Magnolia table christmas candy
does he like me or is he just and ongoing person?
2023.06.01 23:40 Neither_Telephone_66 does he like me or is he just and ongoing person?
Hello I need help to know if he likes me or not. Taking into account that my experience is zero, this situation keeps bothering me. Basically I haven't paid much attention to him until now, probably because of anxiety and depression. But this last month I've started to notice him and he does things that makes me think he likes me but I'm not entirely sure. To contextualize we are in the same class but there are many people, also he's two years older than me. At the beginning of the course we never spoke, but when we walk acrossed each other he smiled at me showing his teeth. After Christmas he joined my group for a subject assignment. In February we had to go somewhere for this assigment and I got to know him a bit better. Two months passed by and it wasn't until the end of April that I got to know him better and began to ask myself if he liked me. These are the things that he does that make me ask my self if he likes me: - He smiled at me when we passed each other. - I have caught him several times looking at me -His feet pointed towards me on different occasions - one day he seriously asked me if I was okay and kept eye contact for more than a minute because he wanted to know how I felt - The penultimate day of class he took and changed places in class and sat at my table but in the corner (the tables are four and rectangular so i he was in the 1st spot, 2nd and 3rd where empty and i was on the 4th place), this confused me a lot because it didn't make sense for him to change places because never before had, plus he sat at the other side of the class. Eveen the teacher asked him why he changed places. - He also speaks to me sometimes with the deeper voice -I also told him some gossip and he was very interested - doing the task that I mentioned before, I went to lie down on the grass and he came and lay down with me and he began to take photos and I think I was on the background - He told me about his insecurity (tell me what straight man tells that to someone) and we mutually told each other about some traumas - physical contact: when I left a place I was with my cell phone and to prevent me from falling he grabbed my hip for a second. And then the day of the presentation of our work when we finished we sat together and from time to time our feet collided and stayed together for a few seconds.Also, his whole body pointed towards me. -He also congratulate me when he finished presenting -he asked me for request on instagram with both his main and secondary accounts and he also asked me for a request on BeReal - I opened the best friends section on insta and he liked the story, he has already liked two more stories and the other day he responded to one with the word "HIT" because of the song I posted and we had a little conversation even though he is currently on a trip. - He says things that make me laugh - I have caught him several times looking at me -I scolded him because he mispronounced my name and he began to pronounce it correctly and he began to call me by my nickname - He asked me with his friend if my friend liked him and I told him no, and he told his friend "i've told you we're just friends" But he does things that confuse me, like in general he is a very outgoing person and he makes me doubt if he is like this with everyone and it is simply all my imagination. Onto things that made me dougth: Then at the beginning of May when I wrote to him he would take hours / days to answer me and sometimes he didn't even answer me. He also told me about his ex. To finish the next course I'm going to study abroad and I told him and there was indifference. So my question is: Does he like me or being an extroverted person is he like that with everyone? What I do? How can i know? Classes had finished so I don't know when am I going to se him again. Thank u for reading <3
submitted by Neither_Telephone_66 to Advice [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 23:39 Neither_Telephone_66 does he like or is he just an ongoing person?
Hello I need help to know if he likes me or not. Taking into account that my experience is zero, this situation keeps bothering me. Basically I haven't paid much attention to him until now, probably because of anxiety and depression. But this last month I've started to notice him and he does things that makes me think he likes me but I'm not entirely sure. To contextualize we are in the same class but there are many people, also he's two years older than me. At the beginning of the course we never spoke, but when we walk acrossed each other he smiled at me showing his teeth. After Christmas he joined my group for a subject assignment. In February we had to go somewhere for this assigment and I got to know him a bit better. Two months passed by and it wasn't until the end of April that I got to know him better and began to ask myself if he liked me. These are the things that he does that make me ask my self if he likes me: - He smiled at me when we passed each other. - I have caught him several times looking at me -His feet pointed towards me on different occasions - one day he seriously asked me if I was okay and kept eye contact for more than a minute because he wanted to know how I felt - The penultimate day of class he took and changed places in class and sat at my table but in the corner (the tables are four and rectangular so i he was in the 1st spot, 2nd and 3rd where empty and i was on the 4th place), this confused me a lot because it didn't make sense for him to change places because never before had, plus he sat at the other side of the class. Eveen the teacher asked him why he changed places. - He also speaks to me sometimes with the deeper voice -I also told him some gossip and he was very interested - doing the task that I mentioned before, I went to lie down on the grass and he came and lay down with me and he began to take photos and I think I was on the background - He told me about his insecurity (tell me what straight man tells that to someone) and we mutually told each other about some traumas - physical contact: when I left a place I was with my cell phone and to prevent me from falling he grabbed my hip for a second. And then the day of the presentation of our work when we finished we sat together and from time to time our feet collided and stayed together for a few seconds.Also, his whole body pointed towards me. -He also congratulate me when he finished presenting -he asked me for request on instagram with both his main and secondary accounts and he also asked me for a request on BeReal - I opened the best friends section on insta and he liked the story, he has already liked two more stories and the other day he responded to one with the word "HIT" because of the song I posted and we had a little conversation even though he is currently on a trip. - He says things that make me laugh - I have caught him several times looking at me -I scolded him because he mispronounced my name and he began to pronounce it correctly and he began to call me by my nickname - He asked me with his friend if my friend liked him and I told him no, and he told his friend "i've told you we're just friends" But he does things that confuse me, like in general he is a very outgoing person and he makes me doubt if he is like this with everyone and it is simply all my imagination. Onto things that made me dougth: Then at the beginning of May when I wrote to him he would take hours / days to answer me and sometimes he didn't even answer me. He also told me about his ex. To finish the next course I'm going to study abroad and I told him and there was indifference. So my question is: Does he like me or being an extroverted person is he like that with everyone? What I do? How can i know? Classes had finished so I don't know when am I going to se him again. Thank u for reading <3
submitted by Neither_Telephone_66 to Crushes [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 23:36 Neither_Telephone_66 Does he like or is he just an ongoing person?
Hello I need help to know if he likes me or not. Taking into account that my experience is zero, this situation keeps bothering me.
Basically I haven't paid much attention to him until now, probably because of anxiety and depression. But this last month I've started to notice him and he does things that makes me think he likes me but I'm not entirely sure.
To contextualize we are in the same class but there are many people, also he's two years older than me. At the beginning of the course we never spoke, but when we walk acrossed each other he smiled at me showing his teeth. After Christmas he joined my group for a subject assignment. In February we had to go somewhere for this assigment and I got to know him a bit better. Two months passed by and it wasn't until the end of April that I got to know him better and began to ask myself if he liked me. These are the things that he does that make me ask my self if he likes me:
- He smiled at me when we passed each other.
- I have caught him several times looking at me
-His feet pointed towards me on different occasions
- one day he seriously asked me if I was okay and kept eye contact for more than a minute because he wanted to know how I felt
- The penultimate day of class he took and changed places in class and sat at my table but in the corner (the tables are four and rectangular so i he was in the 1st spot, 2nd and 3rd where empty and i was on the 4th place), this confused me a lot because it didn't make sense for him to change places because never before had, plus he sat at the other side of the class. Eveen the teacher asked him why he changed places.
- He also speaks to me sometimes with the deeper voice
-I also told him some gossip and he was very interested
- doing the task that I mentioned before, I went to lie down on the grass and he came and lay down with me and he began to take photos and I think I was on the background
- He told me about his insecurity (tell me what straight man tells that to someone) and we mutually told each other about some traumas
- physical contact: when I left a place I was with my cell phone and to prevent me from falling he grabbed my hip for a second. And then the day of the presentation of our work when we finished we sat together and from time to time our feet collided and stayed together for a few seconds.Also, his whole body pointed towards me.
-He also congratulate me when he finished presenting
-he asked me for request on instagram with both his main and secondary accounts and he also asked me for a request on BeReal
- I opened the best friends section on insta and he liked the story, he has already liked two more stories and the other day he responded to one with the word "HIT" because of the song I posted and we had a little conversation even though he is currently on a trip.
- He says things that make me laugh
- I have caught him several times looking at me
-I scolded him because he mispronounced my name and he began to pronounce it correctly and he began to call me by my nickname
- He asked me with his friend if my friend liked him and I told him no, and he told his friend "i've told you we're just friends"
But he does things that confuse me, like in general he is a very outgoing person and he makes me doubt if he is like this with everyone and it is simply all my imagination.
Onto things that made me dougth:
Then at the beginning of May when I wrote to him he would take hours / days to answer me and sometimes he didn't even answer me. He also told me about his ex.
To finish the next course I'm going to study abroad and I told him and there was indifference.
So my question is:
Does he like me or being an extroverted person is he like that with everyone? What I do? How can i know?
Classes had finished so I don't know when am I going to se him again.
Thank u for reading <3
submitted by Neither_Telephone_66 to relationships_advice [link] [comments]
Basically I haven't paid much attention to him until now, probably because of anxiety and depression. But this last month I've started to notice him and he does things that makes me think he likes me but I'm not entirely sure.
To contextualize we are in the same class but there are many people, also he's two years older than me. At the beginning of the course we never spoke, but when we walk acrossed each other he smiled at me showing his teeth. After Christmas he joined my group for a subject assignment. In February we had to go somewhere for this assigment and I got to know him a bit better. Two months passed by and it wasn't until the end of April that I got to know him better and began to ask myself if he liked me. These are the things that he does that make me ask my self if he likes me:
- He smiled at me when we passed each other.
- I have caught him several times looking at me
-His feet pointed towards me on different occasions
- one day he seriously asked me if I was okay and kept eye contact for more than a minute because he wanted to know how I felt
- The penultimate day of class he took and changed places in class and sat at my table but in the corner (the tables are four and rectangular so i he was in the 1st spot, 2nd and 3rd where empty and i was on the 4th place), this confused me a lot because it didn't make sense for him to change places because never before had, plus he sat at the other side of the class. Eveen the teacher asked him why he changed places.
- He also speaks to me sometimes with the deeper voice
-I also told him some gossip and he was very interested
- doing the task that I mentioned before, I went to lie down on the grass and he came and lay down with me and he began to take photos and I think I was on the background
- He told me about his insecurity (tell me what straight man tells that to someone) and we mutually told each other about some traumas
- physical contact: when I left a place I was with my cell phone and to prevent me from falling he grabbed my hip for a second. And then the day of the presentation of our work when we finished we sat together and from time to time our feet collided and stayed together for a few seconds.Also, his whole body pointed towards me.
-He also congratulate me when he finished presenting
-he asked me for request on instagram with both his main and secondary accounts and he also asked me for a request on BeReal
- I opened the best friends section on insta and he liked the story, he has already liked two more stories and the other day he responded to one with the word "HIT" because of the song I posted and we had a little conversation even though he is currently on a trip.
- He says things that make me laugh
- I have caught him several times looking at me
-I scolded him because he mispronounced my name and he began to pronounce it correctly and he began to call me by my nickname
- He asked me with his friend if my friend liked him and I told him no, and he told his friend "i've told you we're just friends"
But he does things that confuse me, like in general he is a very outgoing person and he makes me doubt if he is like this with everyone and it is simply all my imagination.
Onto things that made me dougth:
Then at the beginning of May when I wrote to him he would take hours / days to answer me and sometimes he didn't even answer me. He also told me about his ex.
To finish the next course I'm going to study abroad and I told him and there was indifference.
So my question is:
Does he like me or being an extroverted person is he like that with everyone? What I do? How can i know?
Classes had finished so I don't know when am I going to se him again.
Thank u for reading <3
2023.06.01 23:31 Neither_Telephone_66 Does he like me or is he just an ungoing person?
Hello I need help to know if he likes me or not. Taking into account that my experience is zero, this situation keeps bothering me.
Basically I haven't paid much attention to him until now, probably because of anxiety and depression. But this last month I've started to notice him and he does things that makes me think he likes me but I'm not entirely sure.
To contextualize we are in the same class but there are many people, also he's two years older than me. At the beginning of the course we never spoke, but when we walk acrossed each other he smiled at me showing his teeth. After Christmas he joined my group for a subject assignment. In February we had to go somewhere for this assigment and I got to know him a bit better. Two months passed by and it wasn't until the end of April that I got to know him better and began to ask myself if he liked me. These are the things that he does that make me ask my self if he likes me:
- He smiled at me when we passed each other.
- I have caught him several times looking at me
-His feet pointed towards me on different occasions
- one day he seriously asked me if I was okay and kept eye contact for more than a minute because he wanted to know how I felt
- The penultimate day of class he took and changed places in class and sat at my table but in the corner (the tables are four and rectangular so i he was in the 1st spot, 2nd and 3rd where empty and i was on the 4th place), this confused me a lot because it didn't make sense for him to change places because never before had, plus he sat at the other side of the class. Eveen the teacher asked him why he changed places.
- He also speaks to me sometimes with the deeper voice
-I also told him some gossip and he was very interested
- doing the task that I mentioned before, I went to lie down on the grass and he came and lay down with me and he began to take photos and I think I was on the background
- He told me about his insecurity (tell me what straight man tells that to someone) and we mutually told each other about some traumas
- physical contact: when I left a place I was with my cell phone and to prevent me from falling he grabbed my hip for a second. And then the day of the presentation of our work when we finished we sat together and from time to time our feet collided and stayed together for a few seconds.Also, his whole body pointed towards me.
-He also congratulate me when he finished presenting
-he asked me for request on instagram with both his main and secondary accounts and he also asked me for a request on BeReal
- I opened the best friends section on insta and he liked the story, he has already liked two more stories and the other day he responded to one with the word "HIT" because of the song I posted and we had a little conversation even though he is currently on a trip.
- He says things that make me laugh
- I have caught him several times looking at me
-I scolded him because he mispronounced my name and he began to pronounce it correctly and he began to call me by my nickname
- He asked me with his friend if my friend liked him and I told him no, and he told his friend "i've told you we're just friends"
But he does things that confuse me, like in general he is a very outgoing person and he makes me doubt if he is like this with everyone and it is simply all my imagination.
Onto things that made me dougth:
Then at the beginning of May when I wrote to him he would take hours / days to answer me and sometimes he didn't even answer me. He also told me about his ex.
To finish the next course I'm going to study abroad and I told him and there was indifference.
So my question is:
Does he like me or being an extroverted person is he like that with everyone? What I do? How can i know?
Classes had finished so I don't know when am I going to se him again.
Thank u for reading <3
submitted by Neither_Telephone_66 to u/Neither_Telephone_66 [link] [comments]
Basically I haven't paid much attention to him until now, probably because of anxiety and depression. But this last month I've started to notice him and he does things that makes me think he likes me but I'm not entirely sure.
To contextualize we are in the same class but there are many people, also he's two years older than me. At the beginning of the course we never spoke, but when we walk acrossed each other he smiled at me showing his teeth. After Christmas he joined my group for a subject assignment. In February we had to go somewhere for this assigment and I got to know him a bit better. Two months passed by and it wasn't until the end of April that I got to know him better and began to ask myself if he liked me. These are the things that he does that make me ask my self if he likes me:
- He smiled at me when we passed each other.
- I have caught him several times looking at me
-His feet pointed towards me on different occasions
- one day he seriously asked me if I was okay and kept eye contact for more than a minute because he wanted to know how I felt
- The penultimate day of class he took and changed places in class and sat at my table but in the corner (the tables are four and rectangular so i he was in the 1st spot, 2nd and 3rd where empty and i was on the 4th place), this confused me a lot because it didn't make sense for him to change places because never before had, plus he sat at the other side of the class. Eveen the teacher asked him why he changed places.
- He also speaks to me sometimes with the deeper voice
-I also told him some gossip and he was very interested
- doing the task that I mentioned before, I went to lie down on the grass and he came and lay down with me and he began to take photos and I think I was on the background
- He told me about his insecurity (tell me what straight man tells that to someone) and we mutually told each other about some traumas
- physical contact: when I left a place I was with my cell phone and to prevent me from falling he grabbed my hip for a second. And then the day of the presentation of our work when we finished we sat together and from time to time our feet collided and stayed together for a few seconds.Also, his whole body pointed towards me.
-He also congratulate me when he finished presenting
-he asked me for request on instagram with both his main and secondary accounts and he also asked me for a request on BeReal
- I opened the best friends section on insta and he liked the story, he has already liked two more stories and the other day he responded to one with the word "HIT" because of the song I posted and we had a little conversation even though he is currently on a trip.
- He says things that make me laugh
- I have caught him several times looking at me
-I scolded him because he mispronounced my name and he began to pronounce it correctly and he began to call me by my nickname
- He asked me with his friend if my friend liked him and I told him no, and he told his friend "i've told you we're just friends"
But he does things that confuse me, like in general he is a very outgoing person and he makes me doubt if he is like this with everyone and it is simply all my imagination.
Onto things that made me dougth:
Then at the beginning of May when I wrote to him he would take hours / days to answer me and sometimes he didn't even answer me. He also told me about his ex.
To finish the next course I'm going to study abroad and I told him and there was indifference.
So my question is:
Does he like me or being an extroverted person is he like that with everyone? What I do? How can i know?
Classes had finished so I don't know when am I going to se him again.
Thank u for reading <3
2023.06.01 23:22 Trash_Tia My college's cheer squad have too much school spirit. In fact, I think they're going to kill me.
If I had to pick an embarrassing moment which will haunt me until I die—it has to be the time I tried out for The Sunbeam cheer squad last year. I was a freshman, and I wanted community. Friends.
I heard the cheer squad were just an extra-curricular group rather than an actual majoring level class, so I figured I’d give them a shot. It’s not like I could ignore them.
On my first day when I was moving into my dorm room, I must have walked into the same girl three times. I am in strict belief that it is not possible for a human being to be permanently happy.
And yet that was her. She wandered around like the sun shone right out of her ass, and it was both endearing and terrifying.
The girl resembled the sun herself, a halo of golden curls held in a scrunchie and a flaunting sundress, matching ribbons wrapped around her. The Sunbeam Squad were easy to spot because they were all wearing insanely bright yellow—waving around gold streamers, ribbons tangled in their hair. They all spoke in insanely high pitched voices like they inhaled helium for a living, but that must have been their shtick, right? It was kind of cute. I wasn’t expecting such a welcome in the shape of guy’s and girl’s looking like they had just stepped off of ABC Kids. The girl who handed me a flyer and yelled in my face about school spirit was practically hopping up and down, a bright grin splitting her lips apart.
I nodded and smiled politely, stuffing the flyer in my bag and heading into my room to finish moving my stuff in. When I looked out of my window a few hours later, the Sunbeam squad was still threaded through the crowd, each of them wrapped in glittering fairy lights illuminated in the late evening sunset glow. Sunbeam. Yeah, I got it, but it was still kinda overkill. They were starting to remind me of a cult.
That, however, didn’t stop me trying out. I’m fairly athletic, and they were exactly what I wanted. I’ve never had a group of people I could call friends.
Though it’s not like I could blame anyone but myself. I was a shut-in for most of high school. I either worked or preferred my own company in my room. One of my biggest regrets is pushing people away, friends I wanted to get even closer to. Because now they had built these lifelong friendships and relationships, and I was stuck at 18 years old with nobody but childhood friends I spoke to once a year when we sent mutual holiday greetings to each other. But college could change that.
At least, that’s what I hoped. I spoke to as many people as possible on my first day—and in my head I was making them. Slowly but surely I was actually making friends in my classes I wanted to hang out with.
Sunbeam were my attempt to go even further and join a club. Through word of mouth in my first few weeks of classes, I learned they were more of an extra-curricular group for fun.
They didn’t cheer competitively and had been formed in the mid-90’s by some kids who wanted to make a community out of positivity and school spirit. Sunbeam had a reputation for being Watson State student body’s beacons—and their team’s good luck charm. It was well known across campus that the squad was the reason behind the college’s fortune.
It had been like that since they formed 30 years ago, with members through the generations carrying out that pledge to spread as much pep as possible. While I say that they seemed nice judging from what I heard from others, they weren’t exactly the easiest clique to get into. Unless you were on the squad.
I saw them around campus between classes. They always moved as a group, the six of them with their arms wrapped around each other, brandishing the school colours. The guy’s in loose fitting varsity jackets, while the girl’s flaunted cheer skirts.
The way they acted was a little too close, like they were more than friends—and community and friendship had bled into something else. Like they had just walked out of an early 2000’s teen movie. Not that I was complaining. Their style was intriguing. They were like this untouchable group of god’s who had been placed on the highest pedestals. They ruled over campus, which made me want to get to know them even more. So, I tried out. Which was my first mistake of many in my freshman year.
It didn’t hit me that I was in way over my head until I was in the college gymnasium, standing in front of a four person panel like I was auditioning for a Hollywood movie. Sunbeam took their try-outs incredibly seriously. Which was weird considering they were known to be the complete opposite.
There were maybe fifty or so applicants, and we had to stand near the back wall and watch others try out one by one. Which was already setting off my anxiety. Weren’t they supposed to be closed try-outs? Initially, I was excited.
I had my routine in my head. What I had learned from watching the squad at my old school. High V, Low V, followed by a Touchdown, and then a backflip. I was confident. I mean, it ticked most cheer moves off, and even had a flip to complete the routine. My high school were a multi-sex quad, so I learned a lot from watching the guy’s moves during pep rallies.
I wasn’t really worried about the quality of the moves since they were known not to take everything too seriously. But watching the others try-out, impossible flips without crash mats and twisting their bodies in ways I didn’t know was possible, I quickly realised I was screwed. My competitors were acting like they were auditioning for an Olympic level team. My gut was dancing when I took centre stage.
The panel were made up of four members of the squad. Two boys and two girl’s, including the blonde who handed me the flyer on my first day. I was surprised when her eyes lit up with recognition.
"Oh, I know you!" She squeaked. Leaning forward, her smile seemed to brighten, illuminating her features. All four of them seemed to emanate a warm glow.
I felt myself relax slightly, the knot in my stomach loosening. Maybe their heightened positivity thing wasn’t a shtick, after all. The girl, as well as the other members of the team seemed genuinely happy to see me trying out. “What’s your name?” Her voice reverberated off of the walls, and I was suddenly aware of a dozen other students watching me.
“Alex.” I said, offering a shy wave. “Hey.”
Still grinning, she nudged a redhead next to her playfully. The guy was like no other I’d seen before. He was a god damn traffic light. He was easy to spot in a crowd and was usually one of the low-key members who kept his head down. All of those colours painting him, and yet somehow he wasn’t blinding people.
Though admittedly, he suited them; bright red hair clashing with the blue and gold of his football jersey, pasty skin and dark eyes drinking me in while the blonde girl pulled at his sleeve. “See, I told you annoying freshmen would work!”
In response, he chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Whatever you say, Evie.” The guy straightened up, leaning his chin on his fist, a curious spark in his eyes. “Alright.” Twisting around in his chair, he signalled for music. When it started, the beat slammed into me, rumbling under my feet. “Let’s see what you’ve got!”
I’m not going to describe my routine because I don’t have time to describe how fucking bad I was. In my head, I was doing okay. I was ready to finish with my back flip, but the music abruptly cut off and I found myself struggling to find my breath with my hands in the air, panting like an idiot. The blonde maintained her smile, but it was slightly strained. I could tell she was struggling to keep the façade of a Sunbeam member while also retaining critical thinking.
The redhead looked like he was in pain. He was first to speak, and I could tell by his sympathy smile I’d screwed up. The others who I hadn’t fully taken in until that moment, an asian American guy, and a girl with pigtails, were laughing like pre-schoolers. And they didn’t stop until the redhead shot them the warning eyes.
Weirdly enough, the crowd of onlookers didn’t join in. I expected the redhead to politely tell me I sucked, but instead he cocked his head, chewing on his pen. “You’re good.” He said. “You’re a good dancer, and I liked your moves…”
He trailed off. “But it’s positivity we’re looking for. And you didn’t smile once through your whole routine which made you look stiff. Like you weren’t even enjoying it.” He shrugged helplessly. “I like you, and I like your dancing. And I’m sure you could be better if you worked on it. There are countless dancing clubs here, so maybe you might be better fitted there.” After exchanging a look with the blonde, he sighed. “Unfortunately, you’re not the type of person we’re looking for.”
Evie nodded. “I agree. We pride ourselves on staying positive and smiling. I didn’t see that on you, Alex.”
“Same here.” Pigtails, still giggling, joined in. “I don’t think you’ve got enough school spirit.”
The other guy scoffed. He looked to be of Korean descent. Unlike the redhead, he was always at the centre of their group, always joking around and laughing. Just looking at him told me he was the leader. “Bullshit!” He slapped the table with one hand, running his hands through thick dark hair with the other. “I liked it. Fuck pep, amirite?” He threw his pen at the blonde, who retaliated in a squeak, lobbing hers at him. “Ignore these clowns. I think you’ve got what it takes. We just gotta work on you, y’know? All you’re missing is a cheesy grin.”
He pointed to himself, stretching his lips into the widest smile he could muster. “See? Like this.”
“Clowns?” Evie shook her head. “I didn’t see one smile. Sunbeam is all about smiling!”
“You make us sound like a cult.” The Korean-American caught my eye. “Which we’re not, by the way. These guys are just scared of change.”
“Okay, that’s too far.” Pigtails shot him a scowl. Are you seriously disrespecting the alumni who created us? Who birthed us?
“Well, yeah!” He threw his paper at her. “Sunbeam is a pep cult. We get high off of happiness. I thought we distinguished that.”
“Take that back!”
“Never! Why do you think I joined? To get high! Do you really think I joined for the cheering?”
They were joking around. I could tell by the smiles on their faces—a smile I knew I would never be able to mimic.
“Quiet.” The redhead shushed them. The guy had been sitting silently. Studying me. He leaned back, folding his arms.
“See, even now—even when I’m considering giving you a chance, there’s no hope in your eyes. Not even a glitter of excitement. You’re still not smiling and that’s what we want, Alex. We want people who will embody what Sunbeam is all about. Even if I give you a second chance to brighten up your routine your smile will be fake. And that’s not what we want. We want people who are willing to shed their humanity and become beacons.”
Beacons, huh?
And they were seriously saying they weren’t a cult?
The redhead stabbed at his sheet of paper with the end of his pen. “Can’t you just give us one smile? It won’t kill you.”
It was then when the others watching started to laugh—and I wanted to punch the asshole in the face.
“Dude, chill.” The Korean-American played with his pen, twirling it between two fingers. “He’s right, as much as I hate saying it. We do need smilers, unfortunately. But hey, you can try out next year! Just remember to smile, alright?” He threw something at me. A squashed candy bar.
Which made me look even more pathetic.
I found myself nodding, even when I knew it was all bullshit. Still though, what each member had told me hit me harder than it should have. They were just words, what could they do? It turned out, words were far more powerful than I realised—I just didn’t know it yet. I didn’t wait for the others to speak and made a quick getaway, my gut twisting and turning.
They were a cult. That is what I decided. These guys were a cult who needed members willing to throw away their souls. Probably for ritualistic sacrifice.
They needed weak people, I thought. Even when part of me knew they were right. I wasn't a smiler. Every photo I'm in, I'm either frowning or look constipated. Still though, I didn't dwell on the try-outs for too long. By the time a week had gone by, I had mostly forgotten about it and threw myself into my studies and college life.
Though something was wrong with me. It was as if the world had slowed down, had stopped making sense completely. Every day felt like a dream, and I myself felt like I was a ghost, like I was disassociating from my own body. Conversations with people felt fake. Like I was making them up.
I remember waking up day after day in a daze I couldn’t get myself out of. It was only several weeks later did the thick mind fog which had been blanketing my brain finally lift—only for me to hear the news that all six members of the Sunbeam squad had disappeared. I don’t know how I didn’t notice, how I didn’t see the police investigation, or hear rumours being spread around like wildfire.
According to the college, it wasn't technically considered a disappearance since the members were all over eighteen, no longer minors. However, an investigation was conducted, with a statement being released that they were due to be performing at Knoxville College, cheering on our football team. But they never turned up. And what made it worse, was their bus was found abandoned on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Sounds bad, right?
Well, that's what we all thought. Vigils were already being held, and bodies weren't even found yet. Every time I walked back to my dorm after classes, the night would be lit up in warm golden light, candles flickering in the breeze. I'm not sure how many days had gone by-- they all seemed to blur into one-- when our college made another statement. The members of the Sunbeam squad were alive and healthy and had been sent to a training academy for professionals.
When the student body responded with confusion and scepticism, the college reassured us they were coming back once they were finished training. And while my classmates were relieved, I found myself confused. Sunbeam didn't cheer competitively. Their whole thing was that all they wanted to do was spread cheer and pep, regardless of how good they were. I had seen them perform, and they were good, sure. They were better than average. But definitely not good enough to be trained into pro’s. Their moves were too clumsy, too half assed—which I was convinced they thought overwhelming amounts of positivity could fix. So it didn’t make sense that they had been sent to some training academy. I kept up my scepticism until I saw them for myself.
The college were right. Sunbeam returned a week later like nothing had happened.
I did see a change in them. I think that was a universal opinion though. Sunbeam were well known for their pep and cheer, their constant smiling faces which drove me crazy—and it’s not like that stopped. They still smiled. They still walked around campus laughing together, in their own little world. That was when people were watching. When they had an audience. I caught them when they didn’t have an audience. Without eyes on them, they detached from each other, their eyes darkening, expressions twisting, like each of them could smell something rotten in the air. I started noticing they were getting progressively clumsier at keeping up that Sunbeam façade they must have pledged when they joined the group. I figured it was just tiredness. They must have been through some pretty intense training.
Anyway, months went by. I started to feel less distant, and the fog which had been choking me faded, thankfully. I started my junior year moving into a shared house with my roommate, and the only talk I’d heard about Sunbeam was that one of their ex members was rumoured to be pregnant. As for the rest of the squad, they were still popular, still talked about—but their disappearance had definitely made people wary of them. I even heard someone say they were considered bad luck. I guess people thought they had sold themselves out for a chance to get into the big leagues. And it wouldn’t surprise me.
Forced positivity can get you a long way, sure—but recognition can get you further.
It was just a few weeks ago when I was invited to a game. Our first of the season, thanks to delays due to cuts in the sports department. I’m not much of a sports fan, though I needed a distraction from the copious amounts of assignments I’d let pile on my desk.
When I sat down with a chilli dog and Coke, I wasn’t expecting to get so invested in a game where I had no idea what was happening. It was loud and obnoxious and I was choking on the stink of fried food, but it was fun. It was fun until Sunbeam walked out onto the side-lines. I glimpsed them in a blur of blue and gold, and a dull pain crawled across the back of my head. “You okay?” My housemate’s voice was barely distinguishable in my ears, when I found myself transfixed by the way they moved in erratic jumps, quickly taking position. They had gotten better. Everything which was Sunbeam had been stripped away. Their smiles were forced. Wrong.
I remembered they used to push and shove each other, making the crowd laugh. Now though, they were in almost perfect sync in the way they moved, no longer shakily, sometimes stumbling into each other. Their routine was longer than it usually was—and when the Korean-American guy perfected a triple flip, the crowd went crazy. I expected him to smile when he landed, grinning into the audience to generate what Sunbeam was made for. But his expression stayed stoic. Robotic. They were stiff. Heads up, backs straight, staring ahead of them. I was told when I tried out that fake smiles weren’t allowed, and yet that was all I was seeing. I was seeing egotistical grins and curled lips, quick glances between each member.
I expected looks of reassurances, and in jokes only they found funny. Instead, it looked like a mutual agreement.
They were planning something. From the looks on their faces, it wasn’t a firework show.
Sunbeam used to generate happiness. Their smiles, even under a façade, had always been real.
These guys emanated power. The way they stood. The guy’s at the front, readying what I guessed was a lift, and the girl’s on top of them.
Their routine ended with the music reaching a climax, and the two main girl’s being lifted into the air while performing High V’s.
But they didn’t stop there.
When the crowd exploded with applause, one of the girl’s slowly raised her arms and shot into the crowd with finger guns.
She shot twice—and with every time she pulled that imaginary trigger, her painted lips stretched into a maniacal grin.Until her gaze was on me. And then behind me. I could see it in her glittering eyes I could no longer call human. I met Evie at the start of my freshman year, and then at the disastrous try-outs.
I knew her wide smile, and the glint of passion twisting her expression—a love for the group and the members she couldn’t put into words. Right then I wasn’t seeing Evie, a Sunbeam cheerleader. I was seeing something else entirely, a being scanning faces in the crowd for a victim.
Her expression seemed to melt, from a gleeful grin, to something twisted and putrid, someone who craved the exact opposite of what Sunbeam preached. I watched her lips. I watched the words pop into existence, drowned into nothing by the crowds cheering. But I saw them in perfect clarity. “Drop.” She said, before pulling the imaginary trigger again.
No sooner had the words left her mouth before someone screamed behind me. I twisted around to see a guy had collapsed. He was pronounced dead five minutes later by his sobbing girlfriend who had attempted CPR. When I twisted back to look out onto the field, the Sunbeam Squad were gone. It didn’t make sense that they were the ones to cause the guy’s death—but it couldn’t have been a coincidence, right? Evie had shot into the crowd at the exact same time the guy had dropped dead. Finger guns weren’t a weapon of course, but the timing was too coincidental. I already knew there was something wrong with Sunbeam. And this just strengthened my claims.
Obviously, when I tried to tell people this, I was called crazy. Delusional. I reported it to the student information building and just got a blank stare.
The woman wasn’t even attempting to hear my story. She just heard “murder” and “Sunbeam” and her lips curved into an amused smirk. “You know, you are quite fascinating,” leaning back against her chair, the woman frowned at me through wonky glasses. "First you unexpectedly quit, and then you accuse them of murder. Which I can tell you is false.”
She flipped through a notebook in front of her. “According to the autopsy report released a few days ago, the young man died of a brain haemorrhage, not the result of being pretend shot at by a cheerleader miming finger-guns.” The woman cleared her throat.
“Tell me, what exactly do you have against the Sunbeam squad?"
“What?”
“You quit the squad at the end of your freshman year,” she said, “And now you’re trying to accuse them of murder? Fascinating.”
Her words struck me, a shiver sliding down my spine. The office was cosy, and when I sunk into the rich leather of the couch in front of a roaring fire I recognised the book on her desk. It was a dog eared copy of Harry Potter. I’d seen it before. But that was impossible. I had never been in her office. “Quit?” I shook my head. “No, I don’t…” I trailed off, stumbling over my words. “I’ve never been part of Sunbeam.”
“Were you not?” She shook her head, a crease forming between her brows. “Ah, I must be getting you mixed up with someone else.”
I nodded. “Just… can you just listen to me? That Evie girl was fucking—”
She cut me off. “Language.”
“Sorry. Evie. She was… I don’t know what she was doing... she was doing like... like magic?”
“Are you sure you didn’t dream it?”
“Yes!"
“Mmm hmm.” The woman cleared her throat, dismissing my protests. “I’m not a doctor, but If you’re experiencing memory loss and confusion, I suggest you go to the hospital. As for your ludicrous claims, you should keep them to yourself. That poor young man died due to a brain haemorrhage. Terrible and tragic, yes. But it was accidental, and not the work of… I’m sorry, what were you claiming it to be?”
“Magic.” I said, again.
When she raised her brow, I couldn’t resist a groan. “I saw her! She shot into the crowd and mouthed something!”
“She… mouthed something?”
“Yes! But—"
Again, her words sliced into mine. “Okay, let’s say you were right,” she said. “If you are saying this girl shot into the crowd with her imaginary gun, wouldn’t it be a gun shot which would have killed him? You said it yourself—, it was some kind of witchy magic to kill him. So, where was the bullet wound?” When I tried to speak, she raised her arm to shut me up.
“Exactly. There was none. Because the man suffered a haemorrhagic stroke, and nothing could be done to save him. Your claims a group of young people carried this out as a murder is not only blatant defamation, but also disrespectful to the young man and his family. Now, please leave my office. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” The woman nodded for me to stand up. “I think you have been watching too much TV. Might I suggest focusing on your studies?”
I left her office, slamming the door.
My housemate wasn’t helpful when I told him. He told me I was maybe a little too obsessed with Sunbeam. He headed to work, and I ended up in the lounge trying to focus on an episode of Criminal Minds. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Evie.
I saw what she said.
Drop.
But it wasn’t the force of her imaginary finger-guns ricocheting back. It was the word. Drop.
It had been alive on her lips like it was a sentient thing bleeding into existence. I managed to fall asleep, twisted like a pretzel in my housemate’s favourite chair, when three loud knocks on the door tore me from slumber. I was on my feet, blinking, disoriented. It was rare when we got a visitor. Stumbling over to the door, I had a moment of hesitation. I imagined Evie on the other side.
I imagined her raising her arm and shooting her pretend finger-guns directly into my head.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to see three little kids. The youngest must have been maybe nine years old. To my surprise, they were dressed in Halloween costumes. There was a little witch, a ghost, and a scarecrow all carrying pumpkin shaped holders It took me a moment to realise I was staring at a group of Trick or Treaters. It wasn’t even mid-October yet.
“Hey there,” I said, “Uh, you guys are a little early.”
The little girl’s eyes were wide and unblinking. “We want candy.” She held out her candy holder. “Now.”
I decided to be firm with them. “It’s not Halloween.” I said, taking a small step back. I was grasping the handle, ready to slam it in their faces. These little shits were freaking me out. Not just their tone, but their expressions were vacant. There were no lights on and that terrified me. “Sorry kids, I don’t have any candy. But like I said, come back when it’s actually Halloween, and I’ll have candy bars for all of you. "
What I wasn’t expecting was for the Scarecrow to pull a knife out of his pumpkin shaped candy holder. He didn’t hold it like a kid should, clumsily, confused. There was a strategic way the way his fingers were wrapped around the handle—like he’d brandished one before. The kid held the knife up to his own neck and made a slicing motion. Like the little girl, his eyes were blank. Unblinking. There was something wrong in the way he was standing. Stiff, like a puppet on strings. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He squeaked out a laugh. I didn’t see him lunge forward, I was already moving back, stumbling, losing my footing.
The kid moved with impossible speed—and before I knew what was happening, the hilt of the knife was buried in my lower leg. I didn’t even feel pain. My body was being driven by adrenaline, pushing me to get away from him. I remember falling back. I remember my own trembling hands grasping hold of the handle and pulling out the knife. Red was pooling down my jeans and onto our hardwood floor. The little kids turned around and ran back down the steps into the night, and I watched them in a sort of daze.
They didn’t move like normal.
They stalked down the sidewalk like video game characters. The witch shoved a passing old man before pulling out a gun and pointing it at his head. But she didn’t shoot. The three of them ran off—and it was only when I was watching the top of the girl’s witch hat disappear into the night, when I glimpsed something—or someone—at the corner of my eye.
Before I heard laughter. The tree in front of me moved. At first I thought they were shadow’s. Before the shadows bled into figures. Four of them. I glimpsed the school colours. Blue and Gold. I saw twin ponytails, velvet and blonde-- as well as the tell-tale Sunbeam varsity jacket. The group were laughing, whispering to each other. Not exactly doing a good job of hiding. When they slipped from their hiding place, I recognised Evie. Her fingers gingerly on her nose while intense red pooled down her chin.
The others were the same, swiping at their faces with jacket sleeves. They didn’t seem fazed. The redhead’s gaze was latched onto the retreating children, his lips curling. I could sense he was still tethered to them. He was still commanding them to act out grand theft auto. They had caused the man’s death at the game and had controlled those children.
I wasn’t crazy or delusional. Evie had killed someone by simply shooting imaginary finger guns, and somehow the others were able to bleed into children’s heads, taking them over.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I heaved out a breath. The pain was starting to hit in waves I had to grit through. I couldn’t move. I was stuck, curled up on my floor. While they laughed.
I was halfway through stabbing 911 into my phone when one of them came over. It was the Korean-American. The one who had been the nicest to me out of all of them. The real smile I remembered was gone, replaced by something inhuman. Something I didn’t want to question.
With his hands stuffed in his varsity jacket pockets, he approached me with mocking eyes, almost an attempt at trying to mimic his old self.
The guy knelt in front of me with a chuckle. “Kids these days, right? They’re animals.”
His voice, no, his words, were hurting me. I felt each one penetrate me like gunshots.
My wound wasn’t bad. That’s what I estimated, anyway. I don’t think the kid had hit anything vital. But I needed the emergency room. I still had one hand grasping at my side, drenched in red.
I managed a hiss, grasping for my phone when he pulled it out of my grasp and waved it in the air. “Fuck off. What did you do to those little kids?” I gritted out, trying to reach for my damn phone. I was starting to feel the pain in my side and it hurt like a mother fucker—dizzying bolts of electricity which felt like waves of boiling hot water slamming into me one by one. I tried to get onto my knees, but he pushed me back down again. The guy cocked his head to the side, confusion creasing his expression.
“Ouch. That must hurt.”
"What did you... what did you do?" I hissed out.
His presence was hurting me. Every time he opened his mouth, it was agony. Somehow, it was worse than the stab-wound. This kind of pain was no other I’d felt before. The type I’d rather die than feel. A cry was clawing at my throat, fight or flight taking over. Again, I tried to move, I tried to get away from him. But he was holding down my arms and prodding at my side before sticking his finger in the cut and twisting. "I didn't do anything, Alex.”
His voice barely hit me when my vision blurred and I screamed. Like a fucking animal, I screamed. But not because his fingers were digging around in my insides.
Because my brain was suddenly boiling, a metal rod piercing my skull and stirring it into a soupy mess. His voice was inside me. It was bleeding into me, taking over me. But not just his voice. The world blurred around me and I was no longer in my doorway, bleeding out against the wall.
Instead, I was moving. I was… I was walking. No, I was being dragged. Except these weren’t my memories. This wasn’t my mind. I could see bare feet beneath me delicately slapping on white tiles. When I looked up, I saw an expanse of white like I was being led straight into the clouds. This was a building. There were glass doors and electronic panels, people in black guarding each one. It took a while for me to gain my senses—or him to gain his.
We could smell something like chlorine and taste rusty coins at the back of our throat. Feel the ice cold tiles against our bare toes. A strange feeling at the back of our head. We kept wanting to run our fingers through our hair, but every time we did, our fingers only touched bare skin. Scuffed and rigged skin. Tight fingers were wrapped around our arm, dragging us further and further into a white oblivion. Until a glass door seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
From now on, I am going to describe his memories very vaguely. I’m just going to tell you what I saw.
The room we walked into reminded me of a classroom—but there were no desks. In front of me were the other members of Sunbeam pressed against the back wall. They faced forwards, their gazes penetrating nothing. But I saw they were trembling. Terrified. The squad were dressed in pale white shorts and t-shirt, ugly red spattering the front. There were still traces of blue and glitter on their faces, ribbons hanging from bedraggled curls.
Their feet were bare and filthy like ours. When we were shoved forwards, we took our place next to Evie who had half of her hair shaved off. Her arms were folded across her cheer uniform, her bare feet tapping a beat against the floor. When a woman with dark red hair held in a strict ponytail entered and asked if either of us wanted to show her what we had learned, Evie eagerly raised her hand. “Okay, Evie.” The woman’s voice was too sweet. Sickly sweet. She gestured for the girl forward. “Show us what you’ve got.”
The door opened, and a man stepped through. His hands were tied in front of him, his eyes blank.
Evie nodded, her eyes set in determination. She cleared her throat. “Shatter.”
Nothing happened.
“Intent, Evie.” The woman said. “It doesn’t matter how you say the word unless you use proper intent. Try again.”
The girl did, growling in frustration.
"Shatter.”
The man’s head flew from his torso suddenly in a river of red, and the girl squeaked in excitement.
While we watched in horror, the rest of the squad gave in to their own despair.
Different days bled into one—and we watched faces change. Heads were shaved. Hair grew back. Fear turned to joy.
A blonde girl exploded into bloody chunks, splattering against the walls.
“Yes!” The redhead high-fived pigtails, the two of them locked into some bizarre handshake. “That’s what I’m TALKING about!”
“Bang!” One of the girls used finger guns, and with each “shot” innocents dropped against the wall one by one, their heads blown through.
She jumped up and down in glee. “Bang, bang, bang!”
“Keep going,” the voice of the woman crackled through the speaker. “You’ve almost got it.”
“Divide.” Pigtails used her pointer finger at an old man who was skewed by an invisible force sending bloody chunks of him to the floor.
"Show off.” The redhead said in a sing-song voice. He was slumped against the back wall using his jersey to wipe blood from his face while the others painted the room scarlet. With simple words of intent and a hand gesture, they were able to take people apart piece by piece.
Pigtails snorted when another “test subject” was brought in. "Oh, you think you can do better?”
“Think I can? I know I can.”
This time he plunged two fingers into his temples. He was centre stage, the others against the back wall with their arms folded.
“Rip it out.”
The test subject’s eyes widened, her trembling hands clawing at her own head, fingernails digging into flesh. “Rip…rip it out?”
His lip curved. “That’s what I said.”
We didn’t see the test subject rip her own brain from her skull. We were already burying our head into our knees and screeching into the floor. Another flash. Like watching a movie.
This time we’re cutting into our wrist with shards of glass. Pulling back fleshy flaps of our flesh, there are two wires entangled with muscle and bone. One red and one blue. “Why won’t you submit?” A sharp growl, and I can feel our body pressed against metal. Our arms are restrained. “Out of all of them, you refuse it.” A hand slaps our face. “You don’t want it!”
He started to laugh.
“You don’t want… control?”
He leaned his face closer. “Tell me to mutilate myself. Tell me to… to tear out my brain stem! That’s the beauty of it! No matter how impossible the order is, it will be completed! Control, my boy. Use it. Do you even understand how much you are going to shape the world? Words! Do you know how powerful they are? When said from the right mouth, with the right intent, they can cause bloodshed, pain and misery-- a despair drowning our already shattered earth. And you will be the centre of it. You will bring this world to its knees, Jason."
"Now, do it. We call it cutting, but you will find familiarity in referring to it as erasure. You can make up your own words if you would like. What matters is the intent.” I feel something slicing into our arm. It’s nothing medical. It’s torture. He plunges something sharp into the same spot and twists the blade until we throw our head back and scream at the ceiling.
“You’re the last one.” The man hissed. “Do it.”
“No.” I heard his—our—voice. “I… I can’t!”
“Do it!”
He’s dragging us again, forcing us down a long winding corridor until we reach another door.
"Drown." The boy - - Jason's-- voice was suddenly in my head. I could sense it was trying to hold back, attempting to peel back whatever power his own words had. But the word came again and again until it was suffocating his mouth. “Drown. Drown. Drown. Drown.” We were standing in the doorway of a smaller room. In the corner there was a figure curled up with their head pressed against the wall.
It was a guy.
I recognised our school colours, a bloodied varsity jacket over shorts and t-shirt. When he lifted his head and twisted to face the boy whose mind I was in, I noticed he had an uncanny resemblance to me. His eyes wide, frightened. They were my mother's.
This guy looked exactly like me.
No, it WAS me.
My eyes were shadowed and haunted.
Like I had been drained of everything I was.
As quickly as the memories came crashing into me, they were yanked away when the guy must have pulled back.
I blinked rapidly, and Jason looked as confused as me. Slowly, he pulled his finger from my cut. The man's voice was in my skull, and it was agonising. I felt the command in my head, my body instantly reacting to... to nothing. I had my hands out, ready to do.... do something.
"That was… just a trick,” He said. “Yeah! Just a trick!”
I found myself nodding, echoing his words. Something warm ran from my nose.
"Just... a trick..." I whispered, the words forced from my lips.
Blood spattered down my chin.
“Louder.” He said.
"JUST A TRICK!" I yelled, the force of the wail sending me my knees, panting. The guy was frowning, seemingly unsure what to do with me.
He wrapped up my wound and told me it wasn’t bad—and it wasn’t. I watched in disbelief as my skin stitched itself back together.
"Go into your kitchen." Jason said, and I felt the power of his words ripping through me like bullets. My body moved on its own, and I got to my feet and stepped into my kitchen. He followed me, grabbing a scarf off of the table.
"Get on your knees." I did, dropping to my knees, my breath in my throat, my mouth sealed shut. I could sense the others in the doorway as he wrapped the scarf around my eyes, the heel of his shoe slamming into my neck forcing me onto my stomach.
"I want you to wait for me to kill you."
His words pierced into me. I did. Even when I knew he was gone, the door slamming shut-- I waited. I waited until the next morning, until I regained control over my own body and pulled the scarf from my eyes. I'm still waiting, my brain in constant panic, twisting around when I'm alone, looking into every corner.
I was roped into going to Friday's game against Harrington. During Sunbeam’s routine, they did it again. They had the crowd's attention, and Evie was mouthing something. I felt her words, sharp like needles cutting into me. But they didn't penetrate. They have done something to the student body. Ever since, I’ve been catching looks around me. Those whose heads they have crawled into. Mindless eyes. Every so often an arm will touch mine, fingers will wrap around my neck. I can hear their feet pitter pattering after me. Those little kids from that night. I keep seeing the little witch girl in the corner of my eye. They’re creating an army who are coming for me once he decides to kill me.
If only I knew what happened to the Sunbeam squad. Maybe I can help them somehow.
But something tells me they’re way past help.
And so am I.
I wonder if one day, I might be allowed a glimpse of my memories. What really happened to me during my freshman year.
And why, ever since going into his mind, I dream of a white room.
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I heard the cheer squad were just an extra-curricular group rather than an actual majoring level class, so I figured I’d give them a shot. It’s not like I could ignore them.
On my first day when I was moving into my dorm room, I must have walked into the same girl three times. I am in strict belief that it is not possible for a human being to be permanently happy.
And yet that was her. She wandered around like the sun shone right out of her ass, and it was both endearing and terrifying.
The girl resembled the sun herself, a halo of golden curls held in a scrunchie and a flaunting sundress, matching ribbons wrapped around her. The Sunbeam Squad were easy to spot because they were all wearing insanely bright yellow—waving around gold streamers, ribbons tangled in their hair. They all spoke in insanely high pitched voices like they inhaled helium for a living, but that must have been their shtick, right? It was kind of cute. I wasn’t expecting such a welcome in the shape of guy’s and girl’s looking like they had just stepped off of ABC Kids. The girl who handed me a flyer and yelled in my face about school spirit was practically hopping up and down, a bright grin splitting her lips apart.
I nodded and smiled politely, stuffing the flyer in my bag and heading into my room to finish moving my stuff in. When I looked out of my window a few hours later, the Sunbeam squad was still threaded through the crowd, each of them wrapped in glittering fairy lights illuminated in the late evening sunset glow. Sunbeam. Yeah, I got it, but it was still kinda overkill. They were starting to remind me of a cult.
That, however, didn’t stop me trying out. I’m fairly athletic, and they were exactly what I wanted. I’ve never had a group of people I could call friends.
Though it’s not like I could blame anyone but myself. I was a shut-in for most of high school. I either worked or preferred my own company in my room. One of my biggest regrets is pushing people away, friends I wanted to get even closer to. Because now they had built these lifelong friendships and relationships, and I was stuck at 18 years old with nobody but childhood friends I spoke to once a year when we sent mutual holiday greetings to each other. But college could change that.
At least, that’s what I hoped. I spoke to as many people as possible on my first day—and in my head I was making them. Slowly but surely I was actually making friends in my classes I wanted to hang out with.
Sunbeam were my attempt to go even further and join a club. Through word of mouth in my first few weeks of classes, I learned they were more of an extra-curricular group for fun.
They didn’t cheer competitively and had been formed in the mid-90’s by some kids who wanted to make a community out of positivity and school spirit. Sunbeam had a reputation for being Watson State student body’s beacons—and their team’s good luck charm. It was well known across campus that the squad was the reason behind the college’s fortune.
It had been like that since they formed 30 years ago, with members through the generations carrying out that pledge to spread as much pep as possible. While I say that they seemed nice judging from what I heard from others, they weren’t exactly the easiest clique to get into. Unless you were on the squad.
I saw them around campus between classes. They always moved as a group, the six of them with their arms wrapped around each other, brandishing the school colours. The guy’s in loose fitting varsity jackets, while the girl’s flaunted cheer skirts.
The way they acted was a little too close, like they were more than friends—and community and friendship had bled into something else. Like they had just walked out of an early 2000’s teen movie. Not that I was complaining. Their style was intriguing. They were like this untouchable group of god’s who had been placed on the highest pedestals. They ruled over campus, which made me want to get to know them even more. So, I tried out. Which was my first mistake of many in my freshman year.
It didn’t hit me that I was in way over my head until I was in the college gymnasium, standing in front of a four person panel like I was auditioning for a Hollywood movie. Sunbeam took their try-outs incredibly seriously. Which was weird considering they were known to be the complete opposite.
There were maybe fifty or so applicants, and we had to stand near the back wall and watch others try out one by one. Which was already setting off my anxiety. Weren’t they supposed to be closed try-outs? Initially, I was excited.
I had my routine in my head. What I had learned from watching the squad at my old school. High V, Low V, followed by a Touchdown, and then a backflip. I was confident. I mean, it ticked most cheer moves off, and even had a flip to complete the routine. My high school were a multi-sex quad, so I learned a lot from watching the guy’s moves during pep rallies.
I wasn’t really worried about the quality of the moves since they were known not to take everything too seriously. But watching the others try-out, impossible flips without crash mats and twisting their bodies in ways I didn’t know was possible, I quickly realised I was screwed. My competitors were acting like they were auditioning for an Olympic level team. My gut was dancing when I took centre stage.
The panel were made up of four members of the squad. Two boys and two girl’s, including the blonde who handed me the flyer on my first day. I was surprised when her eyes lit up with recognition.
"Oh, I know you!" She squeaked. Leaning forward, her smile seemed to brighten, illuminating her features. All four of them seemed to emanate a warm glow.
I felt myself relax slightly, the knot in my stomach loosening. Maybe their heightened positivity thing wasn’t a shtick, after all. The girl, as well as the other members of the team seemed genuinely happy to see me trying out. “What’s your name?” Her voice reverberated off of the walls, and I was suddenly aware of a dozen other students watching me.
“Alex.” I said, offering a shy wave. “Hey.”
Still grinning, she nudged a redhead next to her playfully. The guy was like no other I’d seen before. He was a god damn traffic light. He was easy to spot in a crowd and was usually one of the low-key members who kept his head down. All of those colours painting him, and yet somehow he wasn’t blinding people.
Though admittedly, he suited them; bright red hair clashing with the blue and gold of his football jersey, pasty skin and dark eyes drinking me in while the blonde girl pulled at his sleeve. “See, I told you annoying freshmen would work!”
In response, he chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Whatever you say, Evie.” The guy straightened up, leaning his chin on his fist, a curious spark in his eyes. “Alright.” Twisting around in his chair, he signalled for music. When it started, the beat slammed into me, rumbling under my feet. “Let’s see what you’ve got!”
I’m not going to describe my routine because I don’t have time to describe how fucking bad I was. In my head, I was doing okay. I was ready to finish with my back flip, but the music abruptly cut off and I found myself struggling to find my breath with my hands in the air, panting like an idiot. The blonde maintained her smile, but it was slightly strained. I could tell she was struggling to keep the façade of a Sunbeam member while also retaining critical thinking.
The redhead looked like he was in pain. He was first to speak, and I could tell by his sympathy smile I’d screwed up. The others who I hadn’t fully taken in until that moment, an asian American guy, and a girl with pigtails, were laughing like pre-schoolers. And they didn’t stop until the redhead shot them the warning eyes.
Weirdly enough, the crowd of onlookers didn’t join in. I expected the redhead to politely tell me I sucked, but instead he cocked his head, chewing on his pen. “You’re good.” He said. “You’re a good dancer, and I liked your moves…”
He trailed off. “But it’s positivity we’re looking for. And you didn’t smile once through your whole routine which made you look stiff. Like you weren’t even enjoying it.” He shrugged helplessly. “I like you, and I like your dancing. And I’m sure you could be better if you worked on it. There are countless dancing clubs here, so maybe you might be better fitted there.” After exchanging a look with the blonde, he sighed. “Unfortunately, you’re not the type of person we’re looking for.”
Evie nodded. “I agree. We pride ourselves on staying positive and smiling. I didn’t see that on you, Alex.”
“Same here.” Pigtails, still giggling, joined in. “I don’t think you’ve got enough school spirit.”
The other guy scoffed. He looked to be of Korean descent. Unlike the redhead, he was always at the centre of their group, always joking around and laughing. Just looking at him told me he was the leader. “Bullshit!” He slapped the table with one hand, running his hands through thick dark hair with the other. “I liked it. Fuck pep, amirite?” He threw his pen at the blonde, who retaliated in a squeak, lobbing hers at him. “Ignore these clowns. I think you’ve got what it takes. We just gotta work on you, y’know? All you’re missing is a cheesy grin.”
He pointed to himself, stretching his lips into the widest smile he could muster. “See? Like this.”
“Clowns?” Evie shook her head. “I didn’t see one smile. Sunbeam is all about smiling!”
“You make us sound like a cult.” The Korean-American caught my eye. “Which we’re not, by the way. These guys are just scared of change.”
“Okay, that’s too far.” Pigtails shot him a scowl. Are you seriously disrespecting the alumni who created us? Who birthed us?
“Well, yeah!” He threw his paper at her. “Sunbeam is a pep cult. We get high off of happiness. I thought we distinguished that.”
“Take that back!”
“Never! Why do you think I joined? To get high! Do you really think I joined for the cheering?”
They were joking around. I could tell by the smiles on their faces—a smile I knew I would never be able to mimic.
“Quiet.” The redhead shushed them. The guy had been sitting silently. Studying me. He leaned back, folding his arms.
“See, even now—even when I’m considering giving you a chance, there’s no hope in your eyes. Not even a glitter of excitement. You’re still not smiling and that’s what we want, Alex. We want people who will embody what Sunbeam is all about. Even if I give you a second chance to brighten up your routine your smile will be fake. And that’s not what we want. We want people who are willing to shed their humanity and become beacons.”
Beacons, huh?
And they were seriously saying they weren’t a cult?
The redhead stabbed at his sheet of paper with the end of his pen. “Can’t you just give us one smile? It won’t kill you.”
It was then when the others watching started to laugh—and I wanted to punch the asshole in the face.
“Dude, chill.” The Korean-American played with his pen, twirling it between two fingers. “He’s right, as much as I hate saying it. We do need smilers, unfortunately. But hey, you can try out next year! Just remember to smile, alright?” He threw something at me. A squashed candy bar.
Which made me look even more pathetic.
I found myself nodding, even when I knew it was all bullshit. Still though, what each member had told me hit me harder than it should have. They were just words, what could they do? It turned out, words were far more powerful than I realised—I just didn’t know it yet. I didn’t wait for the others to speak and made a quick getaway, my gut twisting and turning.
They were a cult. That is what I decided. These guys were a cult who needed members willing to throw away their souls. Probably for ritualistic sacrifice.
They needed weak people, I thought. Even when part of me knew they were right. I wasn't a smiler. Every photo I'm in, I'm either frowning or look constipated. Still though, I didn't dwell on the try-outs for too long. By the time a week had gone by, I had mostly forgotten about it and threw myself into my studies and college life.
Though something was wrong with me. It was as if the world had slowed down, had stopped making sense completely. Every day felt like a dream, and I myself felt like I was a ghost, like I was disassociating from my own body. Conversations with people felt fake. Like I was making them up.
I remember waking up day after day in a daze I couldn’t get myself out of. It was only several weeks later did the thick mind fog which had been blanketing my brain finally lift—only for me to hear the news that all six members of the Sunbeam squad had disappeared. I don’t know how I didn’t notice, how I didn’t see the police investigation, or hear rumours being spread around like wildfire.
According to the college, it wasn't technically considered a disappearance since the members were all over eighteen, no longer minors. However, an investigation was conducted, with a statement being released that they were due to be performing at Knoxville College, cheering on our football team. But they never turned up. And what made it worse, was their bus was found abandoned on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Sounds bad, right?
Well, that's what we all thought. Vigils were already being held, and bodies weren't even found yet. Every time I walked back to my dorm after classes, the night would be lit up in warm golden light, candles flickering in the breeze. I'm not sure how many days had gone by-- they all seemed to blur into one-- when our college made another statement. The members of the Sunbeam squad were alive and healthy and had been sent to a training academy for professionals.
When the student body responded with confusion and scepticism, the college reassured us they were coming back once they were finished training. And while my classmates were relieved, I found myself confused. Sunbeam didn't cheer competitively. Their whole thing was that all they wanted to do was spread cheer and pep, regardless of how good they were. I had seen them perform, and they were good, sure. They were better than average. But definitely not good enough to be trained into pro’s. Their moves were too clumsy, too half assed—which I was convinced they thought overwhelming amounts of positivity could fix. So it didn’t make sense that they had been sent to some training academy. I kept up my scepticism until I saw them for myself.
The college were right. Sunbeam returned a week later like nothing had happened.
I did see a change in them. I think that was a universal opinion though. Sunbeam were well known for their pep and cheer, their constant smiling faces which drove me crazy—and it’s not like that stopped. They still smiled. They still walked around campus laughing together, in their own little world. That was when people were watching. When they had an audience. I caught them when they didn’t have an audience. Without eyes on them, they detached from each other, their eyes darkening, expressions twisting, like each of them could smell something rotten in the air. I started noticing they were getting progressively clumsier at keeping up that Sunbeam façade they must have pledged when they joined the group. I figured it was just tiredness. They must have been through some pretty intense training.
Anyway, months went by. I started to feel less distant, and the fog which had been choking me faded, thankfully. I started my junior year moving into a shared house with my roommate, and the only talk I’d heard about Sunbeam was that one of their ex members was rumoured to be pregnant. As for the rest of the squad, they were still popular, still talked about—but their disappearance had definitely made people wary of them. I even heard someone say they were considered bad luck. I guess people thought they had sold themselves out for a chance to get into the big leagues. And it wouldn’t surprise me.
Forced positivity can get you a long way, sure—but recognition can get you further.
It was just a few weeks ago when I was invited to a game. Our first of the season, thanks to delays due to cuts in the sports department. I’m not much of a sports fan, though I needed a distraction from the copious amounts of assignments I’d let pile on my desk.
When I sat down with a chilli dog and Coke, I wasn’t expecting to get so invested in a game where I had no idea what was happening. It was loud and obnoxious and I was choking on the stink of fried food, but it was fun. It was fun until Sunbeam walked out onto the side-lines. I glimpsed them in a blur of blue and gold, and a dull pain crawled across the back of my head. “You okay?” My housemate’s voice was barely distinguishable in my ears, when I found myself transfixed by the way they moved in erratic jumps, quickly taking position. They had gotten better. Everything which was Sunbeam had been stripped away. Their smiles were forced. Wrong.
I remembered they used to push and shove each other, making the crowd laugh. Now though, they were in almost perfect sync in the way they moved, no longer shakily, sometimes stumbling into each other. Their routine was longer than it usually was—and when the Korean-American guy perfected a triple flip, the crowd went crazy. I expected him to smile when he landed, grinning into the audience to generate what Sunbeam was made for. But his expression stayed stoic. Robotic. They were stiff. Heads up, backs straight, staring ahead of them. I was told when I tried out that fake smiles weren’t allowed, and yet that was all I was seeing. I was seeing egotistical grins and curled lips, quick glances between each member.
I expected looks of reassurances, and in jokes only they found funny. Instead, it looked like a mutual agreement.
They were planning something. From the looks on their faces, it wasn’t a firework show.
Sunbeam used to generate happiness. Their smiles, even under a façade, had always been real.
These guys emanated power. The way they stood. The guy’s at the front, readying what I guessed was a lift, and the girl’s on top of them.
Their routine ended with the music reaching a climax, and the two main girl’s being lifted into the air while performing High V’s.
But they didn’t stop there.
When the crowd exploded with applause, one of the girl’s slowly raised her arms and shot into the crowd with finger guns.
She shot twice—and with every time she pulled that imaginary trigger, her painted lips stretched into a maniacal grin.Until her gaze was on me. And then behind me. I could see it in her glittering eyes I could no longer call human. I met Evie at the start of my freshman year, and then at the disastrous try-outs.
I knew her wide smile, and the glint of passion twisting her expression—a love for the group and the members she couldn’t put into words. Right then I wasn’t seeing Evie, a Sunbeam cheerleader. I was seeing something else entirely, a being scanning faces in the crowd for a victim.
Her expression seemed to melt, from a gleeful grin, to something twisted and putrid, someone who craved the exact opposite of what Sunbeam preached. I watched her lips. I watched the words pop into existence, drowned into nothing by the crowds cheering. But I saw them in perfect clarity. “Drop.” She said, before pulling the imaginary trigger again.
No sooner had the words left her mouth before someone screamed behind me. I twisted around to see a guy had collapsed. He was pronounced dead five minutes later by his sobbing girlfriend who had attempted CPR. When I twisted back to look out onto the field, the Sunbeam Squad were gone. It didn’t make sense that they were the ones to cause the guy’s death—but it couldn’t have been a coincidence, right? Evie had shot into the crowd at the exact same time the guy had dropped dead. Finger guns weren’t a weapon of course, but the timing was too coincidental. I already knew there was something wrong with Sunbeam. And this just strengthened my claims.
Obviously, when I tried to tell people this, I was called crazy. Delusional. I reported it to the student information building and just got a blank stare.
The woman wasn’t even attempting to hear my story. She just heard “murder” and “Sunbeam” and her lips curved into an amused smirk. “You know, you are quite fascinating,” leaning back against her chair, the woman frowned at me through wonky glasses. "First you unexpectedly quit, and then you accuse them of murder. Which I can tell you is false.”
She flipped through a notebook in front of her. “According to the autopsy report released a few days ago, the young man died of a brain haemorrhage, not the result of being pretend shot at by a cheerleader miming finger-guns.” The woman cleared her throat.
“Tell me, what exactly do you have against the Sunbeam squad?"
“What?”
“You quit the squad at the end of your freshman year,” she said, “And now you’re trying to accuse them of murder? Fascinating.”
Her words struck me, a shiver sliding down my spine. The office was cosy, and when I sunk into the rich leather of the couch in front of a roaring fire I recognised the book on her desk. It was a dog eared copy of Harry Potter. I’d seen it before. But that was impossible. I had never been in her office. “Quit?” I shook my head. “No, I don’t…” I trailed off, stumbling over my words. “I’ve never been part of Sunbeam.”
“Were you not?” She shook her head, a crease forming between her brows. “Ah, I must be getting you mixed up with someone else.”
I nodded. “Just… can you just listen to me? That Evie girl was fucking—”
She cut me off. “Language.”
“Sorry. Evie. She was… I don’t know what she was doing... she was doing like... like magic?”
“Are you sure you didn’t dream it?”
“Yes!"
“Mmm hmm.” The woman cleared her throat, dismissing my protests. “I’m not a doctor, but If you’re experiencing memory loss and confusion, I suggest you go to the hospital. As for your ludicrous claims, you should keep them to yourself. That poor young man died due to a brain haemorrhage. Terrible and tragic, yes. But it was accidental, and not the work of… I’m sorry, what were you claiming it to be?”
“Magic.” I said, again.
When she raised her brow, I couldn’t resist a groan. “I saw her! She shot into the crowd and mouthed something!”
“She… mouthed something?”
“Yes! But—"
Again, her words sliced into mine. “Okay, let’s say you were right,” she said. “If you are saying this girl shot into the crowd with her imaginary gun, wouldn’t it be a gun shot which would have killed him? You said it yourself—, it was some kind of witchy magic to kill him. So, where was the bullet wound?” When I tried to speak, she raised her arm to shut me up.
“Exactly. There was none. Because the man suffered a haemorrhagic stroke, and nothing could be done to save him. Your claims a group of young people carried this out as a murder is not only blatant defamation, but also disrespectful to the young man and his family. Now, please leave my office. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” The woman nodded for me to stand up. “I think you have been watching too much TV. Might I suggest focusing on your studies?”
I left her office, slamming the door.
My housemate wasn’t helpful when I told him. He told me I was maybe a little too obsessed with Sunbeam. He headed to work, and I ended up in the lounge trying to focus on an episode of Criminal Minds. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Evie.
I saw what she said.
Drop.
But it wasn’t the force of her imaginary finger-guns ricocheting back. It was the word. Drop.
It had been alive on her lips like it was a sentient thing bleeding into existence. I managed to fall asleep, twisted like a pretzel in my housemate’s favourite chair, when three loud knocks on the door tore me from slumber. I was on my feet, blinking, disoriented. It was rare when we got a visitor. Stumbling over to the door, I had a moment of hesitation. I imagined Evie on the other side.
I imagined her raising her arm and shooting her pretend finger-guns directly into my head.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to see three little kids. The youngest must have been maybe nine years old. To my surprise, they were dressed in Halloween costumes. There was a little witch, a ghost, and a scarecrow all carrying pumpkin shaped holders It took me a moment to realise I was staring at a group of Trick or Treaters. It wasn’t even mid-October yet.
“Hey there,” I said, “Uh, you guys are a little early.”
The little girl’s eyes were wide and unblinking. “We want candy.” She held out her candy holder. “Now.”
I decided to be firm with them. “It’s not Halloween.” I said, taking a small step back. I was grasping the handle, ready to slam it in their faces. These little shits were freaking me out. Not just their tone, but their expressions were vacant. There were no lights on and that terrified me. “Sorry kids, I don’t have any candy. But like I said, come back when it’s actually Halloween, and I’ll have candy bars for all of you. "
What I wasn’t expecting was for the Scarecrow to pull a knife out of his pumpkin shaped candy holder. He didn’t hold it like a kid should, clumsily, confused. There was a strategic way the way his fingers were wrapped around the handle—like he’d brandished one before. The kid held the knife up to his own neck and made a slicing motion. Like the little girl, his eyes were blank. Unblinking. There was something wrong in the way he was standing. Stiff, like a puppet on strings. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He squeaked out a laugh. I didn’t see him lunge forward, I was already moving back, stumbling, losing my footing.
The kid moved with impossible speed—and before I knew what was happening, the hilt of the knife was buried in my lower leg. I didn’t even feel pain. My body was being driven by adrenaline, pushing me to get away from him. I remember falling back. I remember my own trembling hands grasping hold of the handle and pulling out the knife. Red was pooling down my jeans and onto our hardwood floor. The little kids turned around and ran back down the steps into the night, and I watched them in a sort of daze.
They didn’t move like normal.
They stalked down the sidewalk like video game characters. The witch shoved a passing old man before pulling out a gun and pointing it at his head. But she didn’t shoot. The three of them ran off—and it was only when I was watching the top of the girl’s witch hat disappear into the night, when I glimpsed something—or someone—at the corner of my eye.
Before I heard laughter. The tree in front of me moved. At first I thought they were shadow’s. Before the shadows bled into figures. Four of them. I glimpsed the school colours. Blue and Gold. I saw twin ponytails, velvet and blonde-- as well as the tell-tale Sunbeam varsity jacket. The group were laughing, whispering to each other. Not exactly doing a good job of hiding. When they slipped from their hiding place, I recognised Evie. Her fingers gingerly on her nose while intense red pooled down her chin.
The others were the same, swiping at their faces with jacket sleeves. They didn’t seem fazed. The redhead’s gaze was latched onto the retreating children, his lips curling. I could sense he was still tethered to them. He was still commanding them to act out grand theft auto. They had caused the man’s death at the game and had controlled those children.
I wasn’t crazy or delusional. Evie had killed someone by simply shooting imaginary finger guns, and somehow the others were able to bleed into children’s heads, taking them over.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I heaved out a breath. The pain was starting to hit in waves I had to grit through. I couldn’t move. I was stuck, curled up on my floor. While they laughed.
I was halfway through stabbing 911 into my phone when one of them came over. It was the Korean-American. The one who had been the nicest to me out of all of them. The real smile I remembered was gone, replaced by something inhuman. Something I didn’t want to question.
With his hands stuffed in his varsity jacket pockets, he approached me with mocking eyes, almost an attempt at trying to mimic his old self.
The guy knelt in front of me with a chuckle. “Kids these days, right? They’re animals.”
His voice, no, his words, were hurting me. I felt each one penetrate me like gunshots.
My wound wasn’t bad. That’s what I estimated, anyway. I don’t think the kid had hit anything vital. But I needed the emergency room. I still had one hand grasping at my side, drenched in red.
I managed a hiss, grasping for my phone when he pulled it out of my grasp and waved it in the air. “Fuck off. What did you do to those little kids?” I gritted out, trying to reach for my damn phone. I was starting to feel the pain in my side and it hurt like a mother fucker—dizzying bolts of electricity which felt like waves of boiling hot water slamming into me one by one. I tried to get onto my knees, but he pushed me back down again. The guy cocked his head to the side, confusion creasing his expression.
“Ouch. That must hurt.”
"What did you... what did you do?" I hissed out.
His presence was hurting me. Every time he opened his mouth, it was agony. Somehow, it was worse than the stab-wound. This kind of pain was no other I’d felt before. The type I’d rather die than feel. A cry was clawing at my throat, fight or flight taking over. Again, I tried to move, I tried to get away from him. But he was holding down my arms and prodding at my side before sticking his finger in the cut and twisting. "I didn't do anything, Alex.”
His voice barely hit me when my vision blurred and I screamed. Like a fucking animal, I screamed. But not because his fingers were digging around in my insides.
Because my brain was suddenly boiling, a metal rod piercing my skull and stirring it into a soupy mess. His voice was inside me. It was bleeding into me, taking over me. But not just his voice. The world blurred around me and I was no longer in my doorway, bleeding out against the wall.
Instead, I was moving. I was… I was walking. No, I was being dragged. Except these weren’t my memories. This wasn’t my mind. I could see bare feet beneath me delicately slapping on white tiles. When I looked up, I saw an expanse of white like I was being led straight into the clouds. This was a building. There were glass doors and electronic panels, people in black guarding each one. It took a while for me to gain my senses—or him to gain his.
We could smell something like chlorine and taste rusty coins at the back of our throat. Feel the ice cold tiles against our bare toes. A strange feeling at the back of our head. We kept wanting to run our fingers through our hair, but every time we did, our fingers only touched bare skin. Scuffed and rigged skin. Tight fingers were wrapped around our arm, dragging us further and further into a white oblivion. Until a glass door seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
From now on, I am going to describe his memories very vaguely. I’m just going to tell you what I saw.
The room we walked into reminded me of a classroom—but there were no desks. In front of me were the other members of Sunbeam pressed against the back wall. They faced forwards, their gazes penetrating nothing. But I saw they were trembling. Terrified. The squad were dressed in pale white shorts and t-shirt, ugly red spattering the front. There were still traces of blue and glitter on their faces, ribbons hanging from bedraggled curls.
Their feet were bare and filthy like ours. When we were shoved forwards, we took our place next to Evie who had half of her hair shaved off. Her arms were folded across her cheer uniform, her bare feet tapping a beat against the floor. When a woman with dark red hair held in a strict ponytail entered and asked if either of us wanted to show her what we had learned, Evie eagerly raised her hand. “Okay, Evie.” The woman’s voice was too sweet. Sickly sweet. She gestured for the girl forward. “Show us what you’ve got.”
The door opened, and a man stepped through. His hands were tied in front of him, his eyes blank.
Evie nodded, her eyes set in determination. She cleared her throat. “Shatter.”
Nothing happened.
“Intent, Evie.” The woman said. “It doesn’t matter how you say the word unless you use proper intent. Try again.”
The girl did, growling in frustration.
"Shatter.”
The man’s head flew from his torso suddenly in a river of red, and the girl squeaked in excitement.
While we watched in horror, the rest of the squad gave in to their own despair.
Different days bled into one—and we watched faces change. Heads were shaved. Hair grew back. Fear turned to joy.
A blonde girl exploded into bloody chunks, splattering against the walls.
“Yes!” The redhead high-fived pigtails, the two of them locked into some bizarre handshake. “That’s what I’m TALKING about!”
“Bang!” One of the girls used finger guns, and with each “shot” innocents dropped against the wall one by one, their heads blown through.
She jumped up and down in glee. “Bang, bang, bang!”
“Keep going,” the voice of the woman crackled through the speaker. “You’ve almost got it.”
“Divide.” Pigtails used her pointer finger at an old man who was skewed by an invisible force sending bloody chunks of him to the floor.
"Show off.” The redhead said in a sing-song voice. He was slumped against the back wall using his jersey to wipe blood from his face while the others painted the room scarlet. With simple words of intent and a hand gesture, they were able to take people apart piece by piece.
Pigtails snorted when another “test subject” was brought in. "Oh, you think you can do better?”
“Think I can? I know I can.”
This time he plunged two fingers into his temples. He was centre stage, the others against the back wall with their arms folded.
“Rip it out.”
The test subject’s eyes widened, her trembling hands clawing at her own head, fingernails digging into flesh. “Rip…rip it out?”
His lip curved. “That’s what I said.”
We didn’t see the test subject rip her own brain from her skull. We were already burying our head into our knees and screeching into the floor. Another flash. Like watching a movie.
This time we’re cutting into our wrist with shards of glass. Pulling back fleshy flaps of our flesh, there are two wires entangled with muscle and bone. One red and one blue. “Why won’t you submit?” A sharp growl, and I can feel our body pressed against metal. Our arms are restrained. “Out of all of them, you refuse it.” A hand slaps our face. “You don’t want it!”
He started to laugh.
“You don’t want… control?”
He leaned his face closer. “Tell me to mutilate myself. Tell me to… to tear out my brain stem! That’s the beauty of it! No matter how impossible the order is, it will be completed! Control, my boy. Use it. Do you even understand how much you are going to shape the world? Words! Do you know how powerful they are? When said from the right mouth, with the right intent, they can cause bloodshed, pain and misery-- a despair drowning our already shattered earth. And you will be the centre of it. You will bring this world to its knees, Jason."
"Now, do it. We call it cutting, but you will find familiarity in referring to it as erasure. You can make up your own words if you would like. What matters is the intent.” I feel something slicing into our arm. It’s nothing medical. It’s torture. He plunges something sharp into the same spot and twists the blade until we throw our head back and scream at the ceiling.
“You’re the last one.” The man hissed. “Do it.”
“No.” I heard his—our—voice. “I… I can’t!”
“Do it!”
He’s dragging us again, forcing us down a long winding corridor until we reach another door.
"Drown." The boy - - Jason's-- voice was suddenly in my head. I could sense it was trying to hold back, attempting to peel back whatever power his own words had. But the word came again and again until it was suffocating his mouth. “Drown. Drown. Drown. Drown.” We were standing in the doorway of a smaller room. In the corner there was a figure curled up with their head pressed against the wall.
It was a guy.
I recognised our school colours, a bloodied varsity jacket over shorts and t-shirt. When he lifted his head and twisted to face the boy whose mind I was in, I noticed he had an uncanny resemblance to me. His eyes wide, frightened. They were my mother's.
This guy looked exactly like me.
No, it WAS me.
My eyes were shadowed and haunted.
Like I had been drained of everything I was.
As quickly as the memories came crashing into me, they were yanked away when the guy must have pulled back.
I blinked rapidly, and Jason looked as confused as me. Slowly, he pulled his finger from my cut. The man's voice was in my skull, and it was agonising. I felt the command in my head, my body instantly reacting to... to nothing. I had my hands out, ready to do.... do something.
"That was… just a trick,” He said. “Yeah! Just a trick!”
I found myself nodding, echoing his words. Something warm ran from my nose.
"Just... a trick..." I whispered, the words forced from my lips.
Blood spattered down my chin.
“Louder.” He said.
"JUST A TRICK!" I yelled, the force of the wail sending me my knees, panting. The guy was frowning, seemingly unsure what to do with me.
He wrapped up my wound and told me it wasn’t bad—and it wasn’t. I watched in disbelief as my skin stitched itself back together.
"Go into your kitchen." Jason said, and I felt the power of his words ripping through me like bullets. My body moved on its own, and I got to my feet and stepped into my kitchen. He followed me, grabbing a scarf off of the table.
"Get on your knees." I did, dropping to my knees, my breath in my throat, my mouth sealed shut. I could sense the others in the doorway as he wrapped the scarf around my eyes, the heel of his shoe slamming into my neck forcing me onto my stomach.
"I want you to wait for me to kill you."
His words pierced into me. I did. Even when I knew he was gone, the door slamming shut-- I waited. I waited until the next morning, until I regained control over my own body and pulled the scarf from my eyes. I'm still waiting, my brain in constant panic, twisting around when I'm alone, looking into every corner.
I was roped into going to Friday's game against Harrington. During Sunbeam’s routine, they did it again. They had the crowd's attention, and Evie was mouthing something. I felt her words, sharp like needles cutting into me. But they didn't penetrate. They have done something to the student body. Ever since, I’ve been catching looks around me. Those whose heads they have crawled into. Mindless eyes. Every so often an arm will touch mine, fingers will wrap around my neck. I can hear their feet pitter pattering after me. Those little kids from that night. I keep seeing the little witch girl in the corner of my eye. They’re creating an army who are coming for me once he decides to kill me.
If only I knew what happened to the Sunbeam squad. Maybe I can help them somehow.
But something tells me they’re way past help.
And so am I.
I wonder if one day, I might be allowed a glimpse of my memories. What really happened to me during my freshman year.
And why, ever since going into his mind, I dream of a white room.
2023.06.01 21:31 Clay_Bricks Every retiring LEGO set (June 2023 update)
Another month, another retirement update! A lot of sets changed dates this month, and even more new sets got added! Which reminds me, I'm considering making a /legoleak Discord server in order to expand more on leaks, answer questions, and provide daily retirement updates. If there's interest in that, I'll work on having it done before the next list!
As always, we owe a massive thanks to ZombieYeti from the BrickHound Discord for providing this valuable data. If you're looking for real-time in-stock/deal alerts for Lego.com and other sites, make sure to check out his server: https://discord.gg/BwezK2t5qf
This information is scraped directly from Lego's website, and all dates are subject to change. ZombieYeti is currently developing a website to host this data and offer real-time updates. In the meantime, here is a list of every set and their corresponding retirement date as per LEGO's system!
FULL LIST ON GOOGLE SHEETS HERE <--
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Due to Reddit's character limits, we can't include everything here, but the full spreadsheet contains every set.
CHANGES IN JUNE:
NEW SETS ADDED:
SETS RETIRING IN 2023:
submitted by Clay_Bricks to Legoleak [link] [comments]
As always, we owe a massive thanks to ZombieYeti from the BrickHound Discord for providing this valuable data. If you're looking for real-time in-stock/deal alerts for Lego.com and other sites, make sure to check out his server: https://discord.gg/BwezK2t5qf
This information is scraped directly from Lego's website, and all dates are subject to change. ZombieYeti is currently developing a website to host this data and offer real-time updates. In the meantime, here is a list of every set and their corresponding retirement date as per LEGO's system!
FULL LIST ON GOOGLE SHEETS HERE <--
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Due to Reddit's character limits, we can't include everything here, but the full spreadsheet contains every set.
CHANGES IN JUNE:
| Theme | Set # | Set Name | Old Date | New Date | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar | 75577 | Mako Submarine | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | -1 year |
| Avatar | 75578 | Metkayina Reef Home | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | -1 year |
| Classic | 11020 | Build Together | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | -1 year |
| Duplo | 10966 | Bath Time Fun: Floating Animal Island | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | -1 year |
| City | 60388 | Gaming Tournament Truck | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Creator | 31143 | Birdhouse | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Friends | 41735 | Mobile Tiny House | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Harry Potter | 75969 | Hogwarts Astronomy Tower | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Icons | 10306 | Atari 2600 | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Ideas | 21331 | Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76946 | Blue & Beta Velociraptor Capture | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76951 | Pyroraptor & Dilophosaurus Transport | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76226 | Spider-Man Figure | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76241 | Hulk Mech Armor | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76243 | Rocket Mech Armor | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76245 | Ghost Rider Mech & Bike | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76256 | Ant-Man Construction Figure | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Speed Champions | 76906 | 1970 Ferrari 512 M | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Speed Champions | 76907 | Lotus Evija | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Star Wars | 75333 | Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Star Wars | 75344 | Boba Fett's Starship Microfighter | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Technic | 42138 | Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
NEW SETS ADDED:
| Theme | Set # | Set Name | Retirement Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| City | 60381 | City Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41758 | Friends Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76418 | Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76267 | Marvel Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71777 | Kai's Dragon Power Flip | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71778 | Nya's Dragon Power Drift | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71779 | Lloyd's Dragon Power Spin | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75366 | Star Wars Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Batman | 30653 | Batman 1992 Polybag | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Batman | 76224 | Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Batman | 76252 | Batcave – Shadow Box | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Batman | 76264 | Batmobile Pursuit: Batman vs. The Joker (4+) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Batman | 76265 | Batwing: Batman vs. The Joker | Dec 31, 2024 |
| City | 60367 | Passenger Airplane | Dec 31, 2024 |
| City / 2K Drive | 60395 | Combo Race Pack | Dec 31, 2024 |
| City / 2K Drive | 60396 | Modified Race Cars | Dec 31, 2024 |
| City / 2K Drive | 60397 | Monster Truck Race | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Creator | 31144 | Exotic Pink Parrot | Dec 31, 2024 |
| DREAMZzz | 40657 | Dream Village | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Friends | 41756 | Holiday Ski Slope and Café | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Friends | 41760 | Igloo Holiday Adventure | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Harry Potter | 76419 | Hogwarts Castle and Grounds | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Harry Potter | 76421 | Dobby the House-Elf | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Icons | 40634 | Icons of Play | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Mario | 71422 | Picnic at Mario's House | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76249 | Venomised Groot | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76261 | Spider-Man Final Battle | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76262 | Captain America's Shield | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76263 | Iron Man Hulkbuster vs. Thanos (4+) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76266 | Endgame Final Battle | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Minecraft | 21247 | The Axolotl House | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Minecraft | 21248 | The Pumpkin Farm | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Minecraft | 21249 | The Crafting Box 4.0 | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Minecraft | 21250 | The Iron Golem Fortress | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71789 | Kai and Ras's Car and Bike Battle (4+) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71790 | Imperium Dragon Hunter Hound | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71791 | Zane's Dragon Power Spinjitzu Race Car | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71792 | Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71793 | Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71794 | Lloyd and Arin's Ninja Team Mechs | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71795 | Temple of the Dragon Energy Cores | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71796 | Elemental Dragon vs. The Empress Mech | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71797 | Destiny's Bounty - Race Against Time | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71798 | Nya and Arin's Baby Dragon Battle (4+) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Sonic | 76993 | Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75359 | 332nd Ahsoka's Clone Trooper Battle Pack | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75360 | Yoda's Jedi Starfighter | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75365 | Yavin 4 Rebel Base | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75368 | Darth Vader Mech | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75369 | Boba Fett Mech | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75370 | Stormtrooper Mech | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Duplo | 10987 | Recycling Truck | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Duplo | 10994 | 3-in-1 Family House | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Duplo | 10997 | Camping Adventure | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Ninjago | 71799 | NINJAGO City Markets | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Technic | 42161 | Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Icons | 10323 | PAC-MAN Arcade | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Technic | 42160 | Audi RS Q e-tron | Dec 31, 2026 |
SETS RETIRING IN 2023:
| Theme | Set # | Set Name | Retirement Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 11015 | Around the World | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31123 | Off-Road Buggy | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 10780 | Mickey and Friends Castle Defenders | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43203 | Aurora, Merida and Tiana's Enchanted Creations | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41962 | Unicorn Creative Family Pack | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71404 | Goomba's Shoe | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71407 | Cat Peach Suit and Frozen Tower | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71409 | Big Spike's Cloudtop Challenge | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71412 | Big Bad Island | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mindstorms | 51515 | Robot Inventor | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21187 | The Red Barn | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71738 | Zane's Titan Mech Battle | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71754 | Water Dragon | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71756 | Hydro Bounty | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71759 | Ninja Dragon Temple (4+) | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71762 | Kai's Fire Dragon EVO | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71770 | Zane's Golden Dragon Jet | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71773 | Kai's Golden Dragon Raider | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42129 | 4x4 Mercedes-Benz Zetros Trial Truck | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Minifigures | 71038 | LEGO® Minifigures Disney 100 | Aug 31, 2023 |
| Architecture | 21054 | The White House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Art | 31203 | World Map | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Art | 31205 | Jim Lee Batman Collection | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Art | 31206 | The Rolling Stones | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Art | 31207 | Floral Art | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75571 | Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75573 | Floating Mountains: Site 26 & RDA Samson | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75577 | Mako Submarine | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75578 | Metkayina Reef Home | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Batman | 76181 | Batmobile: The Penguin Chase | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Batman | 76220 | Batman versus Harley Quinn (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Brickheadz | 40540 | Lion Dance Guy | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Brickheadz | 40541 | Manchester United Go Brick Me | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Brickheadz | 40542 | FC Barcelona Go Brick Me | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Brickheadz / Avatar | 40554 | Jake Sully & his Avatar | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40377 | Donald Duck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40378 | Goofy & Pluto | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40476 | Daisy Duck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40477 | Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey & Louie | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40550 | Chip & Dale | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40553 | Woody and Bo Peep | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40622 | Disney 100th Celebration (Oswald, Mickey, Snow White, Tinker Bell) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Harry Potter | 40495 | Harry, Hermione, Ron & Hagrid | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Harry Potter | 40560 | Professors of Hogwarts | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Minecraft | 40624 | Alex | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Minecraft | 40625 | Llama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Minecraft | 40626 | Zombie | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Star Wars | 40539 | Ahsoka Tano | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Star Wars | 40623 | Battle of Endor Heroes | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 30590 | Farm Garden & Scarecrow Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 30638 | Police Bike Training Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 30639 | Dog Park and Scooter Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 41723 | Donut Shop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 41726 | Holiday Camping Trip | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60253 | Ice-Cream Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60313 | Space Ride Amusement Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60314 | Ice Cream Truck Police Chase | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60315 | Police Mobile Command Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60317 | Police Chase at the Bank | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60318 | Fire Helicopter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60319 | Fire Rescue & Police Chase | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60320 | Fire Station | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60321 | Fire Brigade | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60322 | Race Car Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60323 | Stunt Plane | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60324 | Mobile Crane | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60325 | Cement Mixer Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60327 | Horse Transporter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60330 | Hospital | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60332 | Reckless Scorpion Stunt Bike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60333 | Bathtub Stunt Bike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60335 | Train Station | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60338 | Chimpanzee Smash Stunt Loop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60339 | Double Loop Stunt Arena | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60341 | The Knockdown Stunt Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60342 | The Shark Attack Stunt Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60343 | Rescue Helicopter Transporter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60346 | Barn & Farm Animals | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60348 | Lunar Roving Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60349 | Lunar Space Station | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60350 | Lunar Research Base | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60351 | Rocket Launch Centre | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60353 | Wild Animal Rescue Missions | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60354 | Mars Spacecraft Exploration Missions | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60355 | Water Police Detective Missions | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60356 | Bear Stunt Bike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60357 | Stunt Truck & Ring of Fire Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60358 | Cyber Stunt Bike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60359 | Dunk Stunt Ramp Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60360 | Spinning Stunt Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60361 | Ultimate Stunt Riders Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60371 | Emergency Vehicles HQ | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60381 | City Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60382 | Vet Van Rescue | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60385 | Construction Digger | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60390 | Park Tractor | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60393 | 4x4 Fire Truck Rescue | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60394 | ATV and Otter Habitat | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60398 | Family House and Electric Car | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11014 | Bricks and Wheels | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11018 | Creative Ocean Fun | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11019 | Bricks and Functions | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11020 | Build Together | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11021 | 90 Years of Play | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11022 | Space Mission | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11031 | Creative Monkey Fun | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 30510 | 90 Years of Cars Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 30641 | Panda Bear Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 30644 | Vintage Car Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31111 | Cyber Drone | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31118 | Surfer Beach House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31127 | Street Racer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31128 | Dolphin and Turtle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31130 | Sunken Treasure Mission | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31131 | Downtown Noodle Shop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31132 | Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 40461 | Tulips | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 40469 | Tuk Tuk | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 40568 | Paris Postcard | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 40646 | Daffodils | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 10777 | Mickey and Minnie's Camping Trip | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 30646 | Moana's Dolphin Cove Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 40521 | Mini Disney The Haunted Mansion | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 41168 | Elsa's Jewellery Box | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43187 | Rapunzel's Tower | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43189 | Elsa and the Nokk Storybook Adventures | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43194 | Anna and Elsa's Frozen Wonderland | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43196 | Belle and the Beast's Castle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43197 | The Ice Castle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43198 | Anna's Castle Courtyard | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43199 | Elsa's Castle Courtyard | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43202 | The Madrigal House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43204 | Anna and Olaf's Castle Fun | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43207 | Ariel's Underwater Palace | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43208 | Jasmine and Mulan's Adventure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43209 | Elsa and the Nokk's Ice Stable | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 30560 | Pineapple Photo Holder & Mini Board Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41801 | My Pets Bracelet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41802 | Unicorns Forever Bracelet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41803 | Extra Dots series 8 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41805 | Creative Animal Drawer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41806 | Ultimate Party Kit | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41807 | Bracelet Designer Mega Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41947 | Mickey and Friends Bracelets Mega Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41948 | Cute Banana Pen Holder | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41950 | Lots of DOTS - Lettering | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41951 | Message Board | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41957 | Adhesive Patches Mega Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41959 | Cute Panda Tray | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41960 | Big Box | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41961 | Designer Toolkit - Patterns | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Disney | 41963 | Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Stitch-on Patch | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Disney | 41964 | Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Back-to-School Project Box | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Harry Potter | 41808 | Hogwarts Accessories Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Harry Potter | 41809 | Hedwig Pencil Holder | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Harry Potter | 41811 | Hogwarts Desktop Kit | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10411 | Learn About Chinese Culture | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10872 | Train Bridge and Tracks | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10882 | Train Tracks | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10930 | Bulldozer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10938 | Dinosaur Nursery | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10944 | Space Shuttle Mission | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10948 | Parking Garage and Car Wash | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10949 | Farm Animal Care | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10955 | Animal Train | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10956 | Amusement Park | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10964 | Bath Time Fun: Floating Red Panda | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10966 | Bath Time Fun: Floating Animal Island | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10968 | Doctor Visit | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10972 | Wild Animals of the Ocean | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10973 | Wild Animals of South America | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10974 | Wild Animals of Asia | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10977 | My First Puppy & Kitten with Sounds | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10978 | Creative Building Time | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10979 | Wild Animals of Europe | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 30648 | Whale Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Disney | 10899 | Frozen Ice Castle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Disney | 10960 | Belle's Ballroom | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Disney | 10962 | Buzz Lightyear's Planetary Mission | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Holiday | 10976 | Santa's Gingerbread House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Marvel | 10963 | Spider-Man & Friends: Funfair Adventure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 30633 | Skate Ramp | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 30634 | Friendship Flowers Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41443 | Olivia's Electric Car | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41677 | Forest Waterfall | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41696 | Pony-Washing Stable | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41697 | Turtle Protection Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41699 | Pet Adoption Café | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41703 | Friendship Tree House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41704 | Main Street Building | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41705 | Heartlake City Pizzeria | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41707 | Tree-Planting Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41708 | Roller Disco Arcade | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41711 | Emma's Art School | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41712 | Recycling Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41713 | Olivia's Space Academy | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41714 | Andrea's Theatre School | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41715 | Ice Cream Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41716 | Stephanie's Sailing Adventure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41717 | Mia's Wildlife Rescue | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41718 | Pet Day-Care Center | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41719 | Mobile Fashion Boutique | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41720 | Water Park | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41721 | Organic Farm | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41722 | Horse Show Trailer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41729 | Organic Grocery Store | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41732 | Downtown Flower and Design Stores | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41733 | Mobile Bubble Tea Shop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41741 | Dog Rescue Van | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41742 | Cat Hotel | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41743 | Hair Salon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41751 | Skate Park | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41758 | Friends Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 30435 | Build Your Own Hogwarts Castle Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 30651 | Quidditch Practice Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 75968 | 4 Privet Drive | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 75979 | Hedwig | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76386 | Hogwarts: Polyjuice Potion Mistake | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76398 | Hogwarts Hospital Wing | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76399 | Hogwarts Magical Trunk | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76400 | Hogwarts Carriage and Thestrals | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76401 | Hogwarts Courtyard: Sirius's Rescue | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76403 | The Ministry of Magic | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76406 | Hungarian Horntail Dragon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76408 | 12 Grimmauld Place | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76409 | Gryffindor House Banner | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76410 | Slytherin House Banner | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76411 | Ravenclaw House Banner | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76412 | Hufflepuff House Banner | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76418 | Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40426 | Christmas Wreath 2-in-1 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40522 | Valentine Lovebirds | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40523 | Easter Rabbits Display | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40570 | Halloween Cat and Mouse | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40571 | Wintertime Polar Bears | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 80110 | Lunar New Year Display | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 80111 | Lunar New Year Parade | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Creator | 30584 | Winter Holiday Train Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Creator | 30642 | Birthday Train Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Creator | 30643 | Easter Chickens Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Icons | 10293 | Santa's Visit | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10265 | Ford Mustang | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10266 | NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10273 | Haunted House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10276 | Colosseum | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10289 | Bird of Paradise | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10290 | Pickup Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10292 | The Friends Apartments | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10299 | Real Madrid - Santiago Bernabéu Stadium | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10497 | Galaxy Explorer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 76989 | Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons / Modular | 10255 | Assembly Square | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons / Modular | 10270 | Bookshop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons / Modular | 10278 | Police Station | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ideas | 21325 | Medieval Blacksmith | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ideas | 21326 | Winnie the Pooh | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ideas | 21329 | Fender Stratocaster | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ideas | 21337 | Table Football | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76943 | Pteranodon Chase (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76945 | Atrociraptor Dinosaur: Bike Chase | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76947 | Quetzalcoatlus Plane Ambush | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76948 | T. rex & Atrociraptor Dinosaur Breakout | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76950 | Triceratops Pickup Truck Ambush | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76956 | T. rex Breakout | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Lightyear | 76830 | Zyclops Chase (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Lightyear | 76831 | Zurg Battle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Lightyear | 76832 | XL-15 Spaceship | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 30509 | Yellow Yoshi's Fruit Tree Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71406 | Yoshi's Gift House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71413 | Character Packs Series 6 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71414 | Conkdor's Noggin Bopper | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71415 | Ice Mario Suit and Frozen World | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71416 | Lava Wave Ride | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71417 | Fliprus Snow Adventure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71418 | Creativity Toolbox | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 10781 | Spider-Man's Techno Trike (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 10784 | Spider-Man Webquarters Hangout (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 10790 | Team Spidey at Green Goblin's Lighthouse (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 30652 | Doctor Strange's Interdimensional Portal Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76187 | Venom | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76193 | The Guardians' Ship | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76206 | Iron Man Figure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76207 | Attack on New Asgard | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76208 | The Goat Boat | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76209 | Thor's Hammer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76211 | Shuri's Sunbird | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76212 | Shuri's Lab (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76213 | King Namor's Throne Room | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76214 | Black Panther: War on the Water | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76215 | Black Panther | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76216 | Iron Man Armory | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76225 | Miles Morales Figure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76230 | Venom Figure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76242 | Thanos Mech Armor | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76253 | Guardians of the Galaxy Headquarters | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76255 | The New Guardians' Ship | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76267 | Marvel Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21164 | The Coral Reef | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21170 | The Pig House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21172 | The Ruined Portal | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21177 | The Creeper Ambush | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21180 | The Guardian Battle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21181 | The Rabbit Ranch | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21183 | The Training Grounds | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21184 | The Bakery | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21185 | The Nether Bastion | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21186 | The Ice Castle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21188 | The Llama Village | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21190 | The Abandoned Village | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 30647 | The Dripstone Cavern/The Stalactite Cave Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Miscellaneous | 40174 | LEGO Chess | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Miscellaneous | 40382 | Birthday Set | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Miscellaneous | 40393 | LEGOLAND Fire Academy | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Miscellaneous | 40584 | Birthday Diorama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 30656 | Monkey King Marketplace Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80008 | Monkie Kid's Cloud Jet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80030 | Monkie Kid's Staff Creations | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80032 | Chang'e Moon Cake Factory | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80033 | Evil Macaque's Mech | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80034 | Nezha's Fire Ring | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80035 | Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80037 | Dragon of the East | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80038 | Monkie Kid's Team Van | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80039 | The Heavenly Realms | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 30649 | Ice Dragon Creature Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71757 | Lloyd's Ninja Mech (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71760 | Jay's Thunder Dragon EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71761 | Zane's Power Up Mech EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71763 | Lloyd's Race Car EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71765 | Ninja Ultra Combo Mech | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71766 | Lloyd's Legendary Dragon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71767 | Ninja Dojo Temple | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71768 | Jay's Golden Dragon Motorbike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71769 | Cole's Dragon Cruiser | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71771 | The Crystal King Temple | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71772 | The Crystal King | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71774 | Lloyd's Golden Ultra Dragon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71775 | Nya's Samurai X MECH | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71776 | Jay and Nya's Race Car EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71777 | Kai's Dragon Power Flip | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71778 | Nya's Dragon Power Drift | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71779 | Lloyd's Dragon Power Spin | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71781 | Lloyd's Mech Battle EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 30657 | McLaren Solus GT Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76900 | Koenigsegg Jesko | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76901 | Toyota GR Supra | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76910 | Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76911 | 007 Aston Martin DB5 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76912 | Fast & Furious 1970 Dodge Charger T | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 30654 | X-wing Starfighter Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75288 | AT-AT | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75292 | The Razor Crest | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75300 | Imperial TIE Fighter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75301 | Luke Skywalker's X-wing Fighter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75309 | Republic Gunship (Ultimate Collector Series) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75312 | Boba Fett's Starship | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75317 | The Mandalorian & The Child | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75318 | The Child | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75320 | Snowtrooper Battle Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75322 | Hoth AT-ST | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75323 | The Justifier | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75324 | Dark Trooper Attack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75326 | Boba Fett's Throne Room | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75327 | Luke Skywalker (Red Five) Helmet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75329 | Death Star Trench Run Diorama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75330 | Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75332 | AT-ST (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75334 | Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75335 | BD-1 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75336 | Inquisitor Transport Scythe | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75338 | Ambush on Ferrix | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75339 | Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75342 | Republic Fighter Tank | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75343 | Dark Trooper Helmet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75366 | Star Wars Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 30655 | Forklift with Pallet Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42096 | Porsche 911 RSR | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42107 | Ducati Panigale V4 R | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42111 | Dom's Dodge Charger | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42117 | Race Plane | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42118 | Monster Jam Grave Digger | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42122 | Jeep Wrangler | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42123 | McLaren Senna GTR | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42125 | Ferrari 488 GTE 'AF Corse #51' | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42127 | The Batman - Batmobile | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42128 | Heavy-Duty Tow Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42131 | Cat D11 Bulldozer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42132 | Chopper | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42133 | Telehandler | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42134 | Monster Jam Megalodon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42135 | Monster Jam El Toro Loco | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42137 | Formula E Porsche 99x Electric | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42139 | All-Terrain Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42140 | App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42144 | Material Handler | Dec 31, 2023 |
2023.06.01 19:58 PriestessOfSpiders There is a door in my apartment which only appears after midnight.
The apartment was cheap, but not suspiciously so, especially given the relatively decrepit state of it. It was a 1 bedroom affair, the building itself constructed at some point before the Great Depression, and it certainly showed its age. The bathroom was prone to mold, the windows let in a draft even when closed, and the fact that it was up 6 flights of stairs in a building where the elevator seemed perpetually out of order certainly didn't help. However, beyond these usual allowances made for an affordable apartment in a city such as mine, there were no outward signs that anything wrong with the place. There were never any strange noises, unusual cold spots in the center of rooms, no eerie lights. For all intents and purposes, the apartment appeared utterly mundane.
It took me a frankly embarrassing amount of time to notice the door. 7 months in fact. I've never been much of a night owl, and on the rare occasions when I did have reason to be up in the wee hours my time was generally spent in someone else's bedroom.
At first, when I noticed the door, I assumed that I was hallucinating. I was, after all, in a fairly inebriated state, having just returned from a rather pleasant evening of laughter and debauchery. I already had experienced considerable difficulty in extricating my key from my apartment's lock, so I figured it was more likely that something had gone wrong with my perception rather than the unlikely scenario that a wood paneled door had suddenly materialized in my living room where previously there had only been wall.
It was old fashioned looking, with a shiny brass knob and wood the color of old leather. I shook my head for a moment and blinked, squinting at the object. The door was still there. I rubbed my eyes and closed them, counting down from 10. When I'd finished, I opened my eyes again. The door was still there. I'm not exactly sure what I thought counting down from 10 was supposed to accomplish. Beyond one mercifully brief experience with salvia at a very bad party, I'd never experienced hallucinations before, so I was sort of going off of what I'd seen in movies and TV shows.
There was something intensely unnerving about the door. It emanated a feeling of primal wrongness, I instinctually knew that I was gazing at something totally in violation of the natural order. It took a lot of willpower to do what I did next.
Having exhausted all other apparent options to my disorganized mind, I moved on to the next logical stage of inquiry; I tried to open it. The doorknob was cold to the touch, arctic even. It felt like touching the inside of a freezer. A shiver ran down my back, though I can't be sure in retrospect if it was entirely from the temperature. I tried to turn the knob. It didn't budge.
An immense sigh of relief escaped my lungs, releasing a breath that I didn't know I was holding in. Trying to think of what else I could do, I pulled out my phone and snapped a quick photo of the thing, sending it to my landlord, with a caption somewhere along the lines of "wtf is this dude, y is there a new door???"
Nodding sagely to myself, as if I had succeeded in doing anything of note, I stumbled my way into my bedroom and locked the door before falling into blissful slumber.
I awoke to the incessant screeching of my alarm clock loudly informing me that it was 7 o' clock, about 6 hours from when I had fallen asleep. I slammed my fist against "off" button and rubbed the sleep from my eyes with my other hand. In following with my usual morning routine, I then pulled out my phone and checked through my notifications.
Alongside the usual torrent of internet pseudo-acquaintances posting pictures of their brunches and whatnot was a text message from my landlord. "What are you talking about Christina", it read, "is this photoshop or something?"
At first, I didn't understand what he was referring to, but when the rusted gears of my sleepy (and hungover) brain finally started turning, I immediately jumped out of bed and scuttled over to the spot where the door had been just 6 hours prior. I did so with the intent of recording a video to further prove its existence to my skeptical landlord... but I was greeted with nothing but wall.
I texted my landlord an apology, lying and saying it was just a poorly thought out prank. Then I popped into my car and drove down to the local electronics store to purchase a camera from the grumpy underpaid college student behind the register.
Making my way over to the photography section, I searched a long while for the option that simultaneously fit my budget and the requirements for my investigation. Eventually, I found just the item.
It was a trailcam, the sort of thing hunters and geriatrics with too many acres of land and not enough hobbies use to observe wildlife. It had an SD card with enough space for several hours of blurry, black and white nightvision video, and most importantly it was cheap. I paid for my prize with the surly cashier and made my way happily back to my apartment.
I set it up securely in front of where the door had previously appeared, and, feeling like a genius, went about the rest of my day. I fell asleep that night secure in the knowledge that by morning I would have proof of what I had seen the night before.
The next morning, I rushed over excitedly to my living room, feeling like a child on Christmas morning. My giddy excitement died as I stepped into the living room, noticing the complete lack of the trailcam. Old Saint Nick appeared to have shit in my stocking.
I made my way back to the electronics store, forced once again into interacting with the student behind the register for whom my very existence seemed to be an inconvenience. Upon noticing my arrival, he sighed heavily. "Can I help you ma'am?" he said, emphasizing the last word with the same inflection one might say intestinal parasite.
"I'm looking for a cheap camera that will stream video directly to my computer." I said, trying my best to avoid mimicking the man's petulant tone.
Shrugging his shoulders and releasing another drawn out sigh, the cashier shuffled his way over to the photography section and picked out a small camera, rather similar to the last one I purchased, but approximately twice as much in terms of cost. "Do you have anything cheaper?" I asked, trying my best to sound polite.
"No." declared the cashier, with all the compassion of an exterminator crushing a cockroach beneath a steel toed boot.
I ended up paying the exorbitant price on my already abused credit card, and grumpily stalked back to the apartment to set up the new equipment, knowing I wouldn't get to see it after the night was over.
Nevertheless, I had to know how the door got there, and I needed to have irrefutable evidence.
The process to set up the new camera was a bit more involved than the last. There was all manner of fiddling about with connecting the device to my WiFi network and installing some new software to my computer, but by the time it was over it successfully uploaded footage directly to my hard drive where I could watch it at my leisure.
I went to bed that night wondering what I would do with the footage after I acquired it. After all, I couldn't really go to the police with it, could I? Excuse me officer, I imagined myself saying, but a mysterious door appears in my apartment at night, and I was wondering if you could send someone around to take a look? I'd end up institutionalized. Similarly, it's not like I could go to the newspapers either. I live in a big city, and the reporters have more important fish to fry than transient doors.
At some point while I pondered my options, I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew I was awakened by the banshee cries of my alarm clock, angrily informing me that it was once again 7 o' clock.
I jumped out of bed, excitedly moving over to my computer to check the footage, finding that there was about 5 hours of video. I had turned on the camera at around 10 o' clock PM, so that meant whatever happened to the camera occurred at about 3 AM.
I set the video to fast forward and watched it carefully. The first 2 hours or so showed nothing, just the regular blank wall. At exactly 12 o' clock, however, static engulfed the screen, and suddenly the old wooden door simply appeared, as if it had always been there. I rewound the footage and played it at normal speed, trying to discern anything that would show how the door suddenly manifested in the wall of my apartment, but the static was far too heavy to tell. The video simply got incredibly distorted for around 10 seconds, and suddenly the static dissipated and there was the door.
Even on video, just looking at it gave me the chills. That sense of complete and utter wrongness came through even from the screen. I shivered slightly and set the video on fast forward yet again. There was no change in the door for nearly 3 hours, but as the video crept closer and closer to the end, I switched it back to normal speed with about a minute to spare.
As I watched, the door began to slowly open. There was no microphone built into the camera, but I could imagine the ancient hinges creaking. I could feel my palms begin to sweat as I stared, transfixed. I glanced at the time remaining on the video, it was only around 30 seconds.
As the video progressed onwards, the door eventually swung fully open, revealing a black, yawning void beyond it. Static began to gather at the corners of the screen, increasing in intensity as I vaguely discerned something moving in the darkness. The quality was rapidly degrading, and I couldn't tell any specifics, but it moved in an almost spider-like manner, skittery and deeply unnerving. It seemed just about to come into view when the footage fully dissolved into static and the video ended abruptly.
I leaned back in my chair, contemplating my next move. While the video had certainly convinced me that I wasn't just going crazy, I knew that it wouldn't exactly convince the average person. I could easily have added in the static with editing, and the vague movement behind the door could just be computer generated effects or some sort of puppet. After a few minutes of pondering, I came up with an idea.
---
"I'm sorry, what?" exclaimed Lilith, who was trying hard not to choke on her iced coffee.
"A door. It appears in my apartment at exactly midnight. I have it on video", I replied, sliding my phone across the table of the coffee shop.
I first met Lilith in college, where we shared a course on the history of Gothic literature. She was a perfect picture of the stereotypical goth, with pierced septum, dyed black hair, pentacle earrings, and a wardrobe whose diversity of color could charitably be compared to that of a raven. We hadn't spoken in a long time, but I figured if there was anyone I should contact about this sort of thing, it would be her.
I'd condensed the 5 hours of footage down to a few minutes with the help of a free online video editor, and watched in slight amusement as Lilith's brow furrowed, her eyes glued to the screen. After the video ended, she seemed utterly amazed.
"Any thoughts?" I asked, pulling back my phone.
"This is some sort of joke, right? You're screwing with me?" she asked, utterly bewildered by what I had just shown her.
"No joke. No screwing around. I figured you'd be the one to ask about this, because of the whole, you know..." I said, gesturing at the leviathan cross emblazoned on her black t-shirt.
Lilith rolled her eyes at me and fidgeted nervously with one of her bracelets. "I'm not sure Christina, this seems a little bit outside of my pay grade. I don't really know what you expect me to do."
"I just need a witness of some kind. What I've got here isn't really enough to prove anything on its own, but if someone else sees it that might lend me a bit of credibility. If some random chick goes to the news complaining about a mysterious door appearing in her living room at midnight that's nothing, but if I get a witness then they might have to listen to me. Plus, I figured maybe you could, I don't know, set up some form of protective circle or sigil or something." As soon as the last words left my lips, I felt like a moron, but Lilith actually seemed to perk up a little bit.
"I mean, I guess that makes sense. How about tonight? I can come over at about 11 o' clock so we have a little bit of time to get ready", she said, a tinge of excitement in her voice.
"Sound's like a plan then, I'll text you my address. I really appreciate you doing this for me." We got up from the booth, exchanged hugs, and went our separate ways. I was skeptical about how much good Lilith's "magickal" expertise would do with regard to the unearthly door, but I had mainly mentioned it to get her interested.
I wish I hadn't.
---
About 12 hours later, I heard a knock at the door (my front door, in this case, not the impossible one). I peeked through the peephole, saw it was Lilith, and I ushered her inside. She had brought with her a black leather bag, bulging with various books, candles, jars, and other occult accoutrements.
"That's a lot of stuff", I commented, gesturing towards the bag, "are you sure you'll need all of it?"
She shrugged. "I figured it's better to be safe than sorry. I'd rather be overprepared than come up short."
"Seems reasonable."
I showed her the spot of the blank wall where the door appears and she began setting up candles and incense, drawing strange signs with chalk, and pouring salt in a semi-circle in front of where the door would be. As she worked, she occasionally read out loud from some cheap paperbacks with titles like "The Witch's Bible" and "The Unquiet Dead: A Field Guide to the Afterlife".
To be entirely honest it was incredibly underwhelming. I didn't feel any "mystical energies" or unseen vistas of space and time yawning before me. There was just a goth screwing around with some candles while reciting mangled Latin out of books she got for 4.99 apiece at a charity shop.
Nevertheless, I let Lilith get on with her business and sat back drinking some cheap beer. After about 45 minutes she seemed satisfied. The floor and walls were covered with crude sigils done in white chalk, and the whole room smelt of incense and scented candles. I checked my watch, seeing it was 11:48.
I offered Lilith a drink but she declined, instead just taking a seat and fidgeting a bit with her jewelry. We talked for a while about what the door could be, where it came from, that sort of thing. Lilith seemed convinced it was must be the restless spirit of a former tenant, but I was a bit skeptical. While at this point I could no longer honestly say I didn't believe in the supernatural, this didn't necessarily strike me as some sort of haunting.
"I don't think it's a ghost", I said, taking a sip from my near empty can, "it strikes me as something further beyond our realm of experience than that. Something, I don't know, alien somehow. I mean it changes reality itself doesn't it? It transmutes a wall to a door, and let me tell you that door was real wood and the knob was real metal. Aren't ghosts supposed to be intangible or something?"
Lilith seemed like she was about to say something before she paused, a weird look crossing her face. "Christina, what time is it?" she whispered.
I checked my watch, the digital face reading out 12:07. I turned to see the door. It had been there for 7 minutes and we hadn't even noticed its arrival. Something about us not having realized it was there bothered me far more than its materialization. Was it possible that I'd passed by it in the apartment before and just never noticed it? I'd previously assumed that I'd simply always been asleep or out of the apartment when it materialized, but now I wasn't so sure.
Lilith had turned to look at it too, after a moment saying "It's like it's always been there."
The next 3 hours passed slowly, painfully. We snapped plenty of pictures of the door at every conceivable angle on our respective phones, videos too, and decided that after it disappeared again we should take footage of the bare wall for contrast. Lilith and I chatted a bit, but it was hard to continue conversations for long. Now that we had noticed it, we could feel the wrongness emanating out from the door, as if we were being watched by something just out of sight.
I don't know if there is such a thing as true evil, some sort of absolute moral right and wrong on a spiritual level. But being near that door, I felt like I was bearing witness to an atrocity against reality itself. We spent the last 2 hours of observation in nearly complete silence. It seemed like the longer we were cognizant of the door, the worse the feeling of discomfort got. If you've ever been on a roller coaster, you'll be familiar with the feeling of going up the track towards a long drop, the tension in your very blood as you brace yourself for the fall to come. As we sat there, I felt something similar.
I almost wanted to call the whole thing off, just have Lilith and I go to a 24 hour fast food place or something and call it a night. But I had to know.
Unlike with the door's appearance, we noticed when it started to open. We sat there, paralyzed with fear and excitement as it slowly started to creak open, the worn hinges squealing just as I thought they would. The room grew significantly colder, until we were both shivering intensely. Behind the door was void, absolutely void. It was black as the depths of the ocean and emanated pure dread. The smell of incense and scented candles seemed to dissipate, replaced with a vague stench like rotting seaweed.
Finally, the entrance was swung fully open, and we sat there, staring blankly into it. We didn't even try to pull out our phones to record what we saw. The thought to do so didn't cross my mind until well after.
I could see something start to move in the darkness beyond, some sort of motion, spidery, skittering. It was coming towards us. I caught a vague glimpse of a long, thin limb reaching out from the door, coming towards us, grasping blindly from out of the dark, and then-
I felt the sun shining on my face, my entire body sore.
I opened my eyes to find myself lying on the ground, outside. There were trees overhead, but the foliage wasn't dense enough to block out the light which had awoken me. All things being equal, I would have preferred my alarm clock.
I stood up, painfully, taking stock of my surroundings. I was in a park, one which I had been to before, located a couple miles from my apartment. I looked for my phone, but couldn't find it. I began to stumble my way back home, trying my best to ignore my aching muscles. I called out for Lilith a couple times, but was met only with silence. She was gone.
As I limped my way along, a passing jogger called out "Nice tattoo". Confused, I looked down at my arm.
Burned into my flesh in white letters, as if through frostbite, were the words "BRING MORE".
submitted by PriestessOfSpiders to nosleep [link] [comments]
It took me a frankly embarrassing amount of time to notice the door. 7 months in fact. I've never been much of a night owl, and on the rare occasions when I did have reason to be up in the wee hours my time was generally spent in someone else's bedroom.
At first, when I noticed the door, I assumed that I was hallucinating. I was, after all, in a fairly inebriated state, having just returned from a rather pleasant evening of laughter and debauchery. I already had experienced considerable difficulty in extricating my key from my apartment's lock, so I figured it was more likely that something had gone wrong with my perception rather than the unlikely scenario that a wood paneled door had suddenly materialized in my living room where previously there had only been wall.
It was old fashioned looking, with a shiny brass knob and wood the color of old leather. I shook my head for a moment and blinked, squinting at the object. The door was still there. I rubbed my eyes and closed them, counting down from 10. When I'd finished, I opened my eyes again. The door was still there. I'm not exactly sure what I thought counting down from 10 was supposed to accomplish. Beyond one mercifully brief experience with salvia at a very bad party, I'd never experienced hallucinations before, so I was sort of going off of what I'd seen in movies and TV shows.
There was something intensely unnerving about the door. It emanated a feeling of primal wrongness, I instinctually knew that I was gazing at something totally in violation of the natural order. It took a lot of willpower to do what I did next.
Having exhausted all other apparent options to my disorganized mind, I moved on to the next logical stage of inquiry; I tried to open it. The doorknob was cold to the touch, arctic even. It felt like touching the inside of a freezer. A shiver ran down my back, though I can't be sure in retrospect if it was entirely from the temperature. I tried to turn the knob. It didn't budge.
An immense sigh of relief escaped my lungs, releasing a breath that I didn't know I was holding in. Trying to think of what else I could do, I pulled out my phone and snapped a quick photo of the thing, sending it to my landlord, with a caption somewhere along the lines of "wtf is this dude, y is there a new door???"
Nodding sagely to myself, as if I had succeeded in doing anything of note, I stumbled my way into my bedroom and locked the door before falling into blissful slumber.
I awoke to the incessant screeching of my alarm clock loudly informing me that it was 7 o' clock, about 6 hours from when I had fallen asleep. I slammed my fist against "off" button and rubbed the sleep from my eyes with my other hand. In following with my usual morning routine, I then pulled out my phone and checked through my notifications.
Alongside the usual torrent of internet pseudo-acquaintances posting pictures of their brunches and whatnot was a text message from my landlord. "What are you talking about Christina", it read, "is this photoshop or something?"
At first, I didn't understand what he was referring to, but when the rusted gears of my sleepy (and hungover) brain finally started turning, I immediately jumped out of bed and scuttled over to the spot where the door had been just 6 hours prior. I did so with the intent of recording a video to further prove its existence to my skeptical landlord... but I was greeted with nothing but wall.
I texted my landlord an apology, lying and saying it was just a poorly thought out prank. Then I popped into my car and drove down to the local electronics store to purchase a camera from the grumpy underpaid college student behind the register.
Making my way over to the photography section, I searched a long while for the option that simultaneously fit my budget and the requirements for my investigation. Eventually, I found just the item.
It was a trailcam, the sort of thing hunters and geriatrics with too many acres of land and not enough hobbies use to observe wildlife. It had an SD card with enough space for several hours of blurry, black and white nightvision video, and most importantly it was cheap. I paid for my prize with the surly cashier and made my way happily back to my apartment.
I set it up securely in front of where the door had previously appeared, and, feeling like a genius, went about the rest of my day. I fell asleep that night secure in the knowledge that by morning I would have proof of what I had seen the night before.
The next morning, I rushed over excitedly to my living room, feeling like a child on Christmas morning. My giddy excitement died as I stepped into the living room, noticing the complete lack of the trailcam. Old Saint Nick appeared to have shit in my stocking.
I made my way back to the electronics store, forced once again into interacting with the student behind the register for whom my very existence seemed to be an inconvenience. Upon noticing my arrival, he sighed heavily. "Can I help you ma'am?" he said, emphasizing the last word with the same inflection one might say intestinal parasite.
"I'm looking for a cheap camera that will stream video directly to my computer." I said, trying my best to avoid mimicking the man's petulant tone.
Shrugging his shoulders and releasing another drawn out sigh, the cashier shuffled his way over to the photography section and picked out a small camera, rather similar to the last one I purchased, but approximately twice as much in terms of cost. "Do you have anything cheaper?" I asked, trying my best to sound polite.
"No." declared the cashier, with all the compassion of an exterminator crushing a cockroach beneath a steel toed boot.
I ended up paying the exorbitant price on my already abused credit card, and grumpily stalked back to the apartment to set up the new equipment, knowing I wouldn't get to see it after the night was over.
Nevertheless, I had to know how the door got there, and I needed to have irrefutable evidence.
The process to set up the new camera was a bit more involved than the last. There was all manner of fiddling about with connecting the device to my WiFi network and installing some new software to my computer, but by the time it was over it successfully uploaded footage directly to my hard drive where I could watch it at my leisure.
I went to bed that night wondering what I would do with the footage after I acquired it. After all, I couldn't really go to the police with it, could I? Excuse me officer, I imagined myself saying, but a mysterious door appears in my apartment at night, and I was wondering if you could send someone around to take a look? I'd end up institutionalized. Similarly, it's not like I could go to the newspapers either. I live in a big city, and the reporters have more important fish to fry than transient doors.
At some point while I pondered my options, I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew I was awakened by the banshee cries of my alarm clock, angrily informing me that it was once again 7 o' clock.
I jumped out of bed, excitedly moving over to my computer to check the footage, finding that there was about 5 hours of video. I had turned on the camera at around 10 o' clock PM, so that meant whatever happened to the camera occurred at about 3 AM.
I set the video to fast forward and watched it carefully. The first 2 hours or so showed nothing, just the regular blank wall. At exactly 12 o' clock, however, static engulfed the screen, and suddenly the old wooden door simply appeared, as if it had always been there. I rewound the footage and played it at normal speed, trying to discern anything that would show how the door suddenly manifested in the wall of my apartment, but the static was far too heavy to tell. The video simply got incredibly distorted for around 10 seconds, and suddenly the static dissipated and there was the door.
Even on video, just looking at it gave me the chills. That sense of complete and utter wrongness came through even from the screen. I shivered slightly and set the video on fast forward yet again. There was no change in the door for nearly 3 hours, but as the video crept closer and closer to the end, I switched it back to normal speed with about a minute to spare.
As I watched, the door began to slowly open. There was no microphone built into the camera, but I could imagine the ancient hinges creaking. I could feel my palms begin to sweat as I stared, transfixed. I glanced at the time remaining on the video, it was only around 30 seconds.
As the video progressed onwards, the door eventually swung fully open, revealing a black, yawning void beyond it. Static began to gather at the corners of the screen, increasing in intensity as I vaguely discerned something moving in the darkness. The quality was rapidly degrading, and I couldn't tell any specifics, but it moved in an almost spider-like manner, skittery and deeply unnerving. It seemed just about to come into view when the footage fully dissolved into static and the video ended abruptly.
I leaned back in my chair, contemplating my next move. While the video had certainly convinced me that I wasn't just going crazy, I knew that it wouldn't exactly convince the average person. I could easily have added in the static with editing, and the vague movement behind the door could just be computer generated effects or some sort of puppet. After a few minutes of pondering, I came up with an idea.
---
"I'm sorry, what?" exclaimed Lilith, who was trying hard not to choke on her iced coffee.
"A door. It appears in my apartment at exactly midnight. I have it on video", I replied, sliding my phone across the table of the coffee shop.
I first met Lilith in college, where we shared a course on the history of Gothic literature. She was a perfect picture of the stereotypical goth, with pierced septum, dyed black hair, pentacle earrings, and a wardrobe whose diversity of color could charitably be compared to that of a raven. We hadn't spoken in a long time, but I figured if there was anyone I should contact about this sort of thing, it would be her.
I'd condensed the 5 hours of footage down to a few minutes with the help of a free online video editor, and watched in slight amusement as Lilith's brow furrowed, her eyes glued to the screen. After the video ended, she seemed utterly amazed.
"Any thoughts?" I asked, pulling back my phone.
"This is some sort of joke, right? You're screwing with me?" she asked, utterly bewildered by what I had just shown her.
"No joke. No screwing around. I figured you'd be the one to ask about this, because of the whole, you know..." I said, gesturing at the leviathan cross emblazoned on her black t-shirt.
Lilith rolled her eyes at me and fidgeted nervously with one of her bracelets. "I'm not sure Christina, this seems a little bit outside of my pay grade. I don't really know what you expect me to do."
"I just need a witness of some kind. What I've got here isn't really enough to prove anything on its own, but if someone else sees it that might lend me a bit of credibility. If some random chick goes to the news complaining about a mysterious door appearing in her living room at midnight that's nothing, but if I get a witness then they might have to listen to me. Plus, I figured maybe you could, I don't know, set up some form of protective circle or sigil or something." As soon as the last words left my lips, I felt like a moron, but Lilith actually seemed to perk up a little bit.
"I mean, I guess that makes sense. How about tonight? I can come over at about 11 o' clock so we have a little bit of time to get ready", she said, a tinge of excitement in her voice.
"Sound's like a plan then, I'll text you my address. I really appreciate you doing this for me." We got up from the booth, exchanged hugs, and went our separate ways. I was skeptical about how much good Lilith's "magickal" expertise would do with regard to the unearthly door, but I had mainly mentioned it to get her interested.
I wish I hadn't.
---
About 12 hours later, I heard a knock at the door (my front door, in this case, not the impossible one). I peeked through the peephole, saw it was Lilith, and I ushered her inside. She had brought with her a black leather bag, bulging with various books, candles, jars, and other occult accoutrements.
"That's a lot of stuff", I commented, gesturing towards the bag, "are you sure you'll need all of it?"
She shrugged. "I figured it's better to be safe than sorry. I'd rather be overprepared than come up short."
"Seems reasonable."
I showed her the spot of the blank wall where the door appears and she began setting up candles and incense, drawing strange signs with chalk, and pouring salt in a semi-circle in front of where the door would be. As she worked, she occasionally read out loud from some cheap paperbacks with titles like "The Witch's Bible" and "The Unquiet Dead: A Field Guide to the Afterlife".
To be entirely honest it was incredibly underwhelming. I didn't feel any "mystical energies" or unseen vistas of space and time yawning before me. There was just a goth screwing around with some candles while reciting mangled Latin out of books she got for 4.99 apiece at a charity shop.
Nevertheless, I let Lilith get on with her business and sat back drinking some cheap beer. After about 45 minutes she seemed satisfied. The floor and walls were covered with crude sigils done in white chalk, and the whole room smelt of incense and scented candles. I checked my watch, seeing it was 11:48.
I offered Lilith a drink but she declined, instead just taking a seat and fidgeting a bit with her jewelry. We talked for a while about what the door could be, where it came from, that sort of thing. Lilith seemed convinced it was must be the restless spirit of a former tenant, but I was a bit skeptical. While at this point I could no longer honestly say I didn't believe in the supernatural, this didn't necessarily strike me as some sort of haunting.
"I don't think it's a ghost", I said, taking a sip from my near empty can, "it strikes me as something further beyond our realm of experience than that. Something, I don't know, alien somehow. I mean it changes reality itself doesn't it? It transmutes a wall to a door, and let me tell you that door was real wood and the knob was real metal. Aren't ghosts supposed to be intangible or something?"
Lilith seemed like she was about to say something before she paused, a weird look crossing her face. "Christina, what time is it?" she whispered.
I checked my watch, the digital face reading out 12:07. I turned to see the door. It had been there for 7 minutes and we hadn't even noticed its arrival. Something about us not having realized it was there bothered me far more than its materialization. Was it possible that I'd passed by it in the apartment before and just never noticed it? I'd previously assumed that I'd simply always been asleep or out of the apartment when it materialized, but now I wasn't so sure.
Lilith had turned to look at it too, after a moment saying "It's like it's always been there."
The next 3 hours passed slowly, painfully. We snapped plenty of pictures of the door at every conceivable angle on our respective phones, videos too, and decided that after it disappeared again we should take footage of the bare wall for contrast. Lilith and I chatted a bit, but it was hard to continue conversations for long. Now that we had noticed it, we could feel the wrongness emanating out from the door, as if we were being watched by something just out of sight.
I don't know if there is such a thing as true evil, some sort of absolute moral right and wrong on a spiritual level. But being near that door, I felt like I was bearing witness to an atrocity against reality itself. We spent the last 2 hours of observation in nearly complete silence. It seemed like the longer we were cognizant of the door, the worse the feeling of discomfort got. If you've ever been on a roller coaster, you'll be familiar with the feeling of going up the track towards a long drop, the tension in your very blood as you brace yourself for the fall to come. As we sat there, I felt something similar.
I almost wanted to call the whole thing off, just have Lilith and I go to a 24 hour fast food place or something and call it a night. But I had to know.
Unlike with the door's appearance, we noticed when it started to open. We sat there, paralyzed with fear and excitement as it slowly started to creak open, the worn hinges squealing just as I thought they would. The room grew significantly colder, until we were both shivering intensely. Behind the door was void, absolutely void. It was black as the depths of the ocean and emanated pure dread. The smell of incense and scented candles seemed to dissipate, replaced with a vague stench like rotting seaweed.
Finally, the entrance was swung fully open, and we sat there, staring blankly into it. We didn't even try to pull out our phones to record what we saw. The thought to do so didn't cross my mind until well after.
I could see something start to move in the darkness beyond, some sort of motion, spidery, skittering. It was coming towards us. I caught a vague glimpse of a long, thin limb reaching out from the door, coming towards us, grasping blindly from out of the dark, and then-
I felt the sun shining on my face, my entire body sore.
I opened my eyes to find myself lying on the ground, outside. There were trees overhead, but the foliage wasn't dense enough to block out the light which had awoken me. All things being equal, I would have preferred my alarm clock.
I stood up, painfully, taking stock of my surroundings. I was in a park, one which I had been to before, located a couple miles from my apartment. I looked for my phone, but couldn't find it. I began to stumble my way back home, trying my best to ignore my aching muscles. I called out for Lilith a couple times, but was met only with silence. She was gone.
As I limped my way along, a passing jogger called out "Nice tattoo". Confused, I looked down at my arm.
Burned into my flesh in white letters, as if through frostbite, were the words "BRING MORE".
2023.06.01 18:37 R420R77 Random thoughts of a dying man.
Well, I guess I should start at the beginning the majority of all stories tend to start. I was born in Detroit, Michigan in the month of June 1977. I was soon adopted and never met my biological family but have been told that I have two biological sisters, Karen, and Xinea as well as two brothers named Robert, and Jerry(perhaps Gerry I suppose). My mother is Patricia Bray, and my alleged father is Carl Ambers according to the adoption records that I found after the death of my adopted mother, Opal in 2001; I was a grown man by then. I was adopted by Opal and Frank Smith(we will say) in 1978. Somehow they knew my biological mother but that connection was never revelled to me. Opal was one of 17 children who grew up on a mountain somewhere in West Virginia. I was told that her father killed himself in front of her and her siblings when she was less than 10 years old. He was a coal miner and was injured in some type of accident and left unable to work with 19 mouths to feed; hard to fathom but for the love of God why in front of the children? Regardless of his reason this event left a lasting impact upon his 9 year old daughter that would ripple throughout space and time with the force of an atomic bomb; to this day that act and subsequent reaction linger. Opal was a devout Pentecost, Southern Baptist, or whatever similar religion she felt; not exactly sure. She was once a member of the People's Temple church in the early days when they were in Indianapolis (circa 1953-54). She left the church when the new leader, a man by the name of Jim Jones took over and began to allow people of other races into the fellowship; Opal being a woman of God as well as a devout racist left the church. They would later commit forced suicide in Ghana by drinking cyanide laced drinks at the end of machine guns. Opal was a small woman and she had many older brothers. She spent her developmental years fatherless, emotionally wrecked, and on a mountain with those brothers; I do not wish to even imagine what that must have been like, but one thing is for certain; she grew up mean and she knew how to fight, how to hurt a person, and how to use her 4' 11" 120lbs to do damage. Her temper was short and she was fast to react in a violent physical nature. She was married to Frank who was from Kentucky. Frank ran a laundry delivery service, smoked cigars, and loved pro wrestling. He was already in his forties when I was adopted as was Opal. Frank was amazing to me as a young child but as time went on he became isolated and didn't much bother with anything other than work. Looking back it is obvious he was terribly unhappy but that is unfortunately the theme of this story. I also had three adopted sisters that we shall call Kay, Mary, and Carry. All of whom were already 10 and older once I was brought into the household. The six of us lived in a two bedroom single bath home on the south side of Indianapolis. My earliest memory is literally the day that they brought me to their house; you may think that is crazy, a child less than a year old having a vivid memory but I swear to you I do. I remember being brought into the kitchen and being placed into a high chair with a pack of saltines....then a bath and to bed. For the first few years it seemed that we had a happy, perfect family. Frank made good money and so Opal stayed home and managed the house while watching me. I remember how nice she was at first but that would soon change, everything changed. The early eighties were a rough time economically and it showed. The stress of life really brought out the mean in Opal, she would fly off the handle in a millisecond flat. I was a very advanced child for my age and by pre-school I could count to 1000, read children's books myself, and I knew all my shapes and colors beyond the standard "circle, square, blue, red". My adopted parents were not very well educated and I think they were taken aback by the rate at which I absorbed information. It could not possibly be that this child simply has a thirst for knowledge and an ability to process things; it must be DEMONS...yep, folks, demons. From the time I was maybe 3 until I stopped speaking to Opal circa 1999 I was repeatedly told that I was "FULL OF DEMONS" as well as the everpopular"YOU ARE GOING TO HELL FOR _________" Now you can add whatever you wish to that blank up there because she sure did. I was going to hell for running in the house, catching insects, not going to bed on time, throwing rocks, playing with sticks, you name it, and he'll was fucking terrifying. I was taken to churches where people preached that the devil was not among us , but inside of us all!!! and as I watched them shake and scream and yell it honestly scared the shit out of me. Being a developing child and being told you are possessed by creatures from hell may have a lasting mental effect. Like many kids I began to rebel against and since I was full of demons I began to act accordingly. Things in the household spiraled downward like a toy boat circling an open drain. Opal was becoming aloof and isolated, coming from her bedroom only to cuss, complain, and rage. After the first few times getting my ass or face slapped up I learned to shut my mouth but unfortunately my older adopted sister Mary never got that lesson. She was about early high school age when I was adopted but I do not remember either of my two oldest sisters going to school at all. She like rock music of the time, she didn't dress appropriately, she was loud, and she did not listen to anything she was told. She was a typical teen girl in the 80's until she snuck out one night and some men snuck PCP into her drink. She had a bad reaction and seized, they just dumped her from the car onto a cold, dark Indianapolis street corner in the middle of a ghetto where she lay until found. She was rushed to the hospital where she died and was revived many time; luckily she lived, but she had went without oxygen and it left her with some mental impairment. She never really progressed past a teen mentality. I do not know if it was shame at her sneaking out with men and being discovered or the lingering mental illness but Opal had a fire for her like no other. They once had a shouting match over what Mary was wearing and after a few minutes Opal picked up an old golf wedge club that I had found and began to beat her savagely. I counted at least 30 shots before I got the courage to jump in from of her; I was maybe 8 years old. The following years would show a pattern of such actions with all four of us occasionally getting it but Mary and myself got the brunt of things...there were hot off the stove spatulas to bare skin, broomsticks, rake handles, and even the cast iron skillet with hot oil still inside. My father, having been introduced to Opal's violent nature knew better than to intervene, choosing to withdraw all together of the situation. Left to free rein Opal never missed an opportunity to abuse physically, or verbally. I remember being perhaps 9-10 years old and being as my parernts were way older I dressed like I was from the 60's,. Opal had since went to work at a metal polishing factory and I was left to the daily care of three teenage, adopted sister with no clue about basic hygiene so I smelled terrible and the stress of my violent home life had put weight on me other kids fucked with me hardcore. I had had a terrible day at school; my pants had ripped and all the other kids were laughing and calling me fatass and such literally all day long. So I get home finally and I totally break down into hesterical crying fits to which my "mother" responds to be yelling "BOY!!....WHAT IS ALL THE NOISE ABOUT!!?!" and through tears and in broken English I struggled to explain the events of the day and how all the kids said I "stink and that my clothes were trash and that I was too fat!!" and her caring response was to look me dead in my eyes and yell to me "YOU ARE FAT AND I AM NOT BUYING YOU NEW CLOTHES UNTIL YOU LOSE SOME WEIGHT!!" This event would truly cast a demon of hatred and anger deep into my soul that I would struggle to shake for the next 20 or more years. The next day at school, on recess a group of slightly younger children began to gather around me and began the usual verbal and physical harassment. As they had a few days previous they were attempting to set me up for that trick where one person gets down in a dog-like pose behind you while you are distracted and once in place the other push you over and everyone has a grand old laugh at your expense while you struggle to get your fat ass off the ground and get your wind back but that day I was not playing that shit and so when the little fucker ducked down behind me I immediately swung around with my right foot and landed a vicious snap kick directly to his eye socket; the sound of it breaking echoed the playground followed by painful wailing. It felt good to hear, it felt good to see the fear in the eyes of his friend's eyes, to send a message that I was no longer their victim or anyone else's for that matter. I started skipping school, vandalizing, petty theft, shoplifting, and anything other than wholesome which got me arrested for stealing CD's and Transformers from K-Mart. L.L. Cool J.....funny the shit you value when you look in retrospect. The ride home from the juvenile center on East 21st street was a long one and I was petrified of the beating that awaited me as new and different ways and items to beat the fuck from me danced in my head like those fucking sugar-plums from that stupid Christmas Song. When we finally got back to our house in Fountain Square I was directed into the kitchen where a length of 2/4 about 2 foot long waited on the kitchen table. Opal from behind me yelled out "BOY!!" which was what I was always referenced as as if I had no fucking name and when I did a 180 she belted me across my face with a hard right fist, but unlike every other time she hit me I did not scream out, cry, or even flinch from the blow. This further infuriated her and so she struck my face again to the same result, and again, and again until I firmly grabbed her right wrist at which point she immediately hit me with a hard left and I subsequently grabbed her left wrist. I was about 175lbs if not more and my strength overpowered her ability to strike me and when she realized that she could not move and seen in my eyes that this was not going to happen she began to scream "LET GO OF ME!!" to which I replied "I am going to let you go and when I do you are not going to fucking touch me in any way!!"...I let go, and defeated she walked away. After that she offered no real support other than a place to sleep. I began to steal clothing from people's clotheslines and after wearing the same pair of shoes for so long that my feet are literally deformed, I took a pair of Nikes off of someone's porch. Over the next few years I would have many more legal troubles, assaults, thefts, arsons until the State of Indiana stepped in and made me a ward of the state. I was sentenced and sent to a place called Glen Mills Schools in Concordville, Pennsylvania. It was supposed to be a fresh start and a chance to better myself and I was able to get my HSE, learn computer aided drafting, and I got to compete in powerlifting as well. It was the first time in my life I had seen a dentist even; I was 15 years old and finally I felt hopeful and happy; that would soon change.
If you would like to hear more please leave a comment or like. I also appreciate any feedback about my writing as I am not a professional in any way but always looking to improve my craft. If you made it this far; you are greatly appreciated.
submitted by R420R77 to stories [link] [comments]
If you would like to hear more please leave a comment or like. I also appreciate any feedback about my writing as I am not a professional in any way but always looking to improve my craft. If you made it this far; you are greatly appreciated.
2023.06.01 17:45 yoganougat Le chemeau Espada Oro
 | Brief review submitted by yoganougat to desifemfrag [link] [comments] Packaging - gorgeous. It’s a heavy glass bottle with a golden colored link chain and magnetic cap. Bottle looks very pretty with the yellow juice, though admittedly it can only be kept flat side down on a table. Can be prone to slipping and breaking given it can’t be put upright if not laid carefully on a flat surface. Notes: mentioned HEAD NOTES are Fruity, Lavender, Magnolia and BASE NOTE are musk and amber. However to my nose this is a straight up Magnolia. Very linear, floral and clean with a freshness to it. I don’t smell any of the other notes in this. Projection: decent, doesn’t leave a trail but definitely identifiable up close. Sillage: about a foots length for the first hour, then dries down to a skin scent or whiffy close to the clothes smell. Longevity: about 4 hours on clothes, about 2 hours on skin. Season: I see this as a summer evening fragrance, possibly a wedding or event wear. This is a budget friendly, nice clean floral. The sprayeatomiser is truly wonderful and it will make for a good gift too. |
2023.06.01 16:03 IllustratedPageArt Aussies Scared the Golden Retriever into Peeing Herself
Hey y'all! I'm a first time poster here but could use some advice on a situation involving my family's dogs. Here are the three members of the Canine Crew:
Layla (3F, Australian Shepherd, 40lbs) -- Technically my sister's dog, but since my sister's a med student, Layla lives with my parents. Layla is rather high-strung and will make this screaming bark sound whenever she sees something out the window or hears a strange sound. However, she's well socialized with other dogs and doesn't bark at people when she's out in public.
Bailey (2F, Australian Shepherd Mix, 50lbs) -- My parents' dog, but really my dad'sbaby dog. She was a rehome from someone who got her way too young from a backyard breeder type situation and then kept her alone in a crate for long periods of time. Due to that and the pandemic, she was not well socialized. She is besties with Layla but when Layla starts screaming, Bailey will immediately go over the top and escalate the situation. She will launch herself at Layla barking at the top of her lungs. Our family likes to say that the only thing that scares Bailey is boredom.
Candy (13F, Golden Retriever, 70lbs) -- The family dog who has sort of become my dog. My parents got her ten or eleven years ago, when my sister and I were still in high school. Before the Australian Shepherds, we were a golden retriever family with four prior goldens. Candy is the last remaining golden. She's a bit grouchier than some of the previous goldens (who were so so sweet they wouldn't even think of growling at a person), and she doesn't really like other dogs except for Layla. She tolerates Bailey. About a year ago, I got an apartment with a yard close to my parents house and took Candy with me when I moved in. She's since latched on to me more. However, we still spend a lot of time at my parents house, on weekends and now because of an infestation at my apartment.
So. I didn't witness what happened last night, just the aftermath. But from what I heard, it followed the typical pattern of Layla screaming and Bailey just going insane. I think Layla must have been running for the doggie door while screaming, because the water bowl was also overturned. The sudden explosion of noise scared Candy so much that she wet herself.
My lease is up in July. I'm not renewing, and Candy will be living with my parents full time, likely without me as I will be moving to a different city. I'm already feeling bad about leaving her, especially given her age, but I'm also just worried about her and the Aussies.
More information
I worry about leaving Candy in this environment. And honestly, the whole thing is pretty stressful for the humans involved too. So any advice on breaking the anxious screaming Aussie, escalating Aussie, stressed golden retriever cycle?
submitted by IllustratedPageArt to dogs [link] [comments]
Layla (3F, Australian Shepherd, 40lbs) -- Technically my sister's dog, but since my sister's a med student, Layla lives with my parents. Layla is rather high-strung and will make this screaming bark sound whenever she sees something out the window or hears a strange sound. However, she's well socialized with other dogs and doesn't bark at people when she's out in public.
Bailey (2F, Australian Shepherd Mix, 50lbs) -- My parents' dog, but really my dad's
Candy (13F, Golden Retriever, 70lbs) -- The family dog who has sort of become my dog. My parents got her ten or eleven years ago, when my sister and I were still in high school. Before the Australian Shepherds, we were a golden retriever family with four prior goldens. Candy is the last remaining golden. She's a bit grouchier than some of the previous goldens (who were so so sweet they wouldn't even think of growling at a person), and she doesn't really like other dogs except for Layla. She tolerates Bailey. About a year ago, I got an apartment with a yard close to my parents house and took Candy with me when I moved in. She's since latched on to me more. However, we still spend a lot of time at my parents house, on weekends and now because of an infestation at my apartment.
So. I didn't witness what happened last night, just the aftermath. But from what I heard, it followed the typical pattern of Layla screaming and Bailey just going insane. I think Layla must have been running for the doggie door while screaming, because the water bowl was also overturned. The sudden explosion of noise scared Candy so much that she wet herself.
My lease is up in July. I'm not renewing, and Candy will be living with my parents full time, likely without me as I will be moving to a different city. I'm already feeling bad about leaving her, especially given her age, but I'm also just worried about her and the Aussies.
More information
- The explosions of barking/screaming typically happen multiple times a day. The worst are whenever someone comes to the door or when either our yard or the neighbors have a yard crew working.
- During the noise explosions, Candy will sometimes have her ears back and will be shaking. Other times she'll join in barking.
- Candy has a history of zoning out and reacting when she gets stressed. There is no awareness in her eyes, just instinct. During a few of the noise explosions, she's zoned out and focused in on the source of the noise (Layla), and chased Layla under a table.
- A few times when Layla started screaming, Candy would just... zone out? And focus in on the source of the noise while growling with her hackles up. The pattern there is that she'd chase Layla under a table, Layla would stop screaming, and calling Candy's name would break the spell.
- Bailey and Layla can play so rough that it can be hard to tell what is playing and what is real fighting. They bark, make growling noises, jump at each other, and grab and shake each other by the collar.
- Sometimes during these events Bailey will jump at Layla and get her pinned in a corner. Layla doesn't like being pinned and my mom, sister, and I think her reactions to this are real and not part of the play. My dad thinks it's all still play and not serious.
- Once, Candy attacked Bailey during a noise explosion, pulling her off Layla and shaking her by the neck. We get Candy to stop and my dad is holding Bailey who is still barking and trying to throw herself at Layla.
- While the family went on a vacation, Layla and Candy stayed with a house sitter and Bailey was boarded (my mom put her foot down on this). It was a cage-free boarding. Bailey passed assessment but was given a sedative and at one point was wearing a muzzle. Apparently this was due to barking and also escalating situations with other dogs, like she does at home.
I worry about leaving Candy in this environment. And honestly, the whole thing is pretty stressful for the humans involved too. So any advice on breaking the anxious screaming Aussie, escalating Aussie, stressed golden retriever cycle?
2023.06.01 14:53 jfcineedausername Season 11 Halloween episode
Hey, I'm still making my way through this podcast. Just got to season 11 episode 22a the Halloween one. I've had a bit to drink, so it may have affected/effected (I can never remember the difference) me a bit more than usual.
But do you all have an opinion on the story "Her stolen candy"? For some reason it hit me a bit hard. I don't know if it was Peter Lewis narrating (my favourite) or the story itself, or both, but damn. I have strong feelings about this one. I absolutely loved it. And now I'm sad.
That's all.
Oh, but also what is your favourite Halloween story?! I love them about the same as the Christmas ones!
submitted by jfcineedausername to TheNSPDiscussion [link] [comments]
But do you all have an opinion on the story "Her stolen candy"? For some reason it hit me a bit hard. I don't know if it was Peter Lewis narrating (my favourite) or the story itself, or both, but damn. I have strong feelings about this one. I absolutely loved it. And now I'm sad.
That's all.
Oh, but also what is your favourite Halloween story?! I love them about the same as the Christmas ones!
2023.06.01 09:32 newb_44 Trading mm2 for psx
trading: season 1: bioblade, lightbringer, darkbringer, eggblade, eternal III, eternal IV, gemstone, heartblade, nebula, prismatic, chroma gemstone classic: chroma laser, chroma luger, amerilaser, blaster, blue seer, clockwork, deathshard, eternal, eternal II, chroma fang, flames, heat, laser, luger, nightblade, old glory, 2x orange seer, pixel, purple seer, red seer, saw, seer, shark, slasher, tides, virtual, yellow seer, america, blood, cowboy, ghost, golden, laser, phaser, prince, shadow, splitter. Christmas: icebreaker, icewing, logchopper, candy, chill, 2x cookieblade, eternalcane, frostbite, frostsaber, ginger luger, gingerblade, green luger, handsaw, ice dragon, ice shard, iceblaster, jinglegun, lugercane, minty, peppermint, red luger, snowflake, sugar, winters edge, Xmas. Halloween: batwing, ew scythe, hallowscythe, battle axe, battle axe II, boneblade, ew revolver, ghostblade, hallows edge, hallows blade, hallowgun, pumpking, spider, vampire edge pets: deathspeaker, electro, all of the fire pets, frostbird, ghosty, icepheonix, icey, pheonix, sammy, skelly, steambird, traveller, <3
submitted by newb_44 to Cross_Trading_Roblox [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 09:32 newb_44 Trading mm2 for psx
trading: season 1: bioblade, lightbringer, darkbringer, eggblade, eternal III, eternal IV, gemstone, heartblade, nebula, prismatic, chroma gemstone classic: chroma laser, chroma luger, amerilaser, blaster, blue seer, clockwork, deathshard, eternal, eternal II, chroma fang, flames, heat, laser, luger, nightblade, old glory, 2x orange seer, pixel, purple seer, red seer, saw, seer, shark, slasher, tides, virtual, yellow seer, america, blood, cowboy, ghost, golden, laser, phaser, prince, shadow, splitter. Christmas: icebreaker, icewing, logchopper, candy, chill, 2x cookieblade, eternalcane, frostbite, frostsaber, ginger luger, gingerblade, green luger, handsaw, ice dragon, ice shard, iceblaster, jinglegun, lugercane, minty, peppermint, red luger, snowflake, sugar, winters edge, Xmas. Halloween: batwing, ew scythe, hallowscythe, battle axe, battle axe II, boneblade, ew revolver, ghostblade, hallows edge, hallows blade, hallowgun, pumpking, spider, vampire edge pets: deathspeaker, electro, all of the fire pets, frostbird, ghosty, icepheonix, icey, pheonix, sammy, skelly, steambird, traveller, <3
submitted by newb_44 to crosstradingroblox [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 08:35 ItsTheMadHatterHere2 Tomorrow is my birthday and I hate it
Hi! I,still 17 f(until tomorrow)hate my birthday. I am in some kind of existential crisis rn.
For context,I lived without my mother my whole life because she left me when I was born and my dad used to beat me up really bad so I didn't spend time with him either. I grew up in foster homes,different cities and different families. Got adopted at 7.
I can't say I don't love my adoptive parents because I truly understand my life would have been at a whole other level of misery now,but they're far from perfect and I don't really have a relationship with them either,because we don't trust eachother and they kinda don't know anything about me.
Since 1 month ago I just feel lonely and truly depressed(more than usual)and I bawl my eyes out every night,not getting so much sleep. I just wish my mom would've loved me and I would've had a normal life instead of just suffering constantly because I miss her or cry in hopes she feels it. I know she doesen't. Kids used to make fun of me for being "adopted like a puppy"or"too ugly to be loved by my mom". And I actually never admitted it myself but some parents knew and told their kids.
Sometimes I even ask myself on my birthday if she thinks of me but I don't think so since she's an alcoholic. I don't have many friends,these days I just broke contact with some of them because I just can't deal with them anymore and I also am sick and feel like I'm the only one dying in my age group. I'm not really dying but I feel always sick,tired and sad and I wish I would've had a childhood or teenage part of my life to feel like other kids my age. I don't know what to do to feel better because my whole life I've been abused,molested,betrayed,lied to and so on.
I hate myself so much. I SH,I always feel like I'm not good enough and I repeat that to myself constantly and at the end of the day I don't even know who I am,I just hate myself.
My adoptive parents tell me every year the usual "Happy Birthday",sometimes even throw parties but just with old relatives,where I kinda always feel like a maid becauae I have to wash dishes,serve food,decorate the plates and table,respect people that don't respect me,only talk about achievments and be critisized,etc. I tried explaining to them that I don't want to hear anymore wishes,don't want to give candy,don't want to celebrate this day but they wouldn't hear it. They also asked me why but I can't tell them that I'll always grieve the relationship I wanted with my biological parents and the better life I would have had if they loved me. I don't want to tell them to not hurt their feelings or feel bad about it afterwards.
I always cry and feel the heartbreak every birthday,but most importantly,every day of the year.
Yep,Unhappy Birthday to me again.
submitted by ItsTheMadHatterHere2 to confessions [link] [comments]
For context,I lived without my mother my whole life because she left me when I was born and my dad used to beat me up really bad so I didn't spend time with him either. I grew up in foster homes,different cities and different families. Got adopted at 7.
I can't say I don't love my adoptive parents because I truly understand my life would have been at a whole other level of misery now,but they're far from perfect and I don't really have a relationship with them either,because we don't trust eachother and they kinda don't know anything about me.
Since 1 month ago I just feel lonely and truly depressed(more than usual)and I bawl my eyes out every night,not getting so much sleep. I just wish my mom would've loved me and I would've had a normal life instead of just suffering constantly because I miss her or cry in hopes she feels it. I know she doesen't. Kids used to make fun of me for being "adopted like a puppy"or"too ugly to be loved by my mom". And I actually never admitted it myself but some parents knew and told their kids.
Sometimes I even ask myself on my birthday if she thinks of me but I don't think so since she's an alcoholic. I don't have many friends,these days I just broke contact with some of them because I just can't deal with them anymore and I also am sick and feel like I'm the only one dying in my age group. I'm not really dying but I feel always sick,tired and sad and I wish I would've had a childhood or teenage part of my life to feel like other kids my age. I don't know what to do to feel better because my whole life I've been abused,molested,betrayed,lied to and so on.
I hate myself so much. I SH,I always feel like I'm not good enough and I repeat that to myself constantly and at the end of the day I don't even know who I am,I just hate myself.
My adoptive parents tell me every year the usual "Happy Birthday",sometimes even throw parties but just with old relatives,where I kinda always feel like a maid becauae I have to wash dishes,serve food,decorate the plates and table,respect people that don't respect me,only talk about achievments and be critisized,etc. I tried explaining to them that I don't want to hear anymore wishes,don't want to give candy,don't want to celebrate this day but they wouldn't hear it. They also asked me why but I can't tell them that I'll always grieve the relationship I wanted with my biological parents and the better life I would have had if they loved me. I don't want to tell them to not hurt their feelings or feel bad about it afterwards.
I always cry and feel the heartbreak every birthday,but most importantly,every day of the year.
Yep,Unhappy Birthday to me again.
2023.06.01 07:23 Mother-Glass937 Sister's cat died and I'm about ready to start laughing in her face about it and why
Sister got a 2 month old kitten and it died because she neglected and refused to feed it every 4 hours and she and my little sister kept pushing feeding onto me when they didn't want to do it and I reminded them
Sister left kitten with a plate of milk on the floor when it could barely walk and she left to her room and then when it was done drinking I decided to wash it with the cat shampoo stuff we used on our last cat before he ran away, we used it on him many times with no issues even as a kitten
Then later on after drying him off he was tired and shivering cause our house is always cold so I put him in front of the heater in my room and checked his body temp for about 5 minutes before leaving him there
Later he started meowing and walked out of my room fine so I picked up his bed thing and walked him back to the living room and my sister saw me put him down and started complaining about how I shouldn't be touching her cat at all and need to stop because of how I neglected our previous cat which I didn't
They decided they knew better and dumped food in his bowl and then never did it again till very late that day or the next day or just decided to keep dumping food in his bowl all day which he ate and kept eating and let him do whatever he wanted like knock over the Christmas tree, jump on the kitchen counter and stove, climb on the kitchen table and scratch the TV, stuff like that which I previously stopped him from doing because he was still "my cat" and my responsibility
Then when I said I'd stop my sister took claim of him and I just blocked him off from my room and he still destroyed their stuff unless I was around because cats are cats and shouldn't be trained like dogs (which they flipped on the subject with the latest cat and claimed to want to train it but didn't)
Eventually in the morning they didn't keep it warm and it passed away and it couldn't walk so it used the bathroom on itself and because it was "Wet" I'm being blamed despite it clearly being pee and the cold a long with the neglect of feeding it the correct amount every 4 hours (it was also said they had to start weaning it off to solid foods because it was walking around a bit but my sister said no it only gets milk till the milk runs out which would be about another month and maybe even two) and I'm being blamed for what they refused to do
And my sister keeps bringing it up that I killed her cat and instead of responding I'm just gonna laugh in her face because I'm glad the cat is dead and for it's own sake too
No More Constant Meowing Because Of Neglect And No More Pushed Responsibilities And No More Blame For Doing What I Was Asked To Do And Helping When It Wasn't My Responsibility
(And it automatically put the eating disorder tag I didn't do that don't hurt me 😭)
submitted by Mother-Glass937 to Vent [link] [comments]
Sister left kitten with a plate of milk on the floor when it could barely walk and she left to her room and then when it was done drinking I decided to wash it with the cat shampoo stuff we used on our last cat before he ran away, we used it on him many times with no issues even as a kitten
Then later on after drying him off he was tired and shivering cause our house is always cold so I put him in front of the heater in my room and checked his body temp for about 5 minutes before leaving him there
Later he started meowing and walked out of my room fine so I picked up his bed thing and walked him back to the living room and my sister saw me put him down and started complaining about how I shouldn't be touching her cat at all and need to stop because of how I neglected our previous cat which I didn't
They decided they knew better and dumped food in his bowl and then never did it again till very late that day or the next day or just decided to keep dumping food in his bowl all day which he ate and kept eating and let him do whatever he wanted like knock over the Christmas tree, jump on the kitchen counter and stove, climb on the kitchen table and scratch the TV, stuff like that which I previously stopped him from doing because he was still "my cat" and my responsibility
Then when I said I'd stop my sister took claim of him and I just blocked him off from my room and he still destroyed their stuff unless I was around because cats are cats and shouldn't be trained like dogs (which they flipped on the subject with the latest cat and claimed to want to train it but didn't)
Eventually in the morning they didn't keep it warm and it passed away and it couldn't walk so it used the bathroom on itself and because it was "Wet" I'm being blamed despite it clearly being pee and the cold a long with the neglect of feeding it the correct amount every 4 hours (it was also said they had to start weaning it off to solid foods because it was walking around a bit but my sister said no it only gets milk till the milk runs out which would be about another month and maybe even two) and I'm being blamed for what they refused to do
And my sister keeps bringing it up that I killed her cat and instead of responding I'm just gonna laugh in her face because I'm glad the cat is dead and for it's own sake too
No More Constant Meowing Because Of Neglect And No More Pushed Responsibilities And No More Blame For Doing What I Was Asked To Do And Helping When It Wasn't My Responsibility
(And it automatically put the eating disorder tag I didn't do that don't hurt me 😭)
2023.06.01 06:31 peachismile Trip Report: First trip to Japan, 8 days Mid-May (Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto)
Hi everyone! Just came back from my first trip to Japan. It has always been my biggest dream to visit Japan since I was a kid and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to go! The trip was actually planned by my boyfriend who booked everything for us in May, which is my birthday month.
Tips:
Make Reservations Months in Advance! We made reservations for cafes, activities, restaurants, and even trains months in advance to make sure we would be able to do everything we wanted; we were not taking any risks and we were so thankful for our reservations. Make sure to do your research about when to make reservations months in advance.
Pack and Travel Light. Japan isn't really suited for traveling with big luggage to haul around. The trains can get incredibly crowded, you’ll probably be walking around and using stairs frequently, and hotel rooms can be very small at times. I recommend bringing a small rolling luggage and a large backpack and only pack what you need. Leave some room in your luggage for souvenirs or snacks to bring back.
Get Yen immediately at the airport or at the nearest convenience store! You will definitely need yen for a good amount of places in Japan. My boyfriend and I tried to load money in our Suica but the machine we used only accepted yen. Luckily we found a nearby conbini that accepted our debit card but we couldn't use our credit cards for some reason because the atm required a pin number. I might have accepted Mastercard but we both didn't have one.
Bringing comfortable shoes is a must in Japan! I brought comfortable shoes and my feet still hurt by the third day because we were walking and standing most of the days. I also recommend buying Lion’s Foot Patch if you find it at a conbini (I think we bought them at Lawsons) as the gel patch felt so good after a long day of walking!
Plan more days to relax. Although I have no regrets doing all the fun things we planned for our trip, I do wish we had more rest days in Japan, especially when our feet were so sore and we were so sleep deprived from waking up early. I wish we would have stayed a full 2 weeks in Japan and planned relaxing things to do in between our activities like visiting an Onsen and staying in a Ryokan.
Get to popular places early! My boyfriend and I would wake up at 5am to get ready and beat the morning rush hour and to get to popular places before the crowds showed up, it definitely worked out well for us.
Use hotel luggage transport or lockers when necessary. The luggage transport was especially useful when traveling long distances and carrying luggage through the trains would just be a hassle. All we had to do was just talk to our hotel clerk and give him the information for our next hotel we would be sending it to, and the clerk did the rest of the work. The luggage would usually arrive 2 days after we sent it. For the rest of the time, we just used lockers at train stations to store our luggage as we went sightseeing.
Trip Report:
Sunday May 14: Arrival and TokyoDisney
Arrival at Narita Airport
Arrival was simple, fast, and easy. For immigration and customs, we just had to scan our QR codes and passport and also take a picture.
Yen situation
As we arrived at Disney by bus, we wanted to use the coin lockers to store our luggage. The lockers only took suica (maybe yen too) so we tried to buy a suica but the machines only took yen (it didn't look like it took foreign cards). We tried walking to 7/11but it was closed so we ended up just walking to our hotel to drop off luggage. We ended up spending more than an hour walking everywhere and only had 2 hours for Disney.)
Tokyo Disney
The only ride we had time for was the beauty and the beast ride and it was amazing! We loved our experience inside the castle and we were amazed how fluid the animatronics were. If I could recommend one ride in Disney it would be this one. We did have time to go on one more ride so we went on the Monsters Inc ride which was just a shooter game and was just okay.
Monday May 15: Tokyo- DisneySea
Before we went to disneysea, we wanted to try some convenience store food so we went to Lawsons and Family Mart. The convenience store food was delicious! The onigiri tastes better than the ones in the US, the chicken in the hot food section was so juicy and delicious! Definitely recommend eating the hot foods and drinks. We tried getting money out of the ATM with our Visa credit cards but it didnt work so we used our debit card because the atm required a pin number.
Tokyo Disneysea
We arrived at Disneysea almost an hour early and we still had to wait in line. After the gates opened, we went straight to Journey to the Center of the Earth, but it broke down before we were able to ride it. The staff did offer us a fast pass to use for the ride later when it would be fixed. When the ride was working again, we headed back, used the fast pass and immediately got on the ride. It was a fun. fast, and short ride. All the rides at disneysea are pretty short and are moderately thrilling. Afterwards, we went to the submarine ride, 20,000 leagues under the sea, which was a unique experience and a very chill ride. Next was the Indiana jones ride; it was fun and a much better ride than the one in california. Then we went to Tower of terror which wasn't too scary. We also went to Soaring which actually has really long lines and wait time but it was a cool experience. The ride with the longest line was probably toy story mania; we decided not to go on the ride because of the long lines and we've been to the one in california. Kings triton castle was the most beautiful area to look at and explore, our favorite part of the area was exploring ariel's trinket room. Lots of rides were closed the day we went so we didnt get to ride on the spirits roller coaster, autopia, and explorers. My favorite food i tried there was the Ukiwa bun.
We also got to eat at Magellan which is one of the more expensive dining options. We didn't make a reservation until that very same day but we luckily able to reserve a spot in the morning. The food was tasty and it was my first time going to a fancier kind of restaurant that offered 3 course meal that were all tiny portions. I got the cheaper option (around $40 or $60, i cant remember) and it was very delicious. My boyfriend got the most expensive option (around $100) and it tasted terrible! I wouldnt recommend getting the most expensive option there.
Tuesday May 16: Tokyo-Harajuku
Harajuku
We took the trains to get to Harajuku and it was a little overwhelming trying to figure out how to find our train the first few times but, after a while, it became a very easy process. We used google maps to find the trains we needed to take. Then at the train stations, we looked for signs with the name of the train line we needed and followed the arrows and asked for directions when we needed extra help. Then we used our suica card to tap into the specific station we needed to be at to find our train. Next we looked for the PLATFORM NUMBER our train would be arriving at and followed the signs for that number. Once at the platform, we confirmed if we were at the right place by making sure the ARRIVAL TIME, PLATFORM NUMBER, and TRAIN LINE on the digital signs matched the one from our google maps. Make sure to follow train etiquette by stepping to the side to let people out of the train and putting your backpack in front of you if the train is really crowded.
At Harajuku station, we put our luggage in coin lockers for the day so we could explore. We went to a conbini, grabbed some food for breakfast and went to Yoyogi park to eat since nothing was open at 7am. After eating, we went to Meiji shrine for a bit, which is also near yoyogi park, and then headed back to harajuku so we wouldn't be late for our mipig reservations.
Mipig cafe was our favorite cafe and one of our favorite experiences in japan! The pigs were so loving and friendly, they came right up to us and laid on our laps after the staff put some blankets on us. They were adorable and as many as 2-3 pigs would come up to us and sit on our laps. Some pigs would even get aggressive with other piggies if you gave one too much attention. Some pigs started chewing on my dress so I had to get another blanket to hide my dress from being eaten.
After Mipig, we wanted to get some food. We tried Marian crepes, candied strawberries, and some small cafes. We visited Anakuma cafe and it was definitely an interesting experience. A bear hand would come out of hole in the wall and give us candy and a coin to put in a gacha machine and it would also play rock paper scissor with us.
Next stop was Hedgehog cafe which i wouldnt recommend only because I learned later that hedgehogs are nocturnal and they were sleeping most of the time we were there. We ended up leaving early because there was not much to do as we felt bad disturbing the little guys.
Afterwards we visited the Kiddyland store and I enjoyed the studio ghibli section but they also had kirby, pokemon, and sanrio merchandise.
Teamlabs
Next we took a train to team labs, we got there early but we had to wait until it was closer to our reservation time before we could line up. After getting inside we had to put our shoes and backpacks in lockers so we could go through the water exhibition first. They offer shorts if you are wearing dresses as some of the exhibitions have mirror floors. I wasnt too into the water exhibition but I did like the lights exhibition and flower exhibition the best. Overall it was a cool experience and I got some amazing photos out of it.
Shibuya sky
Lastly we went to shibuya sky. We also couldn't get inside until our reservation time started. The elevator ride up was pretty cool as they played a video on the ceiling. They have some restaurants and cafes near the top, I wish I came earlier to try them but we were so tired I didnt want to stay too long. The top of shibuya sky was outside and it was cold (i wish i brought a sweater) but it was incredibly beautiful, especially at night. It's a nice place to relax and look at views. This was probably my favorite sky building out of the three i went (shibuya sky, umeda sky, and tokyo skytree).
Wednesday May 17: Nagoya-Ghibli Park
Ghibli park
We left early morning to get on the train and avoid morning rush hour. We ended up taking the Nozomi train to Nagoya. We bought our shinkansen tickets at the JR ticket booth. We recommend reserving seats as its only a couple yen more and gives you peace of mind knowing you get to choose your seats. We also grabbed some ekibens which were delicious, my favorite was the blue one with mt. fuji on it. Next we had to take a bus to ghibli park which was actually very hard to find. We had to ask for help to find it. To pay for the bus, you can use a suica card or yen to pay as you board the bus.
We arrived super early, and put some of our bags in the lockers. We went to lawsons nearby and bought a ghibli park book which features the exhibitions inside. We walked around the park a bit before we were allowed to start lining up for our reservation times. There are also no trash cans at ghibli park so make sure you bring a trash bag with you to take all your trash back with you.
Around 12pm we went inside and went straight to the first exhibition (Becoming characters in Memorable Ghibli scenes) and there was already a line to get in. Once we got in we took pictures with Noface from spirited away, ponyo, princess mononoke scene, and many more movie scenes.
The next exhibition we went to was the food exhibition (Delicious! Animating Memorable Meals). You can't take pictures in that area but it was cool to be able to interact in the kitchen spaces from your favorite movie scenes. Also, in the end of this exhibition, you can take pictures with totoro and the cat bus!
We visited the ghibli store next because I heard the lines can get rather long at the end of the day and I bought some merchandise from there.
Afterwards, we took pictures at the central staircase, the castle in the sky scene, and the scene with Yubaba.
Next, we took the elevator down to the bottom floor and took pictures in the arietty scenes, it was cool feeling so tiny while everything was supersized!
Lastly we went to the bakery to get some sandwiches. Unfortunately, the food does sell out and there were not a lot of choices left by the time we got there. The food we got was okay but nothing special.
Osaka: Ichiran ramen
After Ghibli park we took the train to Osaka. In Osaka, we lined up to get into Ichiran ramen. We ordered our ramen through a vending machine and it gave us our ticket to give to our server. We were seated in these small cubicle areas but we were also able to close the partition in between us so my boyfriend and I could share our table space together. I thought it was a unique dining experience; it was cool not having to say a single word to our server, and the food was also delicious too.
Thursday May 18: Osaka-Universal Studios Japan
Got to USJ an hour before it opened and there were still super long lines! As the gates opened up, we ran to nintendoland to make sure we got in. We went to toadstool cafe to get ticket reservations but they didn't open until 9am so we decided to take the single rider line for the mario kart ride, it was a bad idea. For some reason the single rider line still took us 30 minutes to complete and it felt like it was going slower than the regular lines. The mario kart ride was cool, it used like a VR headset and you were able to shoot shells at others but I really didn't understand what was going on.
Toadstool cafe
We went back to toadstool but all the tickets were gone, I tried talking to one of the workers if they would offer tickets later but I don't think he understood what i was saying. He actually just let me in the line after I asked a few times if they had anymore tickets for the afternoon. After waiting in line and ordering, we grabbed our drinks and table number and sat down at our table. The drinks were delicious! Definitely recommend. We also ordered some kind of mushroom pesto soup and it was bomb! We recommend that too since they don't offer it in the California Universal. We also got peaches cake for like $30 which is supposed to be for 4 people but just the 2 of us ate it. It was light and fluffy and we recommend getting it as they also dont offer it in the California Universal. The staff also came by and offered to take pics of us which was so nice.
Next we bought the limited edition wrist bands and started playing some of the mini games. We played about 3 games before we decided to leave nintendo land and check out the other areas because we also bought a reserved time to get back into nintendoland to use our fastpass for the yoshi ride.
We had a fastpass for the Jurassic park ride so we went on that next. Make sure you are prepared to get wet cause you will get soaked at the end. Then we went to Hogwarts and watched some of the shows they offered and grabbed a meatpie. We didn't stay long here as we have already been to Hogwarts in california. Next we got in line for the mario strawberry shortcake pancake and it was delicious light and fluffy! I think we also had a fastpass ride for jaws and that ride was actually really cooler than I expected . The next fastpass ride was for despicable me ride so we did that one too and it was actually better than the california version. And lastly we went back to nintendoland to use our reservation time and our fastpass for the yoshi ride. It was a cute slow ride but it had nice views of the park. I enjoyed it even though it was a kiddy ride. Lastly, we had the yakisoba shells and melon lassi and both were delicious
By this time our feet were so sore from walking for days so we left early to go rest at our hotel. I ended up being so sore and tired I just knocked out early. My boyfriend bought Lions Foot Patches from Lawson and put them on my feet while i slept. They felt so nice and cool on my feet. I recommed getting those foot patches while you're in japan.
We woke up for a late dinner and got some nearby mcdonalds. I'm not a fan of mcdonalds in the US but i wanted to try japan's mcdonalds to see if its better. I honestly didn't like the Japan Mcdonalds either even though it does taste different, I'm not sure what the hype is about with the japanese mcdonalds. I found that japan's convenience store chicken was much juicer and tasted better than the mcdonalds chicken.
Friday May 19: Kyoto-Fushimi Inari Taisha, Nishiki market, Ninenzaka
Fushimi inari taisha shrine
We got to the shrine early, maybe around 7am,and it was not very crowded but there were still people there. It was raining a bit so luckily i brought my umbrella, unfortunately my boyfriend did not, this would haunt him later. We took a picture of a map to see which way to go to reach the top as there are different routes you can take. It was a gradual climb up but my boyfriend really struggled as his feet still hurt from the days before. The gates were beautiful and there were so many areas to look at and explore as we climbed. Unfortunately my boyfriend was tired and we were in a time crunch so we didn't explore every area but I wish I could have because this was the most beautiful place I had visited in Japan. As we neared the top it started to rain more heavily and my boyfriend ended up getting soaked. The top of the shrine was anticlimactic, but we took our picture and headed back down. On our way we stopped by the little stores and bought an umbrella for my boyfriend which we were thankful they had some. As we went down the steps in the rain, my boyfriend accidentally slipped and fell on his back pretty badly. He ended up with a deep gash on his finger as the blood gushed all over the floor. Luckily I had some tissues to wrap up his finger. We headed back down the mountain and bought some bandaids at a conbini store. We also bought some strawberry daifuku at a small little shop and it was the best daifuku I ate in Japan. The mochi was a great consistency and the strawberry was the juiciest strawberry i ever had. I wish i had bought more from there.
Nishiki market
We went to Nishiki market around 11am and it was super crowded while the path was so small and narrow. We literally had to push through the crowds at times because there were so many people, it was not a fun time for me. I also ended up losing my suica card somewhere around there. I'm also not the biggest fan of seafood but my boyfriend is so he ended up eating most of the food. We ended up not staying long for all those reasons and ended up going to a nearby store that sold all kinds of different food which I liked a lot better because there weren't crowds of people there.
Ninenzaka
Next we walked to Ninenzaka which was like a 30 minute walk. It was still raining so we were just looking for a place to stop and eat for a bit. We went to Kudamono cafe and got the cloud dessert. It was pretty good and fluffy and the dessert looked so pretty. Afterwards, we had room for more dessert so we tried Meccha cafe. We ordered the matcha tiramisu and the parfait. The matcha tiramisu was probably the best dessert i had in Japan, I definitely recommend getting it! We also visited Donguri and bought more totoro merchandise. At this point, my boyfriend was so tired and soaked from the rain we decided to go back to the hotel. We took the bus this time and it was packed! We had to push people just to get out.
Saturday May 20: Kyoto, Nara, Osaka
Kyoto:
Arashiyama bamboo forest
We got to the bamboo forest early at 7am, there were a few people there but not too many like later in the day. I recommend going super early to beat the crowds. The bamboo forest was super short but it was still a cool area to check out and plus there are many things to do around the area. We walked to a nearby park next to a big river and the views were absolutely gorgeous! Kyoto is really breathtaking. After walking a while and checking out the scenery we headed back to the bamboo forest to board the Sagano Romantic Train.
Sagano Romantic Train
We had reserved seats for the Sagano Romantic Train and the views from the train were amazing! Get there early because you might have to do some minor paperwork stuff to print out your ticket if you reserved in advance. The reserved seating we had was in a train with no glass windows so you can just feel the air rushing through your hair as the train moves. Truly it was a memorable and fun experience with a lot of breathtaking nature views. After coming back to our initial departure spot on the train, we left for Monkey Park.
Monkey Park
We rushed over to Monkey park and by this time the streets of kyoto became much crowded as we had to dodge pedestrians left and right. We paid a fee to get into the monkey park and hiked our way up to the park, there were a couple benches to take rest if needed. At the top, you can see monkeys running around and playing with one another. We went inside a little building where you can buy food for the monkeys and feed them through windows covered with a mesh net. We didnt stay long as we had a full schedule planned for the day so we left to go catch a train to Nara but we did eat some amazing street food on the way. I don't know why but the street food in Kyoto was so delicious, the best I had in Japan probably.
Nara:
Nakatanidou
We arrived at Nara from the trains and went straight to Nakatanidou for some mochi and it was packed with people! It was even hard trying to get a space to watch them make the mochis. It was cool to experience the mochi making and to taste the mochi but I probably wouldn't go back there again because of the crowds.
Nara Park
After the mochis, we walked to Nara park and it was amazing! There were so many deers and they were so friendly and polite! This was my favorite part of nara for sure. For a few yen, we bought some crackers and found some deers that would bow everytime they wanted a cracker, it was too cute. The deers were literally everywhere, on the streets and even at temples.
Shrines
There were lots of shrines around the area but we came pretty late so most of them were closing up but the ones we did see were pretty neat to look at. We also ate some udon at a little restaurant next to a small lake, the views of the lake were amazing from inside the restaurant.
Osaka:
After Nara, we came back to Osaka and the streets were so crowded at night. I tried shopping at don quixote but there were just to many people to weave through that I just decide to give up and try a 10 yen cheese bread near the store. The line was kind of long but I decided to try it out, it was actually really big, not that good, and made my stomach hurt. I would not be getting that again haha
Matsusakagyu Yakiniku Restaurant
My boyfriend had reserved this place for Thursday but we were so tired that day that we decided to cancel our reservation. We decided to try to go in person on this day to see if we could get in. We were lucky that they had a spot available and we ordered a platter of A5 wagyu beef for more than $100 US dollar. Im not really a meat person but the beef was very tender and delicious and the service was very good. They took pictures of me and my boyfriend and gave me free ice cream for my birthday.
Sunday May 21: Tokyo-Joypolis, Akihabara, skytree
Joypolis
The next morning we took the Nozumi back to Tokyo and headed straight to joypolis. We got tickets that allowed us to go on pretty much any ride there. Joypolis was small but had some interesting and unique rides and attractions. My favorite was the rhythm rollercoaster where you play rhythm games on a small roller coaster. We also played a VR Laser tag which was actually pretty fun even though I dont really play VR. There was an Attack on Titan walkthrough attraction that was completely in Japanese so I didnt understand any of it but it had some very cool props inside. The other interesting attraction was a scary house, where you have to get into these lockers and a girl comes and bangs on them and then the lockers flip you back horizontally. It wasnt that scary but it was pretty unique.
Akihabara
Next we went to Akihabara just to check out but we were actually super tired so we didnt stay long. We went to a couple stores but to be honest it was actually kind of boring as I am no longer as into anime as I was when I was a kid so we ended leaving akihabara fairly quickly.
Tokyo Skytree
Instead of going to akihabara I kind of wish I just went to the tokyo skytree shopping area because there was so much cool things to do there! They have a pokemon center, a kirby cafe, studio ghibli shop, and so many stores to shop or restaurants to eat at! We also went to the top of skytree but it honestly wasnt worth the money as the very top didnt have that much stuff and we just had to wait in these super long lines to get both up and down the skytree. After the skytree, we found a yakitori spot and ate some beef skewers which were delicious. We wished we went restaurant hopping more as there were just so many places to eat in this area.
Monday May 22: Ueno Park and Departure
Ueno park
Before we left to the airport, we visited Ueno park which was only a few blocks away from our hotel. It had a beautiful lake which was covered with some sort of lily pads. The park was pretty big and it was nice just walking around the area.
Life Mart
We decided to stop at Life Mart to get some food before we left to the airport. The Meat was so delicious and was so cheap, and it had different options from conbinis. We took train back to Narita Airport, this train I think you have to reserve in advance.
Narita airport
Going back through immigrations and customs and tsa was super easy and fast. We recommended getting lunch or snack early because there were pretty long lines as our departure time approached.
We also bought Tokyo Banana for souvenir snacks to bring back to our families, its very delicious!
For pictures of my trip you can take a look at my Instagram: martha_o93
https://www.instagram.com/martha_o93/
In the end, visiting Japan was better than I could ever imagine and I just cant wait to go back! Please let me know what your favorite parts of Japan are and what other areas in Japan I must check out!
submitted by peachismile to JapanTravel [link] [comments]
Tips:
Make Reservations Months in Advance! We made reservations for cafes, activities, restaurants, and even trains months in advance to make sure we would be able to do everything we wanted; we were not taking any risks and we were so thankful for our reservations. Make sure to do your research about when to make reservations months in advance.
Pack and Travel Light. Japan isn't really suited for traveling with big luggage to haul around. The trains can get incredibly crowded, you’ll probably be walking around and using stairs frequently, and hotel rooms can be very small at times. I recommend bringing a small rolling luggage and a large backpack and only pack what you need. Leave some room in your luggage for souvenirs or snacks to bring back.
Get Yen immediately at the airport or at the nearest convenience store! You will definitely need yen for a good amount of places in Japan. My boyfriend and I tried to load money in our Suica but the machine we used only accepted yen. Luckily we found a nearby conbini that accepted our debit card but we couldn't use our credit cards for some reason because the atm required a pin number. I might have accepted Mastercard but we both didn't have one.
Bringing comfortable shoes is a must in Japan! I brought comfortable shoes and my feet still hurt by the third day because we were walking and standing most of the days. I also recommend buying Lion’s Foot Patch if you find it at a conbini (I think we bought them at Lawsons) as the gel patch felt so good after a long day of walking!
Plan more days to relax. Although I have no regrets doing all the fun things we planned for our trip, I do wish we had more rest days in Japan, especially when our feet were so sore and we were so sleep deprived from waking up early. I wish we would have stayed a full 2 weeks in Japan and planned relaxing things to do in between our activities like visiting an Onsen and staying in a Ryokan.
Get to popular places early! My boyfriend and I would wake up at 5am to get ready and beat the morning rush hour and to get to popular places before the crowds showed up, it definitely worked out well for us.
Use hotel luggage transport or lockers when necessary. The luggage transport was especially useful when traveling long distances and carrying luggage through the trains would just be a hassle. All we had to do was just talk to our hotel clerk and give him the information for our next hotel we would be sending it to, and the clerk did the rest of the work. The luggage would usually arrive 2 days after we sent it. For the rest of the time, we just used lockers at train stations to store our luggage as we went sightseeing.
Trip Report:
Sunday May 14: Arrival and TokyoDisney
Arrival at Narita Airport
Arrival was simple, fast, and easy. For immigration and customs, we just had to scan our QR codes and passport and also take a picture.
Yen situation
As we arrived at Disney by bus, we wanted to use the coin lockers to store our luggage. The lockers only took suica (maybe yen too) so we tried to buy a suica but the machines only took yen (it didn't look like it took foreign cards). We tried walking to 7/11but it was closed so we ended up just walking to our hotel to drop off luggage. We ended up spending more than an hour walking everywhere and only had 2 hours for Disney.)
Tokyo Disney
The only ride we had time for was the beauty and the beast ride and it was amazing! We loved our experience inside the castle and we were amazed how fluid the animatronics were. If I could recommend one ride in Disney it would be this one. We did have time to go on one more ride so we went on the Monsters Inc ride which was just a shooter game and was just okay.
Monday May 15: Tokyo- DisneySea
Before we went to disneysea, we wanted to try some convenience store food so we went to Lawsons and Family Mart. The convenience store food was delicious! The onigiri tastes better than the ones in the US, the chicken in the hot food section was so juicy and delicious! Definitely recommend eating the hot foods and drinks. We tried getting money out of the ATM with our Visa credit cards but it didnt work so we used our debit card because the atm required a pin number.
Tokyo Disneysea
We arrived at Disneysea almost an hour early and we still had to wait in line. After the gates opened, we went straight to Journey to the Center of the Earth, but it broke down before we were able to ride it. The staff did offer us a fast pass to use for the ride later when it would be fixed. When the ride was working again, we headed back, used the fast pass and immediately got on the ride. It was a fun. fast, and short ride. All the rides at disneysea are pretty short and are moderately thrilling. Afterwards, we went to the submarine ride, 20,000 leagues under the sea, which was a unique experience and a very chill ride. Next was the Indiana jones ride; it was fun and a much better ride than the one in california. Then we went to Tower of terror which wasn't too scary. We also went to Soaring which actually has really long lines and wait time but it was a cool experience. The ride with the longest line was probably toy story mania; we decided not to go on the ride because of the long lines and we've been to the one in california. Kings triton castle was the most beautiful area to look at and explore, our favorite part of the area was exploring ariel's trinket room. Lots of rides were closed the day we went so we didnt get to ride on the spirits roller coaster, autopia, and explorers. My favorite food i tried there was the Ukiwa bun.
We also got to eat at Magellan which is one of the more expensive dining options. We didn't make a reservation until that very same day but we luckily able to reserve a spot in the morning. The food was tasty and it was my first time going to a fancier kind of restaurant that offered 3 course meal that were all tiny portions. I got the cheaper option (around $40 or $60, i cant remember) and it was very delicious. My boyfriend got the most expensive option (around $100) and it tasted terrible! I wouldnt recommend getting the most expensive option there.
Tuesday May 16: Tokyo-Harajuku
Harajuku
We took the trains to get to Harajuku and it was a little overwhelming trying to figure out how to find our train the first few times but, after a while, it became a very easy process. We used google maps to find the trains we needed to take. Then at the train stations, we looked for signs with the name of the train line we needed and followed the arrows and asked for directions when we needed extra help. Then we used our suica card to tap into the specific station we needed to be at to find our train. Next we looked for the PLATFORM NUMBER our train would be arriving at and followed the signs for that number. Once at the platform, we confirmed if we were at the right place by making sure the ARRIVAL TIME, PLATFORM NUMBER, and TRAIN LINE on the digital signs matched the one from our google maps. Make sure to follow train etiquette by stepping to the side to let people out of the train and putting your backpack in front of you if the train is really crowded.
At Harajuku station, we put our luggage in coin lockers for the day so we could explore. We went to a conbini, grabbed some food for breakfast and went to Yoyogi park to eat since nothing was open at 7am. After eating, we went to Meiji shrine for a bit, which is also near yoyogi park, and then headed back to harajuku so we wouldn't be late for our mipig reservations.
Mipig cafe was our favorite cafe and one of our favorite experiences in japan! The pigs were so loving and friendly, they came right up to us and laid on our laps after the staff put some blankets on us. They were adorable and as many as 2-3 pigs would come up to us and sit on our laps. Some pigs would even get aggressive with other piggies if you gave one too much attention. Some pigs started chewing on my dress so I had to get another blanket to hide my dress from being eaten.
After Mipig, we wanted to get some food. We tried Marian crepes, candied strawberries, and some small cafes. We visited Anakuma cafe and it was definitely an interesting experience. A bear hand would come out of hole in the wall and give us candy and a coin to put in a gacha machine and it would also play rock paper scissor with us.
Next stop was Hedgehog cafe which i wouldnt recommend only because I learned later that hedgehogs are nocturnal and they were sleeping most of the time we were there. We ended up leaving early because there was not much to do as we felt bad disturbing the little guys.
Afterwards we visited the Kiddyland store and I enjoyed the studio ghibli section but they also had kirby, pokemon, and sanrio merchandise.
Teamlabs
Next we took a train to team labs, we got there early but we had to wait until it was closer to our reservation time before we could line up. After getting inside we had to put our shoes and backpacks in lockers so we could go through the water exhibition first. They offer shorts if you are wearing dresses as some of the exhibitions have mirror floors. I wasnt too into the water exhibition but I did like the lights exhibition and flower exhibition the best. Overall it was a cool experience and I got some amazing photos out of it.
Shibuya sky
Lastly we went to shibuya sky. We also couldn't get inside until our reservation time started. The elevator ride up was pretty cool as they played a video on the ceiling. They have some restaurants and cafes near the top, I wish I came earlier to try them but we were so tired I didnt want to stay too long. The top of shibuya sky was outside and it was cold (i wish i brought a sweater) but it was incredibly beautiful, especially at night. It's a nice place to relax and look at views. This was probably my favorite sky building out of the three i went (shibuya sky, umeda sky, and tokyo skytree).
Wednesday May 17: Nagoya-Ghibli Park
Ghibli park
We left early morning to get on the train and avoid morning rush hour. We ended up taking the Nozomi train to Nagoya. We bought our shinkansen tickets at the JR ticket booth. We recommend reserving seats as its only a couple yen more and gives you peace of mind knowing you get to choose your seats. We also grabbed some ekibens which were delicious, my favorite was the blue one with mt. fuji on it. Next we had to take a bus to ghibli park which was actually very hard to find. We had to ask for help to find it. To pay for the bus, you can use a suica card or yen to pay as you board the bus.
We arrived super early, and put some of our bags in the lockers. We went to lawsons nearby and bought a ghibli park book which features the exhibitions inside. We walked around the park a bit before we were allowed to start lining up for our reservation times. There are also no trash cans at ghibli park so make sure you bring a trash bag with you to take all your trash back with you.
Around 12pm we went inside and went straight to the first exhibition (Becoming characters in Memorable Ghibli scenes) and there was already a line to get in. Once we got in we took pictures with Noface from spirited away, ponyo, princess mononoke scene, and many more movie scenes.
The next exhibition we went to was the food exhibition (Delicious! Animating Memorable Meals). You can't take pictures in that area but it was cool to be able to interact in the kitchen spaces from your favorite movie scenes. Also, in the end of this exhibition, you can take pictures with totoro and the cat bus!
We visited the ghibli store next because I heard the lines can get rather long at the end of the day and I bought some merchandise from there.
Afterwards, we took pictures at the central staircase, the castle in the sky scene, and the scene with Yubaba.
Next, we took the elevator down to the bottom floor and took pictures in the arietty scenes, it was cool feeling so tiny while everything was supersized!
Lastly we went to the bakery to get some sandwiches. Unfortunately, the food does sell out and there were not a lot of choices left by the time we got there. The food we got was okay but nothing special.
Osaka: Ichiran ramen
After Ghibli park we took the train to Osaka. In Osaka, we lined up to get into Ichiran ramen. We ordered our ramen through a vending machine and it gave us our ticket to give to our server. We were seated in these small cubicle areas but we were also able to close the partition in between us so my boyfriend and I could share our table space together. I thought it was a unique dining experience; it was cool not having to say a single word to our server, and the food was also delicious too.
Thursday May 18: Osaka-Universal Studios Japan
Got to USJ an hour before it opened and there were still super long lines! As the gates opened up, we ran to nintendoland to make sure we got in. We went to toadstool cafe to get ticket reservations but they didn't open until 9am so we decided to take the single rider line for the mario kart ride, it was a bad idea. For some reason the single rider line still took us 30 minutes to complete and it felt like it was going slower than the regular lines. The mario kart ride was cool, it used like a VR headset and you were able to shoot shells at others but I really didn't understand what was going on.
Toadstool cafe
We went back to toadstool but all the tickets were gone, I tried talking to one of the workers if they would offer tickets later but I don't think he understood what i was saying. He actually just let me in the line after I asked a few times if they had anymore tickets for the afternoon. After waiting in line and ordering, we grabbed our drinks and table number and sat down at our table. The drinks were delicious! Definitely recommend. We also ordered some kind of mushroom pesto soup and it was bomb! We recommend that too since they don't offer it in the California Universal. We also got peaches cake for like $30 which is supposed to be for 4 people but just the 2 of us ate it. It was light and fluffy and we recommend getting it as they also dont offer it in the California Universal. The staff also came by and offered to take pics of us which was so nice.
Next we bought the limited edition wrist bands and started playing some of the mini games. We played about 3 games before we decided to leave nintendo land and check out the other areas because we also bought a reserved time to get back into nintendoland to use our fastpass for the yoshi ride.
We had a fastpass for the Jurassic park ride so we went on that next. Make sure you are prepared to get wet cause you will get soaked at the end. Then we went to Hogwarts and watched some of the shows they offered and grabbed a meatpie. We didn't stay long here as we have already been to Hogwarts in california. Next we got in line for the mario strawberry shortcake pancake and it was delicious light and fluffy! I think we also had a fastpass ride for jaws and that ride was actually really cooler than I expected . The next fastpass ride was for despicable me ride so we did that one too and it was actually better than the california version. And lastly we went back to nintendoland to use our reservation time and our fastpass for the yoshi ride. It was a cute slow ride but it had nice views of the park. I enjoyed it even though it was a kiddy ride. Lastly, we had the yakisoba shells and melon lassi and both were delicious
By this time our feet were so sore from walking for days so we left early to go rest at our hotel. I ended up being so sore and tired I just knocked out early. My boyfriend bought Lions Foot Patches from Lawson and put them on my feet while i slept. They felt so nice and cool on my feet. I recommed getting those foot patches while you're in japan.
We woke up for a late dinner and got some nearby mcdonalds. I'm not a fan of mcdonalds in the US but i wanted to try japan's mcdonalds to see if its better. I honestly didn't like the Japan Mcdonalds either even though it does taste different, I'm not sure what the hype is about with the japanese mcdonalds. I found that japan's convenience store chicken was much juicer and tasted better than the mcdonalds chicken.
Friday May 19: Kyoto-Fushimi Inari Taisha, Nishiki market, Ninenzaka
Fushimi inari taisha shrine
We got to the shrine early, maybe around 7am,and it was not very crowded but there were still people there. It was raining a bit so luckily i brought my umbrella, unfortunately my boyfriend did not, this would haunt him later. We took a picture of a map to see which way to go to reach the top as there are different routes you can take. It was a gradual climb up but my boyfriend really struggled as his feet still hurt from the days before. The gates were beautiful and there were so many areas to look at and explore as we climbed. Unfortunately my boyfriend was tired and we were in a time crunch so we didn't explore every area but I wish I could have because this was the most beautiful place I had visited in Japan. As we neared the top it started to rain more heavily and my boyfriend ended up getting soaked. The top of the shrine was anticlimactic, but we took our picture and headed back down. On our way we stopped by the little stores and bought an umbrella for my boyfriend which we were thankful they had some. As we went down the steps in the rain, my boyfriend accidentally slipped and fell on his back pretty badly. He ended up with a deep gash on his finger as the blood gushed all over the floor. Luckily I had some tissues to wrap up his finger. We headed back down the mountain and bought some bandaids at a conbini store. We also bought some strawberry daifuku at a small little shop and it was the best daifuku I ate in Japan. The mochi was a great consistency and the strawberry was the juiciest strawberry i ever had. I wish i had bought more from there.
Nishiki market
We went to Nishiki market around 11am and it was super crowded while the path was so small and narrow. We literally had to push through the crowds at times because there were so many people, it was not a fun time for me. I also ended up losing my suica card somewhere around there. I'm also not the biggest fan of seafood but my boyfriend is so he ended up eating most of the food. We ended up not staying long for all those reasons and ended up going to a nearby store that sold all kinds of different food which I liked a lot better because there weren't crowds of people there.
Ninenzaka
Next we walked to Ninenzaka which was like a 30 minute walk. It was still raining so we were just looking for a place to stop and eat for a bit. We went to Kudamono cafe and got the cloud dessert. It was pretty good and fluffy and the dessert looked so pretty. Afterwards, we had room for more dessert so we tried Meccha cafe. We ordered the matcha tiramisu and the parfait. The matcha tiramisu was probably the best dessert i had in Japan, I definitely recommend getting it! We also visited Donguri and bought more totoro merchandise. At this point, my boyfriend was so tired and soaked from the rain we decided to go back to the hotel. We took the bus this time and it was packed! We had to push people just to get out.
Saturday May 20: Kyoto, Nara, Osaka
Kyoto:
Arashiyama bamboo forest
We got to the bamboo forest early at 7am, there were a few people there but not too many like later in the day. I recommend going super early to beat the crowds. The bamboo forest was super short but it was still a cool area to check out and plus there are many things to do around the area. We walked to a nearby park next to a big river and the views were absolutely gorgeous! Kyoto is really breathtaking. After walking a while and checking out the scenery we headed back to the bamboo forest to board the Sagano Romantic Train.
Sagano Romantic Train
We had reserved seats for the Sagano Romantic Train and the views from the train were amazing! Get there early because you might have to do some minor paperwork stuff to print out your ticket if you reserved in advance. The reserved seating we had was in a train with no glass windows so you can just feel the air rushing through your hair as the train moves. Truly it was a memorable and fun experience with a lot of breathtaking nature views. After coming back to our initial departure spot on the train, we left for Monkey Park.
Monkey Park
We rushed over to Monkey park and by this time the streets of kyoto became much crowded as we had to dodge pedestrians left and right. We paid a fee to get into the monkey park and hiked our way up to the park, there were a couple benches to take rest if needed. At the top, you can see monkeys running around and playing with one another. We went inside a little building where you can buy food for the monkeys and feed them through windows covered with a mesh net. We didnt stay long as we had a full schedule planned for the day so we left to go catch a train to Nara but we did eat some amazing street food on the way. I don't know why but the street food in Kyoto was so delicious, the best I had in Japan probably.
Nara:
Nakatanidou
We arrived at Nara from the trains and went straight to Nakatanidou for some mochi and it was packed with people! It was even hard trying to get a space to watch them make the mochis. It was cool to experience the mochi making and to taste the mochi but I probably wouldn't go back there again because of the crowds.
Nara Park
After the mochis, we walked to Nara park and it was amazing! There were so many deers and they were so friendly and polite! This was my favorite part of nara for sure. For a few yen, we bought some crackers and found some deers that would bow everytime they wanted a cracker, it was too cute. The deers were literally everywhere, on the streets and even at temples.
Shrines
There were lots of shrines around the area but we came pretty late so most of them were closing up but the ones we did see were pretty neat to look at. We also ate some udon at a little restaurant next to a small lake, the views of the lake were amazing from inside the restaurant.
Osaka:
After Nara, we came back to Osaka and the streets were so crowded at night. I tried shopping at don quixote but there were just to many people to weave through that I just decide to give up and try a 10 yen cheese bread near the store. The line was kind of long but I decided to try it out, it was actually really big, not that good, and made my stomach hurt. I would not be getting that again haha
Matsusakagyu Yakiniku Restaurant
My boyfriend had reserved this place for Thursday but we were so tired that day that we decided to cancel our reservation. We decided to try to go in person on this day to see if we could get in. We were lucky that they had a spot available and we ordered a platter of A5 wagyu beef for more than $100 US dollar. Im not really a meat person but the beef was very tender and delicious and the service was very good. They took pictures of me and my boyfriend and gave me free ice cream for my birthday.
Sunday May 21: Tokyo-Joypolis, Akihabara, skytree
Joypolis
The next morning we took the Nozumi back to Tokyo and headed straight to joypolis. We got tickets that allowed us to go on pretty much any ride there. Joypolis was small but had some interesting and unique rides and attractions. My favorite was the rhythm rollercoaster where you play rhythm games on a small roller coaster. We also played a VR Laser tag which was actually pretty fun even though I dont really play VR. There was an Attack on Titan walkthrough attraction that was completely in Japanese so I didnt understand any of it but it had some very cool props inside. The other interesting attraction was a scary house, where you have to get into these lockers and a girl comes and bangs on them and then the lockers flip you back horizontally. It wasnt that scary but it was pretty unique.
Akihabara
Next we went to Akihabara just to check out but we were actually super tired so we didnt stay long. We went to a couple stores but to be honest it was actually kind of boring as I am no longer as into anime as I was when I was a kid so we ended leaving akihabara fairly quickly.
Tokyo Skytree
Instead of going to akihabara I kind of wish I just went to the tokyo skytree shopping area because there was so much cool things to do there! They have a pokemon center, a kirby cafe, studio ghibli shop, and so many stores to shop or restaurants to eat at! We also went to the top of skytree but it honestly wasnt worth the money as the very top didnt have that much stuff and we just had to wait in these super long lines to get both up and down the skytree. After the skytree, we found a yakitori spot and ate some beef skewers which were delicious. We wished we went restaurant hopping more as there were just so many places to eat in this area.
Monday May 22: Ueno Park and Departure
Ueno park
Before we left to the airport, we visited Ueno park which was only a few blocks away from our hotel. It had a beautiful lake which was covered with some sort of lily pads. The park was pretty big and it was nice just walking around the area.
Life Mart
We decided to stop at Life Mart to get some food before we left to the airport. The Meat was so delicious and was so cheap, and it had different options from conbinis. We took train back to Narita Airport, this train I think you have to reserve in advance.
Narita airport
Going back through immigrations and customs and tsa was super easy and fast. We recommended getting lunch or snack early because there were pretty long lines as our departure time approached.
We also bought Tokyo Banana for souvenir snacks to bring back to our families, its very delicious!
For pictures of my trip you can take a look at my Instagram: martha_o93
https://www.instagram.com/martha_o93/
In the end, visiting Japan was better than I could ever imagine and I just cant wait to go back! Please let me know what your favorite parts of Japan are and what other areas in Japan I must check out!
2023.06.01 06:29 JPPT1974 Mighty Max Norman Getting a Commercial Chapter 1:
Max and Norman both had such a great time over in the NFL season finale. As they were walking and that both had a great time. Like big brother to little brother.
Tickets they got from Christmas as Maurine and Virgil were in Japan, the latter being for once a tourist. As that they would come home a week before.
"Hey Normie glad you enjoyed that game. As I did too." Max eating cotton candy with his bodyguard/guardian and big brother.
"It was fun Mighty One. Watched a game when I was given a day off for once in MN and that is where I got my liking over in the Vikings." Norman walking with Max .
"Glad that they won by a point. As really the portal helped us to get to the game really fast and come on home. Well my cap is now going to SF from LA so better hit the portals and glad you left your sword home at once as you have to now go through the security gates. It is for everybody's protection, not that you need it but better to play it safe than sorry." Max said as despite a reluctant Norman having to leave his sword at home but it was again better to play it safe than sorry.
Meanwhile with the portal opening up on a tree and the two back home in SF. When they were walking to their home, they would get to call or Face Time both Maurine and Virgil in Japan.
But before they reached the home, they were spotted by someone...
"Hey you? Big guy!!" Said that someone
Norman pointing to him and the person said "Yes you?! Come here for a second.!"
Max and Norman came as it was a guy setting in the car with another guy.
"Can I help you gentlemen?!" Max asked.
"Yeah actually you big guy Norman right?!" the man says.
"Eh, yes that is my name!?" added Norman not knowing what they wanted.
submitted by JPPT1974 to MightyMax [link] [comments]
Tickets they got from Christmas as Maurine and Virgil were in Japan, the latter being for once a tourist. As that they would come home a week before.
"Hey Normie glad you enjoyed that game. As I did too." Max eating cotton candy with his bodyguard/guardian and big brother.
"It was fun Mighty One. Watched a game when I was given a day off for once in MN and that is where I got my liking over in the Vikings." Norman walking with Max .
"Glad that they won by a point. As really the portal helped us to get to the game really fast and come on home. Well my cap is now going to SF from LA so better hit the portals and glad you left your sword home at once as you have to now go through the security gates. It is for everybody's protection, not that you need it but better to play it safe than sorry." Max said as despite a reluctant Norman having to leave his sword at home but it was again better to play it safe than sorry.
Meanwhile with the portal opening up on a tree and the two back home in SF. When they were walking to their home, they would get to call or Face Time both Maurine and Virgil in Japan.
But before they reached the home, they were spotted by someone...
"Hey you? Big guy!!" Said that someone
Norman pointing to him and the person said "Yes you?! Come here for a second.!"
Max and Norman came as it was a guy setting in the car with another guy.
"Can I help you gentlemen?!" Max asked.
"Yeah actually you big guy Norman right?!" the man says.
"Eh, yes that is my name!?" added Norman not knowing what they wanted.
2023.06.01 05:17 PotatoeFaceDragonnn Looking for...
Celebration Bow Tie
Party Beads
Runaway Damsel Candelabra
Mermaid Shelbi
The Colorful Reef Guardian
The Deep Sea of Sirens
Horse Carriage
The Dragon's Fire Opal
Phoenix Embrace
Persephone's Garden
Snow Pops
Ice Phoenix
Snowy Stalactites
Coldest Winter
Ice Empress
Starlight Wish
Blessed Guardian Angel
Darkness Slayer
Spirit of Crystal Ball
Toxicities Within
Goddess Aphrodite
Fashioned Gold
Wild Child
Delicate Crimson
Metallic Waves
Sun Shimmer
Tropical Butterfish
Golden Eye
Bloodmoon
Mini Love Guardian
Mini Electric Guardian
Mini Water Guardian
Mars Fire Guardian
Mercury Water Guardian
Strawberry Cherry Cupcakes
Rainbow Unicorn
LARGE Pink Unicorn
LARGE Cotton Candy Unicorn
Mini Roses are Red Valentines
Ragged Prince
Heart Choco Donuts
Social Love Butterfly
Love Fairy
Valentines Cake Wings
Sparkling Valentine
Choco Truffle Love
Teddy 4 My Valentine Cookies
Falling into Fate
Love Dragon
Song of the Lovebird
Heavenly Love
Roses are Red Valentines
Flame of Love
14 Karat Gold Infinity Chain
Treasure Hunter
Legend of the Harp Fairy
Irish Forest Fairy
Bad Luck Wings
Magical Field of Clovers
Rainbow Shamrock Butterfly Wings
Sweet Marshmallow Charms
Fly Through a Rainbow
Shooting Stars
I Wish for a Unicorn
Golden Guardian of Rainbows
Wish of Good Luck
Gold Keeper
Autumn Fairy
Scarf Wings
Fall Fairy
Gobble Gobble Wings
Harvest Fairy
Gooey S'mores
Pumpkin Spice Sparkluccino
Warm JamJamnamon Roll Wings
Cozy Flannel Bow Wings
Medium Hot Cocoa
Figure Skater
Large Antler Lights
Large Enchanting Christmas
Frozen Angel
Lizzy's Seashells
Grand Duke Epaulette & Sash
Translucent Heart Sunglasses
Crazy in Love Glasses
Divine Diamond Heart Ring & Bracelet
Magical Hair Ribbon
Aphrodite's Shoulder Bag
Divine Diamonds Heart Earrings
Mend My Heart Stitched Teddy
Powder Heart Backpack
OA Sleeves
OA Bodice
Fluttery Frozen Fan
submitted by PotatoeFaceDragonnn to RoyaleHighTrading [link] [comments]
Party Beads
Runaway Damsel Candelabra
Mermaid Shelbi
The Colorful Reef Guardian
The Deep Sea of Sirens
Horse Carriage
The Dragon's Fire Opal
Phoenix Embrace
Persephone's Garden
Snow Pops
Ice Phoenix
Snowy Stalactites
Coldest Winter
Ice Empress
Starlight Wish
Blessed Guardian Angel
Darkness Slayer
Spirit of Crystal Ball
Toxicities Within
Goddess Aphrodite
Fashioned Gold
Wild Child
Delicate Crimson
Metallic Waves
Sun Shimmer
Tropical Butterfish
Golden Eye
Bloodmoon
Mini Love Guardian
Mini Electric Guardian
Mini Water Guardian
Mars Fire Guardian
Mercury Water Guardian
Strawberry Cherry Cupcakes
Rainbow Unicorn
LARGE Pink Unicorn
LARGE Cotton Candy Unicorn
Mini Roses are Red Valentines
Ragged Prince
Heart Choco Donuts
Social Love Butterfly
Love Fairy
Valentines Cake Wings
Sparkling Valentine
Choco Truffle Love
Teddy 4 My Valentine Cookies
Falling into Fate
Love Dragon
Song of the Lovebird
Heavenly Love
Roses are Red Valentines
Flame of Love
14 Karat Gold Infinity Chain
Treasure Hunter
Legend of the Harp Fairy
Irish Forest Fairy
Bad Luck Wings
Magical Field of Clovers
Rainbow Shamrock Butterfly Wings
Sweet Marshmallow Charms
Fly Through a Rainbow
Shooting Stars
I Wish for a Unicorn
Golden Guardian of Rainbows
Wish of Good Luck
Gold Keeper
Autumn Fairy
Scarf Wings
Fall Fairy
Gobble Gobble Wings
Harvest Fairy
Gooey S'mores
Pumpkin Spice Sparkluccino
Warm JamJamnamon Roll Wings
Cozy Flannel Bow Wings
Medium Hot Cocoa
Figure Skater
Large Antler Lights
Large Enchanting Christmas
Frozen Angel
Lizzy's Seashells
Grand Duke Epaulette & Sash
Translucent Heart Sunglasses
Crazy in Love Glasses
Divine Diamond Heart Ring & Bracelet
Magical Hair Ribbon
Aphrodite's Shoulder Bag
Divine Diamonds Heart Earrings
Mend My Heart Stitched Teddy
Powder Heart Backpack
OA Sleeves
OA Bodice
Fluttery Frozen Fan
2023.06.01 05:16 Cyddakeed All the while both 1st and 2nd shift only had to pull OTC bays (If over night is told they need to manage their time better why can't the same be said to those two shifts)
 | submitted by Cyddakeed to WalgreensStores [link] [comments] |
2023.06.01 04:50 MyNameIsMattYeah Do most things annoy or irritate you?
Including, but not limited to:
Most other people, cotton, money, oxygen, planets, solar system, the universe, the human body, keys, necklaces, napkins, Kleenex, plates, tv screens, cable tv, sports, the super bowl, smiling, laughing, crying, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feet, cars, roads, trees, dirt, air, the sky, clouds, math, algebra, calculus, addition, subtraction, chairs, tables, beds, grass, water, coughing, walking, biking, running, kindness, rudeness, frisbee, football, swimming, swimming pools, food places, coffee places, dancing, yoga, meditation, work, medical doctors, medical school, high school, middle school, elementary school, colleges, puberty, glasses, contacts, Lasik eye surgery, old people, retirement homes, hospitals, eye clinics, dental clinics, rain, humidity, Mediterranean weather, airplanes, airports, light, lightbulb, flashlights, notebooks, pens, pencils, calculators, shoes, boots, sandals, Disney World, cartoons, amusement parks, roller coasters, water slides, sleeping, dreams, hair, beards, clothes, shopping malls, streets, roads, highways, houses, apartments, chatting, social settings, learning, reading, drawing, bathrooms, toilets, sinks, soap, showers, bathtubs, washers, dryers, cabinets, closets, towels, wallets, jackets, parking spaces, candy, food, soda, milk, juice, wine, beer, vegetables, fruits, bread, cheese, YouTube, Reddit, people disliking videos on YouTube, people liking videos on YouTube, people downvoting posts and comments on Reddit, people upvoting posts and comments on Reddit, nostrils, jumping, bouncing, jumping-jacks, music, movies, singing, talking, chewing gum, throat clearing, slapping, biology, bacteria, maple syrup, pancakes, waffles, bacon, being respectful, following rules, being kind, being honest, lying, cheating, having conversations, breathing, sneezing, sleepwalking, school bullies, hitting, smoking, vaping, chewing tobacco, California, Florida, Texas, New York, New York City, Manhattan, Brooklyn, American Idol, choir, vacuuming, sweeping, skipping, breakdancing, beaches, palm trees, hot weather, cold weather, snow, tailgating, cheerleading, thunderstorms, Pi, teachers, camping, etc.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
View Poll
submitted by MyNameIsMattYeah to polls [link] [comments]
Most other people, cotton, money, oxygen, planets, solar system, the universe, the human body, keys, necklaces, napkins, Kleenex, plates, tv screens, cable tv, sports, the super bowl, smiling, laughing, crying, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feet, cars, roads, trees, dirt, air, the sky, clouds, math, algebra, calculus, addition, subtraction, chairs, tables, beds, grass, water, coughing, walking, biking, running, kindness, rudeness, frisbee, football, swimming, swimming pools, food places, coffee places, dancing, yoga, meditation, work, medical doctors, medical school, high school, middle school, elementary school, colleges, puberty, glasses, contacts, Lasik eye surgery, old people, retirement homes, hospitals, eye clinics, dental clinics, rain, humidity, Mediterranean weather, airplanes, airports, light, lightbulb, flashlights, notebooks, pens, pencils, calculators, shoes, boots, sandals, Disney World, cartoons, amusement parks, roller coasters, water slides, sleeping, dreams, hair, beards, clothes, shopping malls, streets, roads, highways, houses, apartments, chatting, social settings, learning, reading, drawing, bathrooms, toilets, sinks, soap, showers, bathtubs, washers, dryers, cabinets, closets, towels, wallets, jackets, parking spaces, candy, food, soda, milk, juice, wine, beer, vegetables, fruits, bread, cheese, YouTube, Reddit, people disliking videos on YouTube, people liking videos on YouTube, people downvoting posts and comments on Reddit, people upvoting posts and comments on Reddit, nostrils, jumping, bouncing, jumping-jacks, music, movies, singing, talking, chewing gum, throat clearing, slapping, biology, bacteria, maple syrup, pancakes, waffles, bacon, being respectful, following rules, being kind, being honest, lying, cheating, having conversations, breathing, sneezing, sleepwalking, school bullies, hitting, smoking, vaping, chewing tobacco, California, Florida, Texas, New York, New York City, Manhattan, Brooklyn, American Idol, choir, vacuuming, sweeping, skipping, breakdancing, beaches, palm trees, hot weather, cold weather, snow, tailgating, cheerleading, thunderstorms, Pi, teachers, camping, etc.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
View Poll
2023.06.01 03:52 Former_Size_5377 Good for You Wally's Barber Shop
Wally's is a great place for a good haircut and nice surroundings. They have snacks, cookies, candy. I had not been in a while and now they also have Cup o' Soups and Ramen noodles on the waiting area coffee table. Homeless folks stop by, get a couple of soups, a cup of coffee and a kind word. Sometimes a haircut.
submitted by Former_Size_5377 to Bellingham [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 03:15 __Ero My dad doesn’t think my panic attacks are real.
I (F15) have anxiety and depression. I got my diagnosis about a year ago, after finally getting access to a psychiatrist.
To give you some background, my parents moved with me and my brother out of my native country when I was 4. That’s when my anxiety began, we didn’t know what it was so we always thought I was just a dramatic crier. About 7 years went by when I had almost no friends, and when I turned 11 I got to know a classmate of mine V. We became really close. Then Christmas 2020 my dad said he had gotten a job in my home country and that he was moving there. My mom didn’t want to go back, but he said that if she didn’t go with him they could just divorce. (They have always been deeply in love with each other,) and my mom had a mental breakdown. We ended up moving, completely shattering my mental health and relationship with my dad. We slowly built it back up, and we are finally close again. Then in April 2022 my dad confessed that he had released from his sobriety from alcohol in 2019 (he had been sober for 21 years) and that he was joining AA. My life here was horrible, my classmates made fun of me everyday. I had no friends, I was miserable. Then about a month ago I tried to off myself. I told my mom about two weeks ago, and she took me to an emergency room. Where they decided I wasn’t so at risk that I needs to go to a mental hospital. But we should come back the following Friday to meet two therapists. My parents and I went to the meeting, and we went through my life from the beginning. About a week before I had found a memory box with things from before we moved, and I had a panic attack. My dad came to comfort me, but after I hadn’t responded in the first 10 seconds he started yelling at me to stand up and to stop. He did it repeatedly which only made it worse, and then he just gave up. He went to the dinner table, put on headphones and just scrolled on Facebook while I was literally having a panic attack 4 meters away. Then at the meeting I brought up that I would like for them to know how to react when an PA happens yk. Then I told them wha happened and my dad said: “I mean, it looked so fake! And it came out of nowhere! Of course I didn’t care, you’re probably just faking it for attention! You have a history of being dramatic for attention!” Then he mentioned an incident that happened when I was 5. I was literally 5. Then I said “Why would I? It’s something I struggle with everyday. It wouldn’t benefit me at all to do that!” And he just started rambling about how much of an attention seeker I am and that I probably don’t even have anxiety. Then I said “I could say the same about your alcoholism! But I don’t, because I’m trying to support you through this, why can’t you just return it?” That’s when he started defending the reason he reacted the way he did when I had the PA. All I wanted to hear was “I’m sorry.” Is that too much to ask for?
submitted by __Ero to offmychest [link] [comments]
To give you some background, my parents moved with me and my brother out of my native country when I was 4. That’s when my anxiety began, we didn’t know what it was so we always thought I was just a dramatic crier. About 7 years went by when I had almost no friends, and when I turned 11 I got to know a classmate of mine V. We became really close. Then Christmas 2020 my dad said he had gotten a job in my home country and that he was moving there. My mom didn’t want to go back, but he said that if she didn’t go with him they could just divorce. (They have always been deeply in love with each other,) and my mom had a mental breakdown. We ended up moving, completely shattering my mental health and relationship with my dad. We slowly built it back up, and we are finally close again. Then in April 2022 my dad confessed that he had released from his sobriety from alcohol in 2019 (he had been sober for 21 years) and that he was joining AA. My life here was horrible, my classmates made fun of me everyday. I had no friends, I was miserable. Then about a month ago I tried to off myself. I told my mom about two weeks ago, and she took me to an emergency room. Where they decided I wasn’t so at risk that I needs to go to a mental hospital. But we should come back the following Friday to meet two therapists. My parents and I went to the meeting, and we went through my life from the beginning. About a week before I had found a memory box with things from before we moved, and I had a panic attack. My dad came to comfort me, but after I hadn’t responded in the first 10 seconds he started yelling at me to stand up and to stop. He did it repeatedly which only made it worse, and then he just gave up. He went to the dinner table, put on headphones and just scrolled on Facebook while I was literally having a panic attack 4 meters away. Then at the meeting I brought up that I would like for them to know how to react when an PA happens yk. Then I told them wha happened and my dad said: “I mean, it looked so fake! And it came out of nowhere! Of course I didn’t care, you’re probably just faking it for attention! You have a history of being dramatic for attention!” Then he mentioned an incident that happened when I was 5. I was literally 5. Then I said “Why would I? It’s something I struggle with everyday. It wouldn’t benefit me at all to do that!” And he just started rambling about how much of an attention seeker I am and that I probably don’t even have anxiety. Then I said “I could say the same about your alcoholism! But I don’t, because I’m trying to support you through this, why can’t you just return it?” That’s when he started defending the reason he reacted the way he did when I had the PA. All I wanted to hear was “I’m sorry.” Is that too much to ask for?