes in protest of the splitting headache as the visage of Abaddon pulled out the glimmering black blade, a sickening drone filling the air. An unholy cacophony of suffering became Abaddon’s marching music as malformed skeletal hands gripped the blade expertly at the hilt. 4 minutes. “There is a reason The Abyss Championship was never within your grasp, Alduin.” His droning voice undulating around the room. “And now, it never will be.” Bringing the blade down on her head, I don’t think anyone expected her to lean into it, grabbing it with her teeth and staring up at Abaddon with eyes awash with passion. The sound of bone meeting steel splitting the air, the sound of grinding as she stood up slowly, purposefully. Her back beginning to split and let loose the dreaded wings. Pulling the sword aside and letting loose, she smashed her skull into Abaddon’s and created some distance. “You got some fight in ya, Abaddon. I like what I see. Let’s turn it up a notch, shall we?” Pulling off her eyepatch, a pure white orb situated in her eye socket swivels around until a small symbol appears, fixating on Abaddon. It’s hard to put into words what happened next, but something… changed in Abaddon. Dropping his sword, the locusts swelled and burst around him; the light sending them into a frenzy. He clutched at his head and wailed, moving backwards in a drunken stupor until he fell to a knee, Alduin laughing as she took strides to cut down the distance. 5 minutes. “You know why I never wanted the Abyss Championship, Abaddon?” She raises a cinderblock fist, every knuckle cracking and the muscles bulging under the pressure she was exuding. She cracked Abaddon on the skull, the force sending dust and wind flying in all directions as his face hit the floor and dragged itself to the adjacent wall. “It’s simple; I didn’t want it. It was a limiter I didn’t need in my competition.” Picking him up by the head, she hurled him into the air and waited for him to come down before timing a perfect flying knee to the jaw. He fell in a slump and every time he rose to his feet in defiance, she would strike him harder. 6 minutes. 7 minutes. 8 minutes. 8 and a half. Looking at the timer, I wondered if this abomination in Abaddon could survive an onslaught by Alduin any longer. But no matter what was thrown at him, he would rise up and cock his head, the bone fragments that made up his jaw pulling at themselves to allow for a hollow smile. He seemed to know something she didn’t. Alduin’s bloodlust was only growing. With every shot targeted, her growls and shrieks grew in pitch and fervour. “I like you, Abaddon. You may be the most interesting one yet!” She hunched over, those wings finally emerging from her back. They looked different; red tinged with black, larger and more imposing. In the place of jaws were several large fists, primed and ready to strike. Abaddon laughed, a hollow guttural hiss that when put with the sounds of these locusts, unsettled me to my core. Heaven help who had to face EITHER of these monsters next. His locusts formed in front of him and he reached behind his back for two shorter blades, priming himself for combat. 9 minutes. “Let’s dance, one last time.” She grinned, the one working eye glistening as she stepped forward. “I look forward to it.” He hissed, a hint of something familiar in those words. He pounced, slicing at nothing but air as Alduin backflipped dodged and pirouetted through the air to avoid his blades, small black lines emitting from the afterimage before fading, something dangerous lurking within them. She waited until she had an opportune position in which to strike; his blind spot on his back. Licking her lips, she opened her wings and let the fists explode on him. 9 minutes 30. Strike after strike rained down on Abaddon, the pressure dropping him to a knee, Alduin’s laughter growing more maniacal with every successive blow. The onslaught was unending. “Now you know why I’m the whore of Babylon; And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon, the great mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations!” She cackled, reciting the unholy scripture and hastening each shot. 9 minutes 50. It was over in a flash. The timer rung out as Abaddon slipped through the shots and the final pose stood before us; Alduin, a fist directed at Abaddon’s chest. Abaddon, a pair of blades at Alduin’s throat. The challenge was over. “UN-BE-LIEVABLE! The two champs of the most terrifying combat sport organisation have just put on a stellar display! Who wins? Who loses? Who cares?! These two titans of terror will now go on to their next challengers. The question on everyone’s mind is; who the hell can stop them?!”The crowd gave uproarious applause as the two champions eased off, Alduin placing the patch on her eye and the cloak around her neck, Abaddon’s Locusts calming themselves to form his usual black veil. “A promise is a promise, you’re onto the Wildcard finals. Win there, you’ll get a rematch with me… or a wish. I look forward to seeing which one it’ll be, IF you survive.” She punched him lightly in the shoulder and walked off, laughing. “This rounds over, interval starts now! When we return, it’ll be to determine the Wildcard winner and who the finals will be consisting of, so you’d best get your bets in now!” I sat back in my seat, sweating and sickly as the crowd began filing out again. This tournament will be the death of me. - “Rough day, huh?” Nelle’s voice rang through my ears and I lifted my head from the desk, hoping I’d not wasted too much time napping. Looking at the clock, it’d been about 45 minutes. “Not as rough as it’d been for you…what was all that about with the Lycanthrope? Why’d you let him attack you like that? What’d you say?” I couldn’t help myself asking, exhaustion and lengthy times spent in this tourney had dulled my ability to be polite. To her credit, she sighed and smiled, offering me a hand. “Let’s walk and talk, there’s something I need you to see.” I took her hand, and we began walking through the bustling ring of fight fans, armchair experts, martial artists and pundits who were eager to either stay out of our way or hurl abuse. “Your commentary SUCKS Sabotta! You can’t even remember shit from match to match!” One man cried, throwing a drink at my head as we rushed past. “Nelle, you cost me 4 grand when you took that dive. It was supposed to be a flawless victory! You owe me!” Another bellowed, though this time smart enough not to strike her. “Everyone’s a critic, c’mon, we’ll take the service elevator.” Passing by the eldritch food shack that was now serving “Mr. Moloch’s Takeout”, I shuddered to think what was in that, but didn’t have time to investigate further as Nelle took us down a small alleyway that connected the upper and lower rings. Someone bumped into us, probably in a hurry themselves, and my grip was separated from Nelle’s. Hitting the ground with a thud and still weak from the events, I took my time getting to my feet as the hand was outstretched. But this time, it wasn’t Nelles. The moment I took her hand, I felt a soft, almost electronic “boom” that dulled all the surrounding noises. Looking at the body the hand belonged to, I came face to face with a young woman. She was no older than 20 at a push, blonde hair flowing down her shoulders and a disarming smile on her face. She pointed to something by her side and my eyes followed her hand to an unusual creature; A tortoise. I don’t know what or how a huge animal like this was even here, but it looked at me with old, weary eyes. Filled with kindness and wisdom, he rocked his head back and forth before pushing it up against my leg with a small affirmation of joy. I awkwardly petted his head, feeling the love he was giving me but unsure as to why it was there in the first place. “There’s always a cycle. There’s always an end.” She said, handing me the same card I’d seen on the table a few hours ago. “You are the one to break it.” “I… I don’t understand. I’m just an ordinary guy, I don’t have anything special about me.” I retorted, confused and overwhelmed, expecting her to be annoyed, but she smiled. “Neither did I, Sal. But, sometimes it just takes a little time and help from our friends.” She kneeled down to nuzzle the tortoise. “Malachi has seen so much in his life and beyond that, he knows you’re special just like I do. He even picked the name for me after my part had been played, when I defeated Albert... when I no longer wished to be Elizabeth Williams. When I became Sema. That was when I continued the cycle. ” I looked at the card, a small albino snake eating its own tail, a powerful king sat behind it on an imposing throne, sceptre in one hand and sword in the other, slicing through the top of the snake with impunity. A small title at the bottom: “The Emperor.” Looking up, I felt confusion and wanted to ask more, but the two were gone. In their place was a perplexed and frustrated Nelle, ushering me on. “What are you waiting for? We’re on a clock here, Sal. Come on!” Following her lead, I pocketed the card and entered the small archway that housed the service elevator. She pushed the B3 button and we descended. “You asked me what that fight was all about? Well, I told you I had my reasons for being here and that we’d be killed if we left. That wasn’t entirely true…” She gripped the edges of her gloves. “YOU would be, but I didn’t want you to feel alone and more frightened than you understandably were at that moment. But I told Landry that I had something I was fighting for in the NFC. Someone I needed to face…” “It’s Abaddon, right?” I pressed, looking to try and understand her plight. She smiled weakly and looked back at the soft light running through the slit in the elevator. “The monster I faced was once a man. A beautiful man that taught me the ways of cryptid research, catalogue and, when necessary, hunting. He was my mentor, my friend… my everything. Buck “Nasty” McGraw, the man who caught the scourge of the Monongahela forests, liberator of St. Martin’s Land and countless battles against terrors of the night.” She smiled and I could see tears in her eyes, her voice cracking as she spoke. “We found something on one of our last ever hunts. It lurked in something we called “The Cave Of The Void”, it waited in the deep and the dark for us to make a mistake. It… took Buck. Twisted him into something otherworldly and fed off of him, producing new creatures while building its form and growing stronger. I fled and recuperated, learning along the way that there was a chance to stop this thing buried in an ancient tradition. A cycle, if you will. Alduin knew I had my reasons for being here and so she saw fit to torment me with a fragment of what Buck is now. I did what I had to and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” She turned to look at me, sincerity and pain plastered over her face. “Because that’s not my Buck. Not anymore. I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t ventured down here and seen what they’re keeping in the belly of the beast, I’d have never had the courage to set him free…” The doors opened to a blacked out room the size of a warehouse, small lights flickering to life as we stepped out. When the room was fully illuminated, I screamed. On one side of the building were an endless sea of beds with humans of all ages and sizes strapped into their frames. Metallic, bloodied shackles strapped around their emaciated joints. Their eyes pried open with thin pincers, pupils dilated and eyes darting around constantly. A thick, rusted feeding tube running down the course of their gullet and into their stomach, their muffled screams growing louder as they felt activity around them. “Oh my god, they’re aware?!” I cried out, wanting to rush over but knowing better. Nelle shook her head.“To a degree, but they’re dreaming. Always dreaming. These are where the failed captives go, the missing people we don’t care about. The losers of those bumfights and dark web contests. The NFC shoves them down here, hooked up to their special machines to do… well, you’ll see.” I look back in horror as one bed near us houses a thrashing, terrified woman. She shrieks and chokes on the feeding tube until it roars to life, her essence slowly ebbing away as something black and formless is ripped from her mouth, the tube running up the rafters and towards a large machine in the centre. As it finishes its journey, a creature is dropped into the central chamber, soaking wet with fluids and screeching. It’s a Strigoi. A Romanian Vampire, to be exact. As soon as it spies us, it tries to rip through the bars and lunge at us unsuccessfully. The central chamber whirs to life and something unseen throws The Strigoi into a now-open portion of the chamber, along a small walkway and into a cage with food and a bed, alongside thousands of others housing ungodly figures big and small. “This is where the supply of Nightmares comes from. This is why I need your help to take this place down." I couldn't count how many nightmares there were, rattling their cages incessantly. Nor could I tell how many victims there were strapped to their beds in an endless nightmare until they were used up. I felt my world crash around me, able to only speak briefly before I felt myself grow faint. "This is where the NFC gets its roster.” - NEXT: The Hunt Is Over.
Previous episodes:Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminense, Grêmio, Botafogo, Atlético Mineiro, Internacional, Corinthians In this series I will present each of the 12 Brazilian teams that together compose the "Big 12". My point is to make them more knowledgeable to you, since each one of these teams have their share of the Brazil national team success and of Brazilian club football accomplishments as a whole. I'll try to be as smooth, efficient and non-boring as I can. If the feedback is positive, I'll keep bringing more to this series. So ok, let's do this! Method: I'll present the teams in a chronological order, from the oldest foundation (Flamengo-1895) to the latest one (São Paulo-1930). The order will be: Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminense, Grêmio, Botafogo, Atlético Mineiro, Internacional, Corinthians, Santos, Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, São Paulo. How many of these have you heard of? Extra clubs: Due to a high number of requests, I'll also present 3 teams who don't belong to the Big12, but are also considered big clubs in Brazil: Bahia, Athletico Paranaense and Coritiba. Welcome to the club! Geographical reference: Before we start, I'd like to ask something very simple from you. I want you to keep in mind that these 12 teams are spread in 4 different States in Brazil. The club's State name is written below, next to the club's name. It has a direct link to Google Maps, so that you can check it out to make this experience more accurate.
Major achievements: 2 Intercontinental Cup (1962, 1963), 3 Copa Libertadores (1962, 1963, 2011), 8 Brazilian Leagues (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 2002, 2004), 1 Copa do Brasil (2010)
State League titles: 22 (Against Corinthians' 30, Palmeiras' 23, São Paulo's 21)
PLAY AND LISTEN TO SANTOS ANTHEM WHILE READING - Click here The Football Kingdom There's an urban legend that says that a lightning never strikes the same place twice. But apparently this legend doesn't apply to the physics of Santos, a humble and small port city on the coast of São Paulo. There, a young kid named Pelé, would come up to become football's greatest legend, a man that could stop a war with his foot, a man that transcended all sports combined. In that same city of Santos - with a probable electromagnetic sequel caused by the lightning of Pelé - were raised the raw talents of the princes Robinho and Neymar. Curiously enough, Marta, the Queen of Football, and Falcão, the King of Futsal, also stepped foot and left a legacy at Santos, the football kingdom of the world. Let the story begin! The early years and the 100-goal team at 1929 São Paulo State League Santos was founded in 1912, but only on the late 1920s the team would become a threat to the State League teams from the state capital, São Paulo. Indeed, in 1927, the team led by Araken Patusca and Feitiço scored 100 goals in 16 matches, an average of 6,25 goals/match, a world record in official competitions until today. However, they lost the title in the last round to Palmeiras. These two players would make history in Santos: Feitiço scored 214 goals and is the Santos 5th top goalscorer of all time, while Araken Patusca scored 184, and is the 7th. In 1935, Santos would win their first State League title, after beating Corinthians 2-0. The Pelé Era: the greatest team in the world, the team that stopped a war in Africa,Os Santásticos Before Pelé arrived, Santos had recently won the 1955 and 1956 State Leagues, with a great team led by Brazil NT forwards Del Vecchio, Pepe, Pagão, Jair, and the midfielder Zito. After Pelé left, Santos had added 25 more trophies to their cabinet: 2 Intercontinental Cups, 2 Copa Libertadores, 6 Brazilian Leagues, 10 State Leagues, 3 Rio-São Paulo Tournament, 1 Supercopa Sudamericana and 1 Recopa Intercontinental. During Pelé's time in the 1960s, Santos scored around 3000 goals, with more than 1000 scored by the king, in both official competitions (643 goals) and friendlies (448 goals) for Santos. Actually, counting only teams from Europe big6, Pelé scored 103 goals in those high-level friendlies, as you can see here. If we count all European clubs and National Teams, Pelé scored 163 goals. He also scored 87 goals against 1st division Brazilian teams, 116 goals against South American teams and National Teams, 44 goals against African/Asian/Central American National Teams, totalizing 410 goals in high-level friendlies - all data details here. At that time, friendlies were highly hyped, and there were more Europeans attending friendlies vs. Santos than attending their own national leagues matches - attendance data here.
Pelé arrived at Santos in 1956, at the age of 15. In that same year arrived the right-wing Dorval, aged 21. In 1958 arrived the centre-forward Coutinho, aged 14, and in 1960 the attacking midfielder, Mengálvio, aged 20. They all joined the left-wing Pepe, at Santos since 1954, to form the famous quintet that dominated the world: Dorval, Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe.
Player
Apps
Goals
Brazil NT Caps
Goals
World Cup titles
Dorval (1956-67)
612
198
7
-
-
Mengálvio (1960-68)
371
28
14
1
1 (1962)
Coutinho (1958-68)
457
368
15
6
1 (1962)
Pelé (1956-74)
1116
1091
92
77
3 (1958, 1962, 1970)
Pepe (1954-69)
750
405
40
22
2 (1958, 1962)
But everything started in the 1957 São Paulo State League, when Pelé was topscorer with 36 goals, at the age of 16. There wasn't a National League until 1959, due to Brazil's huge size and weak infrastructure, so the players would shine in the State Leagues, which lasted the entire year. Pelé, at 17, broke the São Paulo State League record (until today), scoring 58 goals in 38 matches, in 1958 - which brought him to the Brazil NT and to the 1958 World Cup. After winning it, him and Santos started travelling in exhibition tours to make cash and challenge the best teams around the world in "friendly" matches. In 1959, Santos took part in the 1st Brazilian League edition, qualifying as São Paulo State League champions. However, they lost the final to Bahia (2-3, 2-0, 1-3). As Santos lost the 1959 São Paulo State League finals to Palmeiras, they didn't qualify to the 1960 Brazilian League. However, they won the 1960 São Paulo State League and qualified to the 1961 Brazilian League. From 1961 to 1965, Santos won 5 consecutive Brazilian Leagues, a record until today. However, Santos would always enter in the semi-finals and only play 4-5 matches to be crowned champions - this rule would only be modified from the 1967 Brazilian League.
Year
Champion
Runner-up
Results
1961 Brazilian League
Santos
Bahia
1-1, 5-1
1962 Brazilian League
Santos
Botafogo
4-3, 1-3, 5-0
1963 Brazilian League
Santos
Bahia
6-0, 2-0
1964 Brazilian League
Santos
Flamengo
4-1, 0-0
1965 Brazilian League
Santos
Vasco
5-1, 1-0
Highlights to the 1962 final between Santos and Botafogo, which had 11 players from the 1962 World Cup won by Brazil: Gylmar, Mauro, Zito, Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pelé, Pepe (Santos), Nilton Santos, Garrincha, Amarildo, Zagallo (Botafogo). Santos won the decisive match 5-0 at the Maracanã, with this goal from Pelé. In 1962, Santos also participated in their first Copa Libertadores, qualified as the 1961 Brazilian League champions. Santos topped their group stage against Cerro Porteño (Paraguay) (9-1, 1-1) and Municipal (Bolivia) (6-1, 4-3). In the semis against Universidad Católica (Chile), Santos tied 1-1 away, and won 1-0 at home. The final would be against Peñarol (Uruguay). Santos won the first leg 2-1 in Uruguay, with two goals from Coutinho, in a great comeback. In the 2nd leg in Brazil, a crazy story: after a big and violent confusion, the match was restarted and Peñarol scored the third goal at '51 (2-3). Santos only needed a tie and scored it at '67, the match ended 3-3 and Santos celebrated the title. However, the referee wrote down in the match report that the match was over at '51 - he was scared to really end it, so he kept the match going until the end, but it wasn't counting for him, so he (and CONMEBOL) declared Peñarol the winners. This forced a third match, in neutral Argentina, which Santos dominated and won 3-0, with two goals from Pelé and one own goal from Peñarol. Santos were for the first time, and the first Brazilian team, crowned South American champions. This title qualified Santos to the 1962 Intercontinental Cup, against the European champions, Benfica. The 1st leg at the Maracanã ended 3-2 for Santos, with 2 goals from Pelé and one from Coutinho. Before the 2nd match in Lisbon, Benfica announced that they were selling tickets for the third match, certain that they would win at home. However, Pelé destroyed the match with a splendid hat-trick, an assist, nutmegs and dribbling past the entire Benfica defense to score one of his goals. The match ended 5-2 before a crowd of 73.000 portuguese fans, and Pelé proved once again he was still football's king, as he and Santos were crowned club world champions for the first time. Highlights of the match here (4mn56 video). The next year, in 1963, Santos would once again win the Copa Libertadores. Being the current champions, they entered in the semi-final stage against the legendary Botafogo of Garrincha, Didi and Nilton Santos. The 1st leg ended 1-1, with Pelé scoring a tie at '90. The 2nd match at the Maracanã ended 4-0 to Santos, with Pelé scoring the first goal, also the second goal from a header, and the third from a penalty kick. Lima scored the fourth, with an assist from Pepe. Santos were once again qualified to the Copa Libertadores final. They would meet Boca Juniors, from Argentina. In the 1st leg at the Maracanã, Santos opened 3-0 with two goals from Coutinho - notably this one - and one from Lima. Boca, however, scored twice with Sanfilippo and the match ended 3-2. The atmosphere at La Bombonera for the 2nd leg was intense. 50.000 Argentine kept singing "Pelé hijo de puta, macaquitos del Brasil" (Pelé son of a b., little monkeys from Brazil). Then Boca opened the score at '46 with Sanfilippo. However, 4 minutes later, Pelé assisted Coutinho to score the tie. Later, Pelé mocked the Boca team by playing with the ball at Boca's GK hand. And at '82, Pelé scored the winning goal and celebrated with euphory and anger: Santos were back-to-back Copa Libertadores champions. Santos were once again qualified to the Intercontinental Cup, and would face Milan. Santos lost the 1st leg 2-4, at San Siro, in Milan. In the 2nd leg at the Maracanã, Milan went to half-time winning 2-0. A heavy rain began and the pitch became a mud. Santos, without Pelé, counted on Pepe's free-kick to score their first goal. Almir and Lima scored Santos second and third goals, at '54 and '65. Pepe, again from a free-kick, scored the fourth at '68, forcing a third match. In the third and final match, at the Maracanã again, Maldini committed a penalty and was sent off. Still without Pelé, Dalmo scored the 1-0 winning goal, crowning Santos once again club world champions. Santos wouldn't win the Copa Libertadores again in the 1960s. They reached the semis in 1964 and 1965, and refused to play it in 1966, 1967 and 1969 - not only it was financially unattractive, but also too violent and with tendencious refereeing. So Santos prefered to travel around the globe and make cash to pay their expensive team. The "Santos Globetrotters", would tour the world and smash whoever and wherever. 7-1 Internazionale, 5-0 Roma, 6-2 Napoli, 3-0 Lazio, 5-1 Lecce, 5-1 Barcelona, 6-0 Hamburg, 9-1 TSV München 1860, 6-3 Wolfsburg, 5-2 Eintracht Frankfurt, 4-2 Hertha Berlin, 6-4 Fortuna Düsseldorf, 5-0 Arminia Bielefield, 6-3 Benfica, 4-2 Sheffield Wednesday, 4-2 Newcastle, 5-3 Reims, 6-1 Racing, 6-2 Lyon, 3-0 Toulouse, 3-0 Feyenoord, 5-0 Enschede, 3-0 Peñarol, 8-3 Racing (Argentina), 4-0 Independiente, 4-1 Boca Juniors, 4-0 River Plate... In official competitions, Pelé's Santos played 6 matches against Europeans, with 5W-1L:
Competition
Result
Goals
1962 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 3-2 Benfica
Pelé (2x), Santana (2x), Coutinho
1962 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 5-2 Benfica
Pelé (3x), Eusébio, Coutinho, Pepe, Santana
1963 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 2-4 Milan
Pelé (2x), Amarildo (2x), Trapattoni, Mora
1963 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 4-2 Milan
Pepe (2x), Mazzola, Almir, Lima, Mora
1963 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 1-0 Milan
Dalmo
1968 Recopa Intercontinental
Santos 1-0 Internazionale
Toninho Guerreiro
However, Santos wasn't invincible, and Palmeiras stopped them from winning 12 consecutive State Leagues (1958-69), by beating Santos in 1959, 1963 and 1966. 1969: the year that Santos stopped a war in Africa and that Pelé scored his 1000th goal On the 4th February 1969, Pelé's Santos stopped an ongoing war in Nigeria. The civil war had been going on in the Biafra region since March 1967, and it lasted until January 1970, with the separatists' defeat. 2 million people died in the conflict. There was a global effort trying to stop the violent repression of the Nigerian government against the Biafras. Artists like Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon, authorities like the Pope Paul VI and the United Nations tried do contain the conflict, without success. But Santos did. As the team was touring in Africa, they were invited by the Nigerian government to play in Benin. A first and only cease-fire was declared so Santos could move from the hotel to the stadium and then back to the hotel. Santos won the match 2-1, and left the country the next day, as the war restarted as soon as they were gone, lasting 11 more months. On the 19th November 1969, Pelé scored his 1000th goal, against Vasco, the team he supported as a child, at the Maracanã. Journalists from all over the world had been following Santos matches, waiting for the 1000th goal to happen, which he did on his 912th career match. By the end of the decade, Santos team had changed, but was still strong, notably counting with the right-back Carlos Alberto Torres, the midfielder Clodoaldo and the forwards Edu and Toninho Guerreiro, all of them champions in the 1970 World Cup, except for the latter. They notably won the 1968 Brazilian League, the 1968 Supercopa Sudamericana and the 1968 Recopa Intercontinental. My personal favorite goal of this era is this one by Toninho Guerreiro, after a rainbow flick assist by Kaneko, in 1968. The Pelé Era last title was the São Paulo State League title of 1973. Pelé left in October 1974, having scored 1091 goals in 1116 matches for Santos. 1978-1984: the Meninos da Vila (Vila Boys) and the last title before the drought In 1978, a new term was coined to the players produced by Santos youth system, or just young players that were bought: the Meninos da Vila (Vila Boys), that won the 1978 State League. The 1st generation counted with Juary, João Paulo, Pita, Nilton Batata and Ailton Lira.
Meninos da Vila
Apps
Goals
Juary
229
101
João Paulo
412
103
Pita
408
55
Nilton Batata
249
36
Ailton Lira
182
37
In the 1980s, Santos built a good team that reached the final of the 1983 Brazilian League, and won the 1984 State League - Santos last title before the drought. 1984-2002: 18-year title drought In this period, Santos reached the 1995 Brazilian League final - led by the idol Giovanni -, as well as the 2000 State League final. Santos won the 1997 Rio-São Paulo Tournament and the 1998 Copa Conmebol, but they were minor trophies and didn't count as the end of the drought, that would last until 2002. Nevertheless, Santos became the first team in the world to score 10.000 goals - the record took place in January 1998, with a goal scored by Jorginho. In December 2000, Santos was elected by FIFA the Club of the Century in South America, and placed 5th in the world, behind Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern and Barcelona. 2002: Diego & Robinho and the 2ndMeninos da Vilageneration In the last season of the Brazilian League with knock-out stages (round-robin were introduced in 2003), Santos were broken and bet once again on their own DNA: youth system and offensive football. Led by 17-year-old Diego and 18-year-old Robinho, and with great young players Maurinho (24), Alex (20), Renato (23) and Elano (21), as well as great experienced players like Fábio Costa (25), Léo (27) and Alberto (27), Santos qualified on the 8th and last spot to the quarter-finals - after an exciting 1st stage, even leading the league at some point, but dropping a lot in quality towards the end. In the knock-out stage, Santos won 5 of the 6 matches before becoming champions. In the quarter-finals, against the scary São Paulo of Kaká and Luís Fabiano, Santos won both legs: 3-1 at home and then a 2-1 comeback away, with Diego scoring twice, one of them the winning goal on the 2nd leg. In the semi-finals, Santos defeated Grêmio 3-0 at home, with a great show from Robinho, who got Grêmio's CB sent off and then scored this great goal. Alberto scored twice, notably this backheel one. In the 2nd leg, a 0-1 defeat was enough to put Santos in the league final. The final would be against Parreira'sCorinthians. In the first leg, Diego brilliantly assisted Alberto to open the score, and then Robinho at '88 also brilliantly assissted Renato to close the 2-0 score. The final 2nd leg was monumental. Corinthians needed to win by a 2-goal difference to be the champions. It started badly for Santos, with Diego leaving injured with less than five minutes. But at '35, Robinho produced one of the most iconic moves of the football world in 2002, the 8 Pedaladas (8 Stepovers), after which he suffered a penalty, which he himself converted into a goal dedicated to Diego. Corinthians now needed 3 goals, and at '75 they scored the first, then at '84 they scored the second. Total fear in Santos supporters. But 4 minutes later at '88, the heir of the king, the prince Robinho carried the ball from the midfield until the right side of the box to assist Elano in Santos second goal. But it wasn't over yet, and at '92, him again, the prince Robinho left two Corinthians' CB completely lost in a quick body turnaround to assist Léo to score the 3rd and winning goal. The perfect match was over, Santos won 3-2, and were crowned Brazilian League champions. Highlights to Santos goalkeeper Fabio Costa who had this absurd performance (2mn33s video) and to Santos coach Emerson Leão, the man who chose to bet in these young players. 2003-2004: the show must go on In 2003, Santos, Diego and Robinho were the Brazilian trend. They kept their high-level football with the addition of Ricardo Oliveira in the attack, and finished 2nd in the Copa Libertadores - losing to Boca Juniors - and 2nd in the Brazilian League - dominated by Cruzeiro. In 2004, Santos won the Brazilian League again, their 8th and most recent Brazilian League title. With the departures of Renato, Diego and Ricardo Oliveira to Europe, Santos brought Ricardinho and Deivid from Middlesbrough and Bordeaux, and the international coach Luxemburgo from Cruzeiro. It worked greatly, and led by Robinho and Elano, they won the league on the 46th and last round, after beating Vasco 2-1. It was a very dramatic league in all possible ways, and against everything and everyone, Santos were once again Brazilian Champions.
2013-today Since the Neymar & Ganso Era ended in 2013, Santos has won 2 State League titles (2015, 2016), finished 2nd in the Brazilian League twice (2016, 2019) and in the Copa do Brasil once (2015), as well as revealing Rodrygo in 2018. Santos represents the essence of Brazilian football DNA, which is offensive and beautiful football, a philosophy which made their youth system one of the most respected in the world. You can watch here some rare Pelé highlights, here some 2002-2005 Robinho's and here some 2009-2013 Neymar's. Santos is one of the 3 Brazilian teams that has never been relegated. To this day, Santos has a fanbase of 6 million supporters, and a stadium attendance average of 10.300, as of 2019. If you have any questions about Brazilian football, feel free to join us at futebol, where you'll be very welcomed!
35 Whimsical and Fantastical Taverns and Inns For Your Table
35 Whimsical and Fun Taverns, Bars and Inns For Your Table
EDIT: An excellent official-looking edit has been created by the talented u/natesroomrule. You can find their copy here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_xtqOtSbnULTjo81l0aYhQj7NdmWWi2p/view A few years ago, I drafted a d100-based table for a variety of interesting and fantasy-themed taverns for my group. While that session ended up falling apart, I completely forgot about the table I created until recently. Behold! Below, find a variety of silly, interesting high fantasy tavern ideas you can use to populate your worlds to make everything feel a little more fantastic and flavourful. Note that some taverns assume a particular location or setting, but feel free to re-roll or adjust as need be. Dropbox Link (.docx format): https://www.dropbox.com/s/ena4hwp0o82qzws/Fantasy%20Inns%20and%20Taverns%20Table%20by%20Tr1lobyte.docx?dl=0
The Table
#
Name
Description
1-3
The Dancing Imp
Once a bar of ill repute, where shady deals and even devil worship took place. The legend goes that once a cunning bard called a devil, tricking him by destroying his sigil and cursing the imp to dance until it perished from exhaustion. Nowadays, it goes that demons have never since been found into the bar due to this old superstition. While the truth of this tale is often in dispute, the bar runs a marathon dancing contest on the first Saturday of every month with the winner taking a "devil's share" of alcohol in winnings.
4-6
The Drunken Unicorn
Legends tell that, a long time ago, a unicorn made itself an unwitting patron of this bar. Drinking from a leaky cask of wine set out at the establishment's back door, it had that night crashed through a wall, caused an atrocious ruckus, and ran off after scaring all the patrons. Families whose ancestors were in the bar at the time of the event consider it a badge of fortune, and continue to drink there loyally to this day.
7-9
The Giant’s Foot
A dirty bar full of lowlifes and criminals, commonly used for dealings between races such as orcs, goblins and yes, giants. While it's a hive of scum and villainy, where crimes between patrons are met with an uninterested shrug, those who mess with anything within the bar such as stealing glasses are swiftly met with a guard who nails them by the feet upside-down to the wall to rot, until their ankles break off and only their crucified feet remain.
10-12
The Dragon’s Head
The giant skeletal head of a dragon hangs over the bar, a trophy of its retired dwarf owner from his years as an accomplished adventurer. The head is enchanted to breathe mists of pipe smoke when given an offering of alcohol.
13-15
The Living Ivy
The building, it high roof taller than it is wide a relic of the building's former status as a church, casts a beautiful spotlight across the empty floor. Long thick vines, once a Shambling Mound, crawl up the walls, growing back so fast they're almost impossible to remove. During spring, pilgrims come from far away to witness the vines release magical glowing spores, which it is believed (falsely) are able to cure all manner of ills and ailments.
16-18
The Hungry Beaver
Located at the bottom of a valley in a flood-prone region, the bar is set up on long, thick stilts to keep it from getting wet during heavy rains. A set of stairs, often responsible for the broken bones and chipped teeth of drunks leaving in the early dark hours of the morning, lead up to its doors. The tavern has a special local brew, called "Beaver Honey", which is made using this water and the sap from a nearby species of tree to give it a sweet flavour.
19-21
the Backwards Inn
A tavern inherited by no-nonsense elvish managers who doggedly insist that the inn is sensibly called "Traveller's Rest". Locals have a tradition of reversing the lettering on all the signs advertising its presence overnight, always insistently crediting it to an ancient curse bestowed on the inn by an angry wizard long ago, or to an ancient tribe of mischievous pixies who consider it one of their greatest cultural customs.
22-24
The Twin Golems
At the entrance to the tavern two huge clay golems stand, lifeless, their longswords crossed above the door frame. When commanded, such as during a raid or crime, the bartender can tell them a secret command word which activates their defensive procedure, blocking anyone from entering or leaving the building with force if necessary. The golems have been repurposed here, having been once automated labourers in a mine, but have no personality and are comatose until commanded.
25-27
The Laughing Gnome
A small tavern with ceilings and objects designed for those of halfling or gnomish size, but they take all visitors. Their prized gnomish ale is famous, and the manager and owner, a portly gnome named Ferrowin Gladis, never tires of large human men attempting to squeeze their way through its tiny doors for a drink. There's also a variety of budget rooms for the shorter adventurer underneath the building, which for their price offer an unparalleled quality.
28-30
The Filthy Priest
Once located near a church, this dive is notorious for its association with illegal trades being right next to the city’s skid rows. However, any Detect Good and Evil inside the bar only detects good. Its previous location next to a church and the scandals that it had involved with its residents resulted in the name change and move to the new building in the slums about a decade ago, a small statuette of a god providing the blessing on the building that had been stolen from that very religious establishment.
31-33
The Portly Frog
A large, open room with a circular fountain and one particular statue of a giant, fat frog at the centre. Rumours say that the frog was a magically cursed prince petrified by a Medusa, though it is impossible to determine its validity. A small quartet of bards can usually be found in the corner, singing beautiful songs and busking for money. Those who cause trouble in the bar quickly find that this band of high-level Bards are also the security of the establishment.
34-36
The Rotten Pumpkin
Located in the city where the annual "World's Largest Pumpkin" takes place, the winning pumpkin every year is traditionally placed at the front of the building until it rots, after which children often rip chunks off and have food fights outside. While this festival only occurs once per year, the pumpkin-based beverages and meals are available all year round.
37-39
The Paladin’s Oath
A classy establishment for paladins of all sorts, all Evil cowers when entering its premises. Those of any Good or Lawful faith are often given free rooms provided they are questing for the betterment of the world, and small shrines can be found to most major gods surrounding the building in small stone huts. The owner, a human man and woman who were once paladins themselves, are willing to offer any assistance they can in the battle against the forces of evil. No cheap alcohol can be found here, and drunkenness is greatly discouraged.
40-42
The Rabbit’s Foot
Once the host of an underground gaming den, the tavern now repurposes the betting rooms for lodging. On the ground floor, several dice, board and card games are always to be found, and locals (who are veterans to gambling and are often charlatans) love to play their games with travellers. The local favourite, Gladiator Dice, is even played by local nobles who frequent the rooms and are usually surrounded by guests hoping to cash in on their reckless spending.
43-45
The Shaking Shack
Also known as "The Drunk Tavern", every few minutes the building shakes very briefly as if in a small-magnitude earthquake. Most locals and the bartenders are used to it, barely noticing the shakes, but new travellers frequently find it frustrating and distracting. Legends go it was once cursed by a warlock who, after being insulted by a legion of drunks, cursed the building itself to 'hiccup' as if drunk itself. For this reason, once per night, it is customary to pour a beer out onto the floorboards to sate "the hair-of-the-dog in the building itself".
46-48
The Garden of Maidens
Named after the legendary children's tale of the 12 Missing Maidens (which is said to have happened nearby), the tavern is less jovial than one usually comes to expect. Drinking any alcohol in the bar invokes a somber depression in the drinker, which the owner credits to the haunting spirits of the dead maidens spoiling the drink. While it famously triggers sadness in almost all who drink there, it has a strangely addicting quality. Even stranger still, the only people this curse does not seem to affect is young human women.
49-51
The Mourning Widow
This seaside tavern is populated by sailors, who sing loud out-of-tune sea shanties into the early hours of the morning. Its exclusive brew, the Widow's Tears, are said to be made from the tears of ladies whose husbands have died at sea. For these reasons, anyone who dealing with the death of a loved one can expect free drinks on the house.
52-54
The Enchanted Mug
Contrary to its title, the mugs at The Enchanted Mug are not enchanted. In fact, gnomish engineers have developed a complex hand-cranked machine where a patron can observe the automatic creation of "The Perfect Brew". It tastes foul, but most people pay just to watch the Rube Goldberg-like giant wall-mounted device create their drink behind a pane of reinforced glass. Nowadays, it frequently experiences malfunctions, and often expels ale even worse than normal.
55-57
The Whispering Web
A bar infamous for hosting criminals and fugitives from authorities, often home to Drow and other evil creatures. Theories go that secrets travel faster than feet there, which may or may not be true: Mirrors hanging on the walls around the bar are used to anonymously conduct business with one another, with each dealer the only person able to see the other. For this reason the tavern in prized for its discretion and has been rumoured as the host to a number of highly influential underground business deals.
58-60
The Shivering Pelican
A classier establishment, the bar serves infamously cold ales. Among them is their prized "Frozen Swill", cooled with magical jets to far below zero, which is nearly impossible to drink. Themed as a Winter Wonderland all throughout the year, a series of hot springs located out in the back are very popular among the richer folk who can afford to use them. The bartender rumours that nobles use the springs as meeting places for concubines and illicit lovers, which is supported by several other gossiping members of staff.
61-63
The Golden Harp
This tavern contains a magical harp, brought in at no small expense, which plays beautiful music as patrons drink and dine. Believed to be imbued with the magical talents of an angel themselves, its melodies have an almost hypnotic quality to them, which has been known to invoke intense emotion among a minority of the weak-willed. Frequent attempts to steal the priceless artefact mean that the harp is placed behind several magical wards that prohibit anyone from approaching. Each flagon and mug has an ornate harp carved into its side, and these are commonly stolen as ‘souvenirs’ for patron’s homes as a testament to its owner's musical tastes.
64-66
The Broken Cavalry
Popular among war veterans, it borders a huge stable and a large field where horse races are frequently run for sport and recreation. The first stop in a long pub crawl, tradition dictates that a budding drinker not leave the back of their horse throughout the entire ordeal, which becomes increasingly more difficult as the rider becomes more drunk.
67-69
The Starving Yeti
Set inside a cave in the side of a tall mountain peak, it is often used as a safehouse during the occasional avalanche or orc raid due to its naturally fortified structure. Only the opening of the mouth is used for the business, but the rest of the uncharted cave behind it travels deep into the mountain: However, only the bravest dare to scout out the area due to its huge labyrinthian size and dangerous monsters. Rumours of ancient dwarven treasures from a time long-forgotten are familiar to all locals, including the recipe for a highly-prized ancient Dwarf wine.
70-72
The Dragon’s Roost
Pigeons have long taken their place in the rafters of the tall building in which The Dragon's Roost is located, often pooping into the drinks of those below (which is considered a very lucky omen). Many sustained attempts to remove the infestation in the past has proved fruitless, and has slowly developed into a superstition that the pigeons are the reincarnated souls of regular bargoers.
73-75
The Prickly Crocodile
Located on the middle of a dry and unforgiving desert, most drinks are synthesized from a common cactus to create a series of bitter yet strong alcoholic beverages known as The Prickles. As the plant is highly toxic, only the bar's owners, and old and influential Dragonborn family, are familiar with the secrets to extracting the appropriate liquid without retaining its deadly poisons.
76-78
The Gaudy Cannon
Located on the roof of the squat, well-constructed stone tavern, a faux-golden cannon fires a blank shot of gunpowder every time somebody completes the venue's infamous Drowned Liver Challenge, which involves copious quantities of local wine. The proprietor and barkeep, an eyepatch-wearing halfling pirate by the name of Two-Bones (since retired), takes great joy in this ceremony (the cannon her proudest trophy from her travels) and often participates in the challenge herself.
79-81
The Wild Sorcerer
Though not gifted with Sorcerous magic herself, bar owner Meredith Garalin inherited the venue from her mother after it spontaneously appeared from nowhere during one of her episodes of wild magic. Business is slow due to its out-of-the-way location, though local rumours that suggest the tavern is cursed to one day magically return to whatever plane it was summoned from (and with all its patrons inside).
82-84
The Ghost Hog
Impossible to trace, the faint squealing of some faraway pig can sometimes be heard from inside of the tavern during the day. Notoriously grimy and filthy the east side of the tavern, dubbed 'The Swill', is an open, muddy space which is commonly the ground for drunken barehanded wrestling matches both for sporting and settling disputes. Solid lumps can frequently be found in their unappetizing pints of ale.
85-87
The Glowing Scales
The only remaining building in a village now entirely in ruins, it acts as an important resting place for those travelling between two major cities which keeps business booming. Due to its highly vulnerable nature, the barkeep offers free room and board, as well as a night of free drinks, to anyone who assists in fighting away the goblin hordes that attack at sunset several times a week.
88-90
The Masquerade Floor
A classy establishment built in a refurbished noble's manor after it was invaded and taken over by a neighbouring kingdom, its blindingly white tiled floors give it a strikingly futuristic aesthetic. The drinks are distinctly expensive, but come in an eclectic rainbow of colours. All its staff, mostly elves, wear white face masks that conceal their identities.
91-93
The Empty Pail
A large, popular tavern in which large drink orders are made in 'pails', metal buckets filled with ale that can be shared between patrons or quaffed by larger, more ambitious humanoids. A lot of food, like small sections of dried apple or strips of preserved bacon, are served floating or submerged in the alcohol which gives them a bitter flavour.
94-96
The Clever Merchant
A bustling hub of trade and mirth, the business offers not only rooms and drink but also a variety of trade stock such as grains, ore, and lumber. The owner, a bald Dragonborn merchant, makes a decent profit over the impulse purchases of drunks with coin to spare, as well as off a variety of house-run gambling games such as the popular card game Merchant.
97-99
The Thunderous Wagon
Located on the outskirts of a city next to a large stable for late-night travellers, they offer cheap rooms for those willing to put up with loud distractions to their slumber during the night. Popular wisdom dictates that banging your mugs of ales against the table before drinking will bless those staying overnight with good rest.
100
The Bloodthirsty Fish
A popular location among hobbyist fishermen, the walls are lined with the trophies of various huge catches. A patron can be offered a free drink if they can prove themselves a record holder of the largest for a particular type. Their brew is atypically salty-tasting and popular among sailors.
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