Well folks, the Man of Shpiel is here to ensure that you, the people of Earth, stay informed. There are a few fun little stories going on here that we figured you might have some interest in. Here are some of the quirkier ones thus far:

Theerasak Poonsombat

Call him “T.” Theerasak knows that his name’s a mouthful, but he’s more than happy to cater to the verbally challenged. It’s not surprising that the man’s philosophy of life is to “Relax, take it slow, let the good times roll.” A tough-to-say name isn’t the only notable bullet on this guy’s resume—he also happens to be the 2004 Yu-Gi-Oh! US Champion.

With tomorrow’s Shonen Jump tournament looming, Theerasak came in a day early to watch the goings on, do a little drafting, and prepare for tomorrow. Winning the US Championship earns one more than just a title—he also took home a Yu-Gi-Oh! box set, a nice little trophy, a Shonen Jump subscription, and a new laptop for his trouble.

Introduced to Yu-Gi-Oh! by the television show of the same name, 22-year-old T has started to make his way in the Vs. System universe. He’s presently working at Comic Odyssey in Los Angeles while finishing college. Keep an eye on this guy— he could be playing on Saturdays soon. 
 

Ashley Porter

Eighteen-year-old Ashley Porter of London, Kentucky is hanging out at the tournament site, and is apparently feeling a little restless while waiting for friends. The most immediate and obvious aspect of her wait is the sinister and malicious growth that seems to be encompassing her entire body. Take a look at this progression:

I know this doesn’t have that much to do with the game or the tournament, but I thought it looked pretty cool.

 
Chris Pattao

A player near and dear to my heart, Jason Hager stands out from this crowd in that he’s the only player in today’s tournament from outside the United States.

A twenty-year-old cop in training, Jason convinced his friends to travel to the Shonen Jump tournament a day early so that he could play today. Hailing from Windsor, Canada, Jason’s attitude is far more apparent than his origins.

“I wish a few more Canadians came down for this. I’m here to do my best, represent Windsor and Canada, and maintain the good rep that other Canadians have cultivated.” Sadly, Chris started out 2-2, meaning that there is the small matter of a huge mountain to climb if he doesn’t want to play Yu-Gi-Oh! tomorrow. My fingers are crossed.

 
Jason Hager

Jason Hager is something of an “artistic savant” as far as Vs. System goes. He designed the VsRealms.com t-shirt and won the VsRealms Splash shirt contest, and now he’s showing us that Vs. cards make for more than just a game.

Looking to add a little flare to his Cosmic Cops deck, Jason took the ten GCPD Officer cards in his deck and changed each one into a movie monster of some notoriety. The results look pretty good.

The twist seemed to be doing Jason some good. As of this writing, he was at 4-1.