> were you influenced by personal events to write it?

I tried to build a Polymarket bot during Christmas break last year, and didn't get as far as I'd have liked to. But I spent a lot of time thinking about prediction markets thereafter and it certainly became a germination point for this story idea.

> The airgun is a subtle touch. I am in Florida, all kinds of cowboys here, are BBs legal in the UK?

I'm not sure actually -- it's great that you picked up on that detail though as I was trying to make that part more feasible for something based in the UK.