Small red dots on arms and chest

350+/1800$ Gift Trades in 6 years

 

Made a Google doc because the list is long

MY Trade Reputation
 

YOUR FAVOURITE SELLER IS BACK FOR 6TH YEAR IN A ROW. CHECK MY REP THREAD

 

CACHE Price Increases as I stock out & Reservation is Compulsory

 
Want Paypal/Zelle/Venmo/GooglePay/PayTm worth the listed Amount or Items (1.2x - STEAM TAX). I will not go first. The link to add me :LINK to ADD ME
 

Crownfall Treasure Chest 1 & 2 (Buy 3+ More at 10% / 6+ More at 20% / 9+ More at 30% discount)

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Owly Bear (URSA)	1	35$ or Items	Ultra Rare Treasure 2	Only ONE
Mocking Bird (Meepo)	4	20$ or Items	Very Rare Treasure 1	None
Ravencloak (Drow Ranger)	2	40$ or Items	Very Rare Treasure 2	Only Two
Whispering Wings (Silencer)	6	8$ or Items	Rare Treasure 1	None
Crown of the Condor (Wraith King)	6	8.5$ or Items	Rare Treasure 1	One Sold 5 Left
Thunderbird (Zeus)	5	7$ or Items	Rare Treasure 2	None
Birdfeed Bandit (Hood Wink)	4	8$ or Items	Rare Treasure 2	None
Blood Raven (Blood Seeker)	10	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 1	None
Tines of the Pyrexae (Jakiro)	8	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 1	None
Imperial Ember (Lina)	8	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 1	None
Designs of Ancient Druud (Disruptor)	8	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 1	None
Verdant Swarm (Nature Prophet)	8	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 1	None
Phalanx of the Bronze Eagle (Legion Commander -LC)	8	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 1	None
Raven of Ristul (Queen of Pain)	8	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 1	None
Eyes in the Endless Dark (Shadow Shaman)	8	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 1	None
Crystalline Crown (Ancient Apparition)	6	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 2	None
Flight of the Gryphon Lord (Keeper of the Light)	6	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 2	None
Lionheart (Omnikinght	6	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 2	None
Song of the Sea Lotus (Naga Siren)	7	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 2	None
Keeper of the Nether-Lens (Pugna)	6	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 2	None
Twitcher (Timker)	7	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 2	None
Highborn Heretic (Skywrath Mage	7	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 2	None
Mischief of the Winter Moth (Puck)	6	2.5$ or Items	Treasure 2	None

 

AUGUST 2023 Collectors Cache (Buy 3+ More at 10%/ 6+ More at 20%/ 9+ More at 30% discount)

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Snailfire (SnapFire)	2	25$ or Items	Very Rare Cache Set	None
Brightfist (Marci)	5	18$ or Items	Rare Cache Set	Three Sold One Reserved Last Left
Dezun Viper (Dazzle)	5	4$ or Items	Cache Set	One Sold One Reserved
Primeval Abomination (Primal Beast)	5	5.5$ or Items	Cache Set	Two Sold
Astral Herald (Dawnbreaker)	5	5.5$ or Items	Cache Set	Two Sold
Spectral Shadow (Abaddon)	5	3.5$ or Items	Cache Set	None
Taur Rider (Alchemist)	5	4$ or Items	Cache Set	One Sold
Crescent Huntress (Spectre)	5	4$ or Items	Cache Set	One Sold
Tyrant of the Veil (Wraith King)	5	5.5$ or Items	Cache Set	Two Sold
Tomo'kan Footsoldier (Hoodwink)	5	5$ or Items	Cache Set	One Sold
Darkwood Eulogy (Death Prophet)	5	3.5$ or Items	Cache Set	None
Sea Spirit (Kunkka)	5	4$ or Items	Cache Set	One Sold
Triumph of the Imperatrix (Legion Commander)	5	4$ or Items	Cache Set	None
Beast of Thunder (Storm Spirit)	5	5.5$ or Items	Cache Set	Two Sold
Ancestral Heritage (Jakiro)	5	4$ or Items	Cache Set	One Sold

 

Ultra Rare Immortals 2022

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Bloodfeather Finery (Queen of Pain)	1	15$ or Items	Ultra Rare Immortal 2	LastLeft

 

Diretide Collectors Cache-2 2022

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Sublime Equilibrium (Void Spirit)	2	45$ or Items	Very Rare Direteide Collectors Cache	One Sold Last Left
Brands of the Reaper (Anti Mage)	5	$18	Rare Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Three Sold Last Two Reserved
Grudges of the Gallows Tree (Treant)	6	15$ or Items	Rare Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Five Sold Last Left
War Rig Eradicators (Techies)	5	8$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Three Sold
Sacred Chamber Guardian (Huskar)	5	7$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Two Sold One Reserved
Acrimonies of Obsession (Vengeful Spirit)	5	7.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	One Sold
Freeboot Fortunes (Ogre Magi)	5	4.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	None
Withering Pain (Clinkz)	5	6$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Two Sold
Darkfeather Factioneer (Phantom Assassin)	5	8$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Three Sold
Feasts of Forever (Night Stalker)	5	5.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Two Sold
Cursed Cryptbreaker (Pudge)	5	5.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Two Sold
Dawn of Darkness Foretold (Doom)	5	10$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Three Sold
The Wilding Tiger (Brewmaster)	5	11$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Four Sold Last Left
Transcendent Path (Oracle)	5	7.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Two Sold
Darkbrew´s Transgression (Alchemist)	5	10$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Four Sold Last Left
Grand Suppressor (Silencer)	5	4.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	One Sold
Bird of Prey (Legion Commander)	5	7.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache 2	Three Sold

 

Diretide Collectors Cache 2022

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Blue Horizons(Marci)	4	16$ or Items	Rare Direteide Collectors Cache	Three Sold Last Left
Hounds of Obsession (Chen)	3	7.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache	Two Sold Last Left
Seadog's Stash (Clockwerk)	3	6$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache	One Sold
Starlorn Adjudicator (Dawn Breaker)	3	11$	Direteide Collectors Cache	Two Sold Last Left
Chines of the Inquisitor (Faceless Void)	3	18.5$	Direteide Collectors Cache	Two Sold Last Reserved
Crimson Dawn (Phoenix)	3	7$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache	Two Sold Last Left
Forgotten Station (Terrorblade)	3	4.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache	None
Dirge Amplifier (Undying)	3	5.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache	One Sold
Champion of the Fire Lotus (Monkey King)	3	7.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache	Two Sold Last Left
Deathstitch Shaman (Witch Doctor)	3	5.5$ or Items	Direteide Collectors Cache	One Sold

 

Aghanim's Continuum Cache 2021 / Ti-11

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Scales of the Shadow Walker (Phantom Lancer)	4	12$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	Three Sold Last Left
Test of the Basilisk Lord (Razor)	4	11.5$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	Three Sold Last Left
Secrets of the Frost Singularity (Ancient Apparation)	4	5$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	None
Perils of the Red Banks (Chen)	4	7$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	Two Sold Last Left
The Chained Scribe (Grimstroke)	4	8$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	One Sold One Reserved
Widow of the Undermount Gloom (Broodmother)	4	9.5$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	Three Sold Last Left
Forgotten Fate (Mars)	4	5$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	One Sold
March of the Crackerjack Mage (Rubick)	4	12$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	Three Sold Last Left
Cosmic Concoctioneers (Alchemist)	4	12$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	Two Sold
Blightfall (Abbadon)	4	8$ or Items	Aghanim Cache	Two Sold

 

Nemestice Cache 2021 / Ti-11

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Astral Terminus (Enigma)	3	12$ or Items	Nemestice Cache 1	One Sold One Reserved Last Left
Caerulean Star (Enchantress)	3	9$ or Items	Nemestice Cache 1	Two Sold Last Left

 -

Collector's Cache 2020 / Ti-10

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Steward of the Forbidden Chamber (TA/Templar Assassin)	3	15$	TI-10 Rare Cache 2	Two Sold Last Reserved
Talons of the Endless Storm (CK/Chaos Knight)	3	7.5$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 2	One Sold
Carousel of the Mystic Masquerade (Rubick)	3	10$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 2	Two Sold Last Left
Blacksail Cannoneer (Sniper)	3	7$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 2	None
Blaze of Oblivion (Phoenix)	3	7$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 2	None
Songs of Starfall Glen (Enchantress)	3	6$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 1	None
Flashpoint Proselyte (Huskar)	3	13$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 1	Two Sold Last Left
Fissured Flight (Jakiro)	3	12$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 1	Two Sold Last Left
Mindless Slaughter (Pudge)	3	12$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 1	Two Sold Last Reserved
Fury of Righteous Storm (Disruptor)	3	6$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 1	None
Apocalypse Unbound (Ancient Apparation)	3	9$ or Items	TI-10 Cache 1	Two Sold Last left

 

Collector's Cache 2019/ Ti-9

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Prized Acquisitions (Batrider)	4	7$	TI-9 Cache Set-2	Two Sold
The sight of the Kha-Ren Faithful (Drow Ranger)	4	12$	TI-9 Cache Set-2	Three Sold Last Reserved
Directive of the Sunbound(Clockwerk)	5	9$	TI-9 Cache Set-2	Four Sold Last Left
Distinguished Expeditionary (Tusk)	4	7$	TI-9 Cache Set-2	Two Sold
Automaton Antiquity (Broodmother)	5	9$	TI-9 Cache Set-2	Four Sold Last Left
Fury of the Bloodforge (Bloodseeker)	5	9$	TI-9 Cache Set-2	Three Sold
Tribal Pathways (Warlock)	5	8.5$	TI-9 Cache Set-2	Three Sold
Verdant Predator (Venomancer)	5	9$	TI-9 Cache Set-2	Three Sold
The Arts of Mortal Deception (Enigma)	3	9$	TI-9 Cache Set	Two Sold Last Left
Poacher's Bane (Tidehunter)	3	8$	TI-9 Cache Set	One Sold One Reserved Last Left
Riddle of the Hierophant (Oracle)	3	9$ or 3 Keys	TI-9 Cache Set	Two Sold Last Left

 

Collector's Cache 2018/ Ti-8

Item	Quantity	Price	Type	Reserved
Raiments of the Obsidian Forge (Underlord)	4	18$	TI-8 Rare Cache Set	Three Sold Last Left
Pattern of the Silken Queen (Brood)	4	8$	TI-8 Cache Set	Three Sold Last Left

 
https://steamcommunity.com/id/whatsyouraff (DireTide 2022 Oracle Set Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198063913439 (2021 Gyro, 2020 Huskar, AA, Warlock, Grim Sets Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/Mujou64 (Diretide Cache 2 Doom & Venge Sold Successfuly)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/rudmax (2019 Brood Automation, 2021 Shadow Shaman & Enchantress Reserved - Full Payment Made Advance)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198064920459 (2023 Rare Marci and Dawn Cache Sold successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/Alacaster (2023 AM Ultra Rare, Hoodwink & Dawn Reserved - 14/70 Paid Advance)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/Default_panda (2023 Spectre Cache & Mars Wings of Imperium Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/hollywoodsbleeding_ (2022 LC Cache Set Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198041012739 (2022 Phoneix Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/carantis (2023 Jakiro and Dazzle Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198079185431/ (2023 Rare Treant, 2021 Rare Ogre & PL Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/muruph (2017 DP Cache Reserved Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/LovelasStrasti/ (Techies 2022 Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/uziexe/(2020 Timber Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/SemiOfficialAnthonyAdams (Brewmaster and Oracle Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/V3G3TA (2023 - Wk, Primal, Storm, Alche, 2022 - LC, Techies, Alche Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198829952373/ (2023 Kunka Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/Darkio567/ (2023 Dawnbreaker Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198176999423 (2022 Brew Set Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198325291097/ (2023 Rare Marci Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/Snaily3000/ (2020 Shadow Demon Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/catgirllyra/ (2023 Rare Marci and Diretide 2022 Hoodwink Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198877138961/ (2023 Dazzle and Aghanim Brood Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198059954390/ (Diretide 2022 Rare Antimage, Huskar, 2021 Grimstroke, 2019 Drow, Chen & Tide, 2018 Axe & QOP Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199173346010/ (2023 Hoodwink Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/LordPlasmarr (2023 WK Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198138951034/ (2023 Primal Beast and Brewmaster Cache Sold Successfully)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/waffler99/ (2023 Rare Marci Cache Reserved - 3.5/13.5 Paid Advance)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/vcxxiv (Crownfall Rare WK Cache Sold- Old Customer)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198051968045 (2020 Pudge Cache Reserved - Full Payment Made Advance)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199195274635 (2022 Faceless Void Cache Reserved - Full payment made advance)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/naptime_/ (2020 TA and 2021 Enigma Reserved - Full payment made advance)
https://steamcommunity.com/id/GayNoNePida (2x 2022 Rare Antimage Cache Reserved - Full Payment made advance)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198334003229 (2019 Drow Ranger Cache Reserved - 25% paid advance)
Wall of Shame:
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199102322625/ (This clown added me and when I asked to reserve which I have clearly stated in my post backtracked on trade offer, has no idea how 30-day steam gifting works so beware)
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197974015392/ (The newest Clown in town, Asks to buy legacy items, agrees to pay my listed price then tells me 2 days later about not making the payment because he found these sets for only 2 Dollars each which is not possible. Beware and don't add this person)

So back in March my lips were really dry from the cold weather so I did a lip scrub to try and slough off dead skin. Unfortunately, I got an exfoliator product on my lips shortly after and ended up with a chemical burn mostly on my upper lip concentrated to 1-2 small areas. I wish I had never done either of these things.
I put some Vaseline on it and let it be and over a few weeks time it seemed to be getting better, slight irritation but nothing major.
Then about a week ago the irritation came back from accidentally getting product too close again but now it has flared up along most of the upper border of my lip and a bit on the bottom, in areas where I didn’t think there was contact with the product. I put Vaseline on and over the course of 2 days it calmed down quite a bit but I went and saw a derm and they said it was probably contact dermatitis so they prescribed me a steroid cream.
The thing is, it started getting better again but every couple days since then it has flared again to varying degrees. Tonight worse again with small red dot/bumps and burning/itchiness, along with dryness.
I am picking up the steroid cream tomorrow but I’m a bit nervous to use it and I’m also concerned I seriously screwed up my lips and triggered eczema. Before I used the lip scrub and got the exfoliant on I never reacted to anything, only had run of the mill chapped lips.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Im concerned its taking so long to heal, why it keeps flaring in new ways and I’m wondering if I just seriously screwed up the moisture barrier so anything like food etc is irritating it. Vaseline doesn’t seem to be cutting it but unsure how steroids will solve it permanently.

tl;dr - Why is the Holosun HE507K-GR-X2 32moa reticle circle so much smaller than the Holosun HE507C-GR-X2 32moa reticle circle?
I picked up a Holosun 507k for my Hellcat RDP thinking it would have the same reticle as the 507c (big circle with a tiny dot) without reading the details. Suffice to say that I was disappointed (I can’t, for the life of me, make red dots work, but the large green circle makes it possible for me to immediately zero in).
I ripped open the packaging like a kid on Christmas, so no returns…and I needed the screws anyways. So now I’m the proud owner of a brand new, screwless, HE507K-GR-X2, and I’ll put the original 507c back on the Hellcat. I have another 507c in n the way now for my XDM Elite OSP (original design lan was to move the 507c to the XDM and put the 507k on the Hellcat, but plans obviously are changing). I cycled through all the 507k options and all I can get is a dot, a slightly larger circle, and a dot inside a slightly larger circle…but it’s nothing like the giant 507c circle.
Here’s to hoping the drop a 507k with the 507c reticle.
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

The context is that my partner is a really sweet, amazing, kind, generous, caring person. They are every kind thing you could say about somebody. They are incredibly book smart and have multiple degrees and are going for their law degree on top of all the degrees and certificates they already have. It’s exceptional. The problem is, and I am trying to say this in the nicest way possible. My partner is seriously bad with social skills and comes off as ‘dumb’, ‘cringeworthy’, ‘childish’ and oblivious at times. They will seriously just blurt out anything that comes to their mind and do anything in public. No matter how embarrassing it is. A small example of this is that one time we walked into a bar and my partner got super excited about the cool decor. There was chains hanging from the ceiling and and coffin shaped tv screen installed in the wall with some cool graphic in it. Upon seeing this as we walked in they got so excited they threw their arms into the air and yelled “AHHHHHHH!” And ran over to the chains and started swinging around on them, knocking into a nearby table that a couple was sitting at. After this, they threw their hands up in the air again and yelled “YIPPIEEEEE” as they ran over to the coffin and banged on it with their fist so hard that it actually flashed black and for a second I thought they had broken it. EVERYONE in the bar was looked at me crazy and the security guard had to pick up the mess with table and the drinks my partner just made. It was like a bad ass toddler has just gone loose in the bar and I imagine people just assumed they were way drunk but they were 100% sober. When they returned to me the first words out of my mouth “sit your ass down what the fuck is your problem?” And they immediately bursted out in tears. Because another problem they have is that they are INCREDIBLY sensitive to criticism. They cannot handle one ounce of even constructive criticism, even if it’s said in the most way gentle possible way they will start to cry.
Honestly, I’m not use to dating people my age. I moved out my house and have been on my own living as an adult since I was 16. Typically you will see me with someone ranging from 24-27. My partner is the first person my age I have been with. But, I understand that becoming a lawful adult at 16 is not a universal experience so that’s why they are a bit immature but they are a good person with a good heart which is not easy to come across nowadays so I am willing to wait and be patient with then until they mature a bit more.
My biggest problem with them though is talking to strangers. My mom taught me at a young age about stranger danger and have admittedly had a pretty traumatic life so I am very cautious about who I trust. It is as if my partner is a toddler who has never once been told not to speak to a stranger. They will tell ANYBODY ANYTHING. No shame or reservations or even the idea that the person might be uncomfortable. They will tell the waiter about the wild sex we just had in DETAIL. They will trap the cashier into a 30 minute conversation when the line is piling up and the poor cashier doesn’t want to know every single detail about whatever. And, it’s not even typically a conversation because it’s just my girlfriend yapping without giving the other person time to say anything. They will treat someone they just met less than 5 minutes like someone they’ve known for years and get into people’s personal space. An example of this would be that one time they stopped a girl in the street to compliment them but then it turned into the usual 30 minute yap sesh. My partner got very excited about whatever they were yapping about and for some reason they decided to suddenly press their forehead to this strangers forehead to express their point. I could see the poor girl get visibly frightened so I yanked my partner back out of instinct to protect not only the girl but my partner to whatever reaction the girl might have. Being completely oblivious to the fact that my partner might’ve just got their shit rocked for triggering this stranger they spun around and said something like “OMG BABE you are SO JEALOUS AND CONTROLLING HAHA SHE IS NOT GOING TO STEAL ME” I wanted to shout “dude, nobody WANTS TO STEAL you. You are EMBARRASSING.” But I didn’t want to embarrass my partner so I threw my hands up and walked away silently.
I’ve tried to talk to them about this. I told them a story my mother use to tell me about a very friendly pretty baby that would wave at everyone until she waved at the wrong stranger and got kidnapped. I explained to them that you can’t just assume everyone has good intentions and you definitely can’t predict what will upset someone so it’s best to keep out of strangers personal space and to never share unnecessary information. They see this as if I am trying to steal their ‘light’ or that I am jealous.
This behavior has not only put us in danger in the past but it is now affecting our living situation. Because the one year mark we decided we wanted to move in together. We found the most gorgeous beautiful lake house that was actually an airbnb but the lady liked us so much she was willing to let us stay long and remove the place from airbnb. It was a godsend. The problem is that on the same land there is 4 other properties just a few feet away from us that the landlord rents as airbnbs so we see all kinds of shady or weird people everyday.
I guess, one day when I wasn’t around my gf told a guest about our living arrangement in detail and the guest tried to ask the landlord for the same thing and when the landlord denied it the guest became aggressive and started bringing my gf’s name the details that they were told into the conversation. The landlord reached out to us and showed us the conversation and the guest was threatening us and her with violence. She asked that we keep the fact that we even live on the property to ourselves. It was a very scary situation and I really thought that my partner learned their lesson about strangers.
But, they didn’t. I’m traveling out of town for work and I guess there was a break in on one of the of the properties. The landlord was reviewing the security cameras when they caught my partner telling another guest about the details of our lease again. They wanted to call my partner and speak to them on the phone to express how serious it is that they do not share details about our lease but I guess when confronted about it, my partner lied and said they didn’t say anything. I guess partner didn’t realize they had been caught in 4K.
The landlord was really upset not only that partner lied but went against her wishes of keeping the agreement to themselves once I calmed the landlord down I phoned my partner but by the time I got ok the phone with my partner I was honestly incredibly irritated. I didn’t raise my voice but I was firm and harsh and told them that the oversharing behavior and it has got to stop. I said “really, how hard is it just to keep your mouth shut when our safety is at risk?” I told them they need to look at going to therapy for this behavior.
They became so agitated they started screaming and crying at me “I AM NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU!!” (What? No one even said that!) & “I DONT EVEN CARE ABOUT THIS STUPID HOUSE ILL JUST LEAVE!” (Ez for you to say you haven’t subleased your apartment and moved all your belongings into here yet)
I let them know that we both should take a breather from the convo and now I’m sitting here with my head in my hands, wondering what to do. I know that this is a long read and many people might not make it this far, but if you’ve made it this far, I could really use some advice. I don’t want to talk to my friends and family, because I don’t want them to form a bad opinion about my partner. I feel like I’m dating a child and then I have to correct them like a parent but I don’t want to break up because they are just so good to me outside of this. Please anyone help.

Hey Everyone!
I was playing the new 2.2 version Event "Clockie: Dreamjoy Memoir" to get the limited time Lightcone for my Robin, but during the gameplay it suddenly crashed.
A small window popped up for like 2 seconds for what seemed to be a unity crash handler.
After that I'm having weird graphical glitches in certain moments when playing the Event:

• when an emotion is going down (you can see how the red particles are now only weird boxes)
  
• when the game switches to a minigame and shows a movie tape-like background
  
• in the "Edit failed" screen on the background
  

also, I don't know if it's just me but the fog in the background also seems to be cut off in square shapes sometimes in the background during the gameplay with the dices.
I uploaded an unlisted video to Youtube to show the issue I'm having in higher detail:
https://youtu.be/19AiGlrjtZI
I'm playing on PC and have an Nvidia graphics card (if that's relevant)
The glitches appear every time and are easy to recreate.
these are the things I tried already to fix the Issue:

• restarted the game
  
• restarted my PC
  
• verified file integrity of the game via the launcher
  
• reinstalled the game
  

I hope someone has more of a clue of what's going on here and what I can do to fix this, as I'm quite desperate now :/
Please tell me if I should share more specific details or try something I haven't already.

Hey nosleep,
This might be the most disturbing thing I’ve ever stumbled upon, and I need to share it with someone who might understand. Last weekend, I found a diary hidden inside a secret compartment of an old desk I bought at an estate sale.
The entries inside are horrifyingly detailed, describing gruesome murders that span days. The first entry I read shook me to my core:
“Day one: I captured her just before dusk, the struggle vibrant and intoxicating. Her terror was palpable, the sweat mixing with the tears on her cheeks. She fought bravely, but it was futile. I brought her to my prepared place, an old shed deep in the woods, where no one would hear us. I tied her to an old chair, her arms and legs bound tightly with rough rope that cut into her skin whenever she moved.”
“Day two: I began with small cuts, superficial but numerous, across her arms and legs, the kind that sting sharply but are not life-threatening. Each whimper she made was a symphony to my ears. I used a scalpel, the blade sharp and precise, making sure to clean the wounds to prevent early infection. Hydration was minimal, just enough to keep her conscious, to experience every moment of her slow demise.”
“Day three: I increased the severity of her wounds, cutting deeper, exploring the textures of her muscles and sinews. The smell of iron filled the air, her blood a vibrant contrast against the sterile white of the shed. I documented her fading vitality, noting how her eyes began to lose their shine, her screams turned to whimpers, and eventually, she could only produce a gurgling noise as her body gave up.”
Horrified but needing to know more, I checked the local unsolved cases and there it was—a woman had been found just as described, her body abandoned in a shed in the woods, the case still open and cold.
I couldn’t stop there. I read another entry:
“Day one: He was an easy target, alone at a late showing in an old cinema. I watched him from the shadows, calculating. When he left for the restroom, I followed, injecting him with a sedative I had prepared. He collapsed, unconscious, easy to drag into my waiting van.”
“Day two: In my soundproof basement, I hung him from the ceiling by his wrists. His awakening was met with the harsh reality of his situation. I used a variety of tools, pliers to remove nails, a hammer to break fingers. His cries filled the room, a desperate plea for mercy that would not come.”
“Day three: Exhaustion had set in, his body weak from pain and blood loss. I carved words into his chest, a message to those who would find him, my signature. By nightfall, he was no longer responsive, his life extinguished under the cold glare of my surgical lights.”
Again, the details matched a man found in similar circumstances, his body discovered in an abandoned building downtown, his injuries a mirror of the diary’s descriptions.
Tonight, I’m going to read another entry. I'm terrified of what I’ll find, but I feel compelled to continue.

I (f) have a older sister who we will call Jane, Jane has always been somewhat of a trouble child. She would always abuse and scream until she got her way, she was also very hyperactive. She used to hit me and call me names targeting directly my weighth and looks, I have been told by many that she was the prettier sister. Anyways I am somewhat of a pushover so I let people walk all over me and bully me, my sister was my biggest bully. I get yelled at a lot for stuff, no matter how small, today she yelled at me because our dog was goinf crazy. It was like she thought I could mind control our dog. I went shopping with my family after school, my sister was at home. I got home and unlocked the door, I asked her if she could hold the dog as I was carrying items in my arms. All I got in response was “No just open the door, stop being dramatic.” I yelled at her to “get the bloody dog!” And she finally did grumpily. I got in and she immediately let go of the dog. It made me drop everything, I put my stuff on the table and she started going off on me. About how I dropped the stuff and how much of an idiot I was. Without thinking I punched her square in the face, I kept wailing on her before screamjng at her to get the f out of my house. All she said was, “you’re lucky I didn’t knock you out.” She left and I stormed away. So, AMITA? Or was I in the right???

I think I feel one starting. I can only get some relief if I keep my eyes shut and stay still, but even my own breathing sends shocks through my skull. For added fun, I can’t lay down flat most times due to vomiting associated with reflux, and the migraine makes me more nauseous too, so I’m kind of just fucked. I’m on my couch leaning on the arm of the sofa with an ice pack to my head and one to my chest.
What helps you when you have a migraine? I am going to take ibuprofen and acetaminophen as soon as my stomach settles a little bit. I got the cold packs, and I’m trying to keep my environment low-stimulus. Thank you in advance. I am going to go insane if I spend another week battling the competing interests of a hernia/reflux and a migraine.

This is one of the most embarassing days of my life that keeps me awake at night. So maybe by sharing it will get this weight off my chest. One day when I was 19, I was getting ready to end my day when I received a call from my friend. She told me about how her boyfriend was having a big house party and they were passing by my house. She asked if I wanted to come and I said "sure". She told me I had to be ready as soon as possible because she would be there soon. So I got my self ready and put on a one peice. I finished up and she was outside waiting so I jumped in her car and we were off. At the party there was alcohol and me being the absolute gremlin I am, I drank way too much. I was drunk, dancing and stumbling around when the hottest dude with the most punchabke jawline I've ever seen came up to me and said "hey, um". I just stood there just stating at him. He then proceeded to bring me in close and tell me my underwear was falling from underneath my dress. Now let me tell you the anatomy of these underwear. They were old panties I only use when I'm going to sleep. They have stitch from lilo and stitch all over them and a small hole near the elastic which caused it to slowly creep down my one peice. My one peice was tight enough They wouldn't fully fall and would just stay there hanging and I was too drunk to fully notice. Noticing this I started to immediately cry. Didn't pull them up, just fully sobbing and this absolute casanova decided to grab my underwear and pull them up for me! So I started crying even harder. As people started to look at us. He just threw his hands up and backed away into the abyss. My friend saw me and pulled me outside to her car where I proceeded to keep crying until I burned myself out and fall asleep. Since I was unconscious and dead weight my friend had to get her boyfriend to leave his own party to help me get home. My friend drove and he assisted me in the back as he also drank some and couldn't drive. My friend said that as she was driving me home I held onto her boyfriend so tight she could only describe me as a koala with abandonment issued. I was holding on for dear life as I was most likely getting car sick and tried to keep myself from rocking back and forth. She said she thought about being jealous but I looked so awful she only felt bad for me. When I got home, her boyfriend picked me up and walked me to my door as my friend was looking for my keys. My dad then opens the door to see what he thought was his pure angel of a daughter drunk being held by some dude. He then proceeds to hand me off to my dad. All because I because i forgot to change my underwear.

I went out with friends today and one of the guys tried to hug me. He didn’t even do anything actually wrong, he said it was because he hadn’t seen me in a while.
I just don’t like hugs from anyone and especially not from men.
I cried and cried when I got home though…
I remember you telling me you wanted to hug me a lot before… and I know you were joking to bother me about it… but honestly?
That’s all I could ever want right now.
It’s all I can think about.
You seem like you’d give hugs that could cure the deadliest of diseases and I’ve been suffering for so long.
I want your arms around me… I want to rest my head on your chest… to breathe you in and never let go.
I want you to hold me like I’ve never been held before… erasing the memory of anyone else that’s ever touched me with their careless and baseless intentions.
I know that you’d take such good care of me even if only for a moment… my bar is low anyway… but I’ve told you that your mere presence in my life already feels like sunshine to me.
I just wish you could be honest…
Until more thoughts consume my being,

“Ready to make history, baby?”
I looked over toward Sheila as she stood on the gangplank leading up to The Burger. I still couldn’t believe she named our research ship ‘The Burger’... emotional relevance be damned.
“It's not exactly history,” I corrected.
“Oh come on! If your survey is right, this trench might run even deeper than the Challenger Deep, and you’re gonna be the first person to explore it! How is that not exciting?”
“Might be deeper, we only have a limited amount of topological data. And even if it is deeper, we’re talking only a few hundred feet at most, it’s really not that im-”
Sheila silenced me with a kiss.
“Nerd.” She teased, and I found myself too flustered to reply. After five years of marriage, she still could leave me speechless with just a kiss. God… how did someone like me end up with a woman like that?
Then again, how did someone like me end up where I was in general? It was honestly a little overwhelming. Standing on the dock, getting ready to board that ship and join the ranks of Jacques Piccard and James Cameron (yes, that James Cameron) as one of the few people to take a manned submersible down to the deepest parts of the ocean. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared too. Diving down that deep could easily be a one way trip if even the slightest thing went wrong. My submarine would be experiencing between 600 to 1100 atmospheres of pressure and while we’d tested it over and over again to make sure it would actually be up for the challenge, there was still a lingering iota of doubt in the back of my mind. All that needed to go wrong was one little thing, and that would be it for me.
The scariest part is that I probably wouldn’t even know what had happened… I’d simply be gone… and Sheila would be alone. The thought of that caused a momentary spike of panic in my chest that almost made me want to call this whole thing off.
Almost.
But, then I felt her hand close around mine. I looked up into her bright blue eyes, and saw her gentle smile.
“You’re gonna be okay, hun,” She promised. “You and your team have been running the numbers, right? It’s gonna go just fine!”
I nodded slowly.
“It’s gonna go fine…” I repeated, before she leaned in to kiss me, and gently pulled me by the wrist up onto the deck of the Burger.
She was probably right.
It probably would be fine.
Probably…
The trench I’d be exploring was a fairly recent discovery, located south of Greenland, in a vast stretch of water situated directly between Newfoundland and Iceland. It’d been uncovered during a topological survey in the area, and my team had taken an interest in investigating it further. At minimum, it was believed to descend to about 35,000 feet deep (over 10,000 meters), although the current theory was that it might have run even deeper. Determining the exact depth of the yet unnamed chasm was just one of the intents of our dive. The rest was studying the organisms that might be found down there, and how they might have differed from the ones found in other deep ocean trenches (some variation being expected given the isolated environment they were developing in.)
I had to admit, it would be exciting to see what new life might have developed in a place such as this, especially if it ran even deeper than our predictions… and that excitement was enough to make me chase the fear of the risks out of my mind, even if it was only briefly. While Sheila went to make sure we were ready to embark, I caught myself wandering out toward the rear of the ship where my submarine, The Tempura, waited for me. Did this submarine deserve a better name than The Tempura? Probably. But, this was my project, so I got to name it and since Burger was already taken, Tempura was the next best name I had. I liked to think that the subs namesake might approve… if she hadn’t died fifteen years ago. Shrimp don’t live very long.
As the ship began to depart, I caught myself reminiscing on how I’d ended up here… it really was all because of those damn shrimp, wasn’t it? Well… maybe not all because of the shrimp. But they were certainly part of it. Back when I was a lot younger, I never really gave much of a shit about anything at all. I guess I did have a thing for the ocean… the great, romantic vastness of it. The sense of adventure that it beckoned with. The endless mysteries that lay within its dark depths. I used to read about it all the time when I was a kid and I especially loved the classic adventures: Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and Melville’s Moby Dick… but that love was just confined to my books. I didn’t really have any interest in actually going out and seeing the ocean. Hell, the idea of going to a beach and standing in the sun with my toes in the sand seemed miserable to me. I was happier (although calling myself happy might’ve been a little disingenuous) alone in my room, enjoying the company of books as opposed to people.
Then came the shrimp.
One of my online friends kept them as a hobby. He used to post pictures of his tanks all the time, and I always thought they looked kinda cool. He said that if I was interested in them, I should try keeping some for myself, and during a particularly bad bout of depression, I figured that maybe it might be worth a shot. So, I bought a cheap tank and some cheap decorations, bought myself some shrimp… and promptly watched them die over the next few weeks. That… that bothered me. I don’t know why but… it really bothered me. I’m still not entirely sure how to describe what it was that I was feeling. Guilt? Defeat? Shame? Here I was, trying to set up a habitat for these creatures just to have something to do to keep the suicidal ideation at bay, and I’d failed almost right out of the gate.
Was I just that bad? Was I just that much of a failure? Was this just going to go to shit just like everything else in my life did, because I was just such an abysmal piece of shit who barely deserved the life she had? Had I just not tried hard enough? Was I too apathetic? What had happened? What went wrong?
It bothered me.
It bothered me enough that I made up my mind to just dump the remaining shrimp down the toilet and toss everything. Forget about it. Move on. End of story. But… that wasn’t fair, was it? The shrimp didn’t all deserve to die just because I couldn’t be bothered, did they? Sure, they were just shrimp, but they were alive too, just like me. They deserved to be alive.
I owed it to them to try and keep them alive, didn’t I?
So… I didn’t dump the shrimp.
Instead, I started doing some reading. Started looking into what I was doing wrong and how to do it all better. I actually got really into it and a few months later, I had a nice planted tank. Looking back, it was amateur shit… but it made me happy. I’d even picked out names for my two favorite shrimp. Burger and Tempura. They’d been the last survivors of my original batch, and they were the ones I ended up caring about the most. Caring for Burger and Tempura gave me a purpose. It became an obsession… and that little obsession drove me to finally start turning my life around.
Like I said, shrimp don’t live for very long. Burger and Tempura were long dead by the time I graduated with a degree in Marine Biology. But they were the ones who inspired me to finally get my life in order. Hell, the shrimp were half the reason that I met Sheila. She was something of an aquarium fanatic too… we’d met on a forum, and gotten to talking. I found out that she just so happened to be studying Marine Biology at another school, and we bonded pretty quickly after that. After graduation, I moved to California to be with her and after that, the rest is history. She was my rock. She was the one who always pushed me to be the best possible version of myself… and I loved her more than I ever knew I could love someone.
A glance back at the shore, fading into the distance tore me out of my reminiscing, and I shifted my focus to the present, going over The Tempura to perform some quick checks. My colleagues and I would be checking and rechecking the submarine over the next two days as we made our way toward the dive spot. Considering the danger that descending that deep posed, I didn’t want to take a single unnecessary risk.
I had too much to live for, after all.
***
The day of the dive, I couldn’t notice how excited the rest of the crew seemed… well… Sheila’s usual crew seemed excited. I guess to them, this was just another research expedition, no different than the ones Sheila usually took this ship out on. Lately her research had been focused on the analysis and study of whale calls. Her recent voyages had involved following their pods, recording their calls and playing them back to see how the whales reacted. It was fascinating stuff, but my research was admittedly a lot different than that.
My obsession had drawn me to the denizens of the deep sea. I’d used The Burger for expeditions before, although none of them had been on quite the same scale as this one. Up until today, the most ambitious thing I’d done was send down unmanned submersibles with cameras. Those submersibles had typically returned. We had lost a few early on due to technical glitches, but the past few years had been blissfully uneventful. Logically, this dive would probably be uneventful as well. But it was still hard to get the jitters out of my head.
My team and I did the final checks necessary to make sure that The Tempura was good to go, before setting up the crane to begin lifting it up. In less than an hour, I’d be inside of that thing, descending to the darkest depths of the ocean.
It didn’t feel real.
I felt Sheila’s hand on my shoulder, and looked over at her.
“Moment of truth, huh?” She asked. She probably meant it to sound encouraging, but it just sounded ominous.
“Moment of truth…” I replied.
“You’re gonna be okay, honey. I know you will.”
She reached out to gently squeeze my hand and gave me a reassuring smile that I meekly returned.
“Yeah, it’s gonna be okay,” I agreed, although there was an element of a lie in it. Statistically, yes. It probably WOULD be okay. But there was that lingering anxiety in the back of my mind that just wouldn’t go away. I looked quietly out at the submarine before me and couldn’t shake the thought that it sort of looked like a giant coffin. Unconsciously, I found myself squeezing Sheila’s hand tighter than normal. She just held me close and pressed a kiss to the top of my head, before gently rubbing my back.
“You’ll be okay,” She promised.
“Dr. Jenner, we’re ready for you.” I heard one of my colleagues say.
Moment of truth.
I took one last look at Sheila, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips for luck. She smiled at me, and I smiled back anxiously at her before heading over toward the submarine.
The crew helped me enter the cockpit and get myself situated inside. The cockpit of the Tempura was fairly cramped and not particularly comfortable. Space and comfort aren’t really luxuries you can afford in a submarine like this. The instruments I needed took up a lot of space, leaving little room for me in there… and I am not a very big person.
Once I was inside, they sealed the hatch. Then the diagnostics checks began.
“Grayson, can you hear us in there?” I heard Sheila say through the radio.
“Loud and clear,” I replied.
“Great. We’ll keep in constant radio contact, just to monitor the signal. In the meanwhile, how’s everything looking in there?”
“Green across the board so far,” I said, although I hadn’t finished running all my final checks yet. Ultimately, nothing was out of place.
This submarine was as good to go as it was going to get.
“I’m all good in here,” I said once I was done. “You can drop me when you’re ready.”
“You got it, honey. Let’s get you in the water, run one final round of tests and start lowering you down.”
A short while later, I felt the submarine begin to move as the crane lifted it off the deck and lowered it into the water. The Tempura honestly resembled its namesake in a way, being long and cigar shaped, only vertically oriented instead of horizontally oriented. We’d admittedly taken more than a few design cues from James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenger. Why fix what isn’t broken, after all?
Once I was in the water, a 1000 pound releasable ballast weight would cause the submarine to sink. Releasing that weight was also my ticket back to the surface, and I could either trigger it from inside the cockpit, or, in the event that the release failed for any reason, it would trigger automatically after roughly 12 hours of exposure to salt water.
Ideally, this would be the first of a number of dives I’d be undertaking… and if all went according to plan, the Tempura could be the first of many similar submarines that would allow other researchers to safely and effectively descend to extreme depths. If all went well, this could be a massive leap forward for researchers like me, allowing us to better explore the deepest depths of the Hadal Zone and learn all we could about the ecosystems down there via direct observation.
If all went well.
If.
Through the viewport, I watched as I was lowered into the ocean. A few of the other crew members had donned diving gear to escort me down, and after they did their final checks and I did mine, we were fully ready to go.
“All’s green across the board,” I said into the radio. “You can start my descent.”
“I hear you, honey,” Sheila replied. “We’re letting you go. Have fun down there.”
“Yeah, I’ll try…” I said quietly as finally, my submarine began its descent.
I took a deep breath, and told myself again that everything would go fine. We had checked everything on this submarine. We’d tested it rigorously. I wouldn’t have allowed myself to set foot inside of it if I hadn’t personally assured that it was safe. But anxiety never really goes away, does it? The crew couldn’t accompany me far. After only a few meters, they fell behind me as I sank deeper and deeper into the infinite, empty blue of the ocean. Soon after, the tether was released.
I was officially on my own.
“60 feet,” I heard Sheila say over the radio. “How are you doing in there?”
“Good,” I replied. “Doing… doing good.”
The submarine continued to descend. Through the viewport, I could see a few stray fish, but nothing particularly eye catching. I almost felt alone down there… almost…
“120 feet…” Sheila said.
“Still doing good,” I replied.
The descent continued, as the waters slowly grew darker and darker.
“400 feet…”
Everything around me just kept getting darker and darker. Only a fraction of the light from the sun ever reached these depths… and I’d be lying if I said that darkness didn’t feel a little… oppressive.
“800 feet… still feeling good?”
“Yeah, still feeling good…” I said, although it was a bit of a lie. If anything, I was second guessing all of this, but I wasn’t about to say that out loud.
“1000 feet… still good?”
“Still good…” I murmured. “I hear you loud and clear.”
Deeper… deeper… deeper.
“1500 feet…”
Three miles. I was three miles away from home. Three miles away from Sheila.
“2000 feet…”
Still a ways to go.
“3000 feet…”
By this point, it was fully dark outside of my cockpit. Outside, all I could see was inky darkness. Even the submarine’s lights didn’t really cut through it. And the kicker? Relatively speaking, I wasn’t that deep. Fishing trawlers reached deeper than this. Better to conserve power until I was at the bottom. My descent continued.
“6000 feet… still good?”
“Still good…”
The check ins were becoming less frequent. My descent still continued… deeper… deeper… deeper. By now, I’d entered the Hadal Zone. But there was still so much deeper o go.
“8000 feet…”
This was past the depths that most whales would dive to… and I still had a ways to go.
“10,000 feet.”
This was close to where the ocean floor usually bottomed out… and yet there was still so much further to go. No. I was really only a third of the way there. How long had it been?Not much had happened beyond my descent and a few sightings out of my viewport, but time had been passing. A glance at my watch confirmed it’d been almost an hour since I’d started to sink… and I knew I wasn’t even close to the bottom yet. The submarine continued to descend, sinking ever deeper as I dropped into an infinite darkness that few had ever dared to witness.
“15,000 feet.”
This check in came later than the others. At this point, Sheila and the crew must have figured that no news was good news, and they were right. I just continued to sink peacefully, down into the crushing depths of the ocean.
These were the depths that one might normally find deep sea fish… and yet I was going somewhere even deeper than that.
“20,000 feet…”
So close…
I continued to sink.
“25,000 feet.”
Soon… and finally…
“30,000 feet. You still doing alright, honey?”
“Yeah… yeah, I’m doing good,” I assured her. I was so close…
By this point, my real work had begun. I’d engaged the lights and begun documenting what little I could see using the on board cameras. Granted, there wasn’t much life at these depths and what little there was, was scarcely documented. Most of what was down here consisted of invertebrates and microscopic life that seemed to float past my viewport.
The light seemed to draw a few creatures in search of food. Small, hardy things that resembled shrimp.
“How’s it looking, Grayson?”
“Dark,” I said, half joking. “We’ve got some life… shrimp. They’re translucent. Can’t get a great look at them… but we’ll see what the cameras pick up.”
“They’ve recognized you as a friend,” Sheila said. I could almost see the smile on her lips as she said it.
“Yeah…” I replied, “Tempura sent them a message, told them I’d be down. How am I looking on depth?”
“35,000 feet… you seeing a bottom yet?”
“No… not that I would until I was there.”
“Damn… how deep does this go?”
“It can’t go that deep…” I murmured, although I really wasn’t so sure about that.
The submarine continued to sink…
36,000 feet…
37,000 feet…
38,000 feet… and then finally, just past the 39,000 foot mark, I finally saw solid ground below me.
Looking through my viewport, I could see a familiar dark brown diatomaceous sludge, covering the seafloor. Microscopic life, likely similar to what had been observed in other deep sea trenches, such as the Challenger Deep.
I needed to gather a sample.
As my submarine reached the bottom, I extended the mechanical arms, pressed flat against the surface of the Tempura, and opened the collection port near the bottom of the ship. Slowly, I sifted some of the sludge into the port. My disturbance of the seafloor kicked up a cloud of the microbial colony, and I could’ve sworn I saw something wiggling through the debris. A pale, white thing, perhaps some sort of sea cucumber? I hastily angled my submarines camera to try and catch a glimpse of it, before returning to my collection. Even in this forlorn place, there was still so much to see! And here I was… completely forgetting my fear as the excitement took hold of me! Few people had ever been down to these unfathomable depths… and yet here I was.
It didn’t feel real but it was! I had reached the deepest part of the ocean!
“How’s it going down there?” I heard Sheila ask. Her voice was a little garbled. The connection down here was faltering.
“It’s beautiful…” I said. “I can’t wait for you to see it!”
“I’ll bet…”
“I’m going to do a sweep of the area, see what samples I can gather,” I said. “What’s my time right now?”
“Three hours. You’ve got nine before your connection to the weight deteriorates and you start to ascend.”
“I’ll make the most of it,” I said. The plan was only to stay down there for six hours, and I didn’t want to push that limit. Life support would only last me for so long, and one little error was all it would take for the ungodly pressure down here to crush me.
I began to move the submarine. Mobility was limited. This thing wasn’t built to travel far. But I still had some limited movement. I recorded all that I could, filming the shrimp that investigated my light, and the things that slithered and crawled through the muck, likely feeding on the carpet of single celled organisms that populated these depths.
The first two hours were… well… I hesitate to call them uneventful, they were actually very fascinating, but little of note happened beyond my recording of a few specimens.
Midway through the third hour though, as I was reaching one of the rock walls of the abyss, I noticed something just above the edge of my viewport swimming away from the light. I could’ve sworn I saw slender, pale tentacles of some sort. Was that a squid? Were there squid down this deep? I wasn’t aware of any species of known squid who could reach these depths… but in this unknown place, what use was the known?
I moved my light and my camera to try and catch another glimpse of it, but whatever it was, it seemed to be gone. Maybe I’d see another one. I still had plenty of time.
“You made a noise. What’d you see?” Sheila asked.
“Something big… I think,” I said.
“Down there? Like a fish?”
“Squid. You wouldn’t find any vertebrates down this deep… the pressure would crush their bones.”
“Jeez…”
I didn’t reply to that, still searching for the thing I’d seen. I shone my light up along the walls of the chasm and angled my camera up as far as it would go. I could see a few volcanic vents, spewing dark clouds into the darkness, and more diatoms. But not much else. Strange invertebrates crawled along the walls. Small creatures, no bigger than an inch long. Related to isopods, perhaps? If I could collect one as a sample, I would have… although taking any of those back to the surface would surely kill them. They were built to live under the impossible pressure of these depths. Taking them to the surface would rip them apart.
I went back to my research, and it wasn’t long until I saw something in the darkness, just on the edge of where my flashlight reached. Trailing white tendrils, snaking their way through the darkness. My eyes narrowed as I moved the submarine forward, trying to catch whatever it was in the light. I saw the shape move, its body turning… I saw its tendrils unfurling. Whatever this was, it was big. It was almost as big as The Tempura… although it was also slender. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought I was looking at some sort of floating debris, but this far down? No. And debris wouldn’t move like that.
This had to be a deepsea squid… or perhaps some other type of cephalopod? Something that preyed upon the various invertebrates down here, perhaps? It seemed to float, just out of sight for a bit, as I tried to get closer. I angled up my light to get a better look at it. The light seemed to shine through it, like some sort of ghost… but I did manage to get a look at it.
Although that look…
That single look made me freeze up.
This things slender tendrils certainly resembled a cephalopod of some sort, but the rest of it… the rest of it looked like something else entirely. Its body was thin, emaciated and translucent, yet despite that it still had characteristics that almost seemed… human. It wasn’t human! Not by any stretch of imagination, but the resemblance was there. It almost reminded me of an exhibit I’d seen in a museum once, depicting a preserved, fully removed human nervous system. I could see a similar shape in its translucent body. Its head seemed almost human as well… albeit with no eyes, and a lamprey like mouth I could only describe as fleshy yet crablike.
Still, despite having no eyes I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was looking at me. And that was when I felt something hit the submarine.
I felt a sudden jolt of panic in my chest. For a moment, I thought that the pressure had started to crush me, but no… no, everything was still fine. Something had just hit me. But what? It didn’t take long before I got my answer.
Another pale creature floated past my viewport, swirling gracefully in the cold dark waters. I watched it for a moment with wide eyes, before noticing its ‘head’ turning slightly toward me. Then, almost instantly, it launched itself at the submarine, darting toward me with blinding speed.
I heard a distinct THUD as its body collided with me, and I could see its pale tendrils pressing against the viewport, twisting and writhing violently. It was trying to attack me. The first creature that I’d seen lunged as well, pounding on my submarine with another THUD. And moments later, I could hear more impacts against the hull. There were more of them… and they did not like having me down there.
“What’s going on?” Sheila asked.
“Somebody doesn’t like me…” I said. “One of the animals down here… some kind of squid, it’s just started attacking the hull.”
“How bad is the damage?”
“Not sure… could be nothing, could be-”
I felt the submarine shake as I tried to move it. The thrusters that pushed me forward weren't responding. Had something gotten caught in it? One of the creatures perhaps?
“Grayson?!” Sheila asked.
“Lost propulsion…” I said. “Fuck… I can’t move.”
“Then drop the weight and come up!”
“No, it’s fine, there’s no other damage, I can still use the port and starboard thrusters to-”
“Grayson!”
I paused. There was genuine panic in her voice… enough to make me realize that even if these things stood little chance of actually breaching the hull, taking the risk would be a fatal mistake.
“I’m on my way up…” I finally said, before reaching out to disengage the ballast weights.
Immediately, I felt myself beginning to rise, although the tentacles clinging to my viewport didn’t disappear.
“We’ve got you…” Sheila said. “Rising up to 38,000 feet.”
The submarine continued to rise, but the creatures clinging to me went nowhere. In fact… I was sure I could see more of them. More pale shapes coming up through the darkness, and these ones filled me with dread. I thought I had been looking at some sort of eerie undiscovered life. But seeing what was coming up toward me now… I knew that I was looking at so much more. The creatures swimming up toward me through the darkness carried weapons… makeshift stone spears and daggers. Primitive tools… but tools all the same.
Signs that these were more than just undiscovered animals.
Much. Much more.
The word: ‘Mermaids’ crossed through my mind, but these were something far different than the ones I’d heard of in folklore. These looked like they’d swam out of the depths of hell itself. Boneless pale tendrils reached for me… and they were getting closer. The pale shapes reached my submarine as I rose higher. I kept praying to whatever God may be listening that the dropping pressure would force them off. The air in a submarine is pressurized, so during normal operation, there should have been no danger of decompression sickness for me.
For them… well… normally I’d feel a little guilty about subjecting an undiscovered species of deep sea mermaids to the horrors of the Bends. But given my circumstances, I didn’t have a lot of other options.
They didn’t let go, though.
They should have. But they didn’t.
What were these things?
I saw a splayed hand press against my viewport. Or… it somewhat resembled a hand. It had suckers on it, like a tentacle and the ‘fingers’ curled open like tentacles. The creature crawled over my viewport, clinging to The Tempura as it rose, and I could see the folds of its crablike mouth opening and pressing against the glass. I could see some sort of bile rising up through its translucent throat, before it secreted it all over my viewport. Was it trying to digest me? Was that how these things fed? How strong were its stomach acids? Were they strong enough to-
The window cracked.
My heart skipped a beat.
“No… no, no no…”
“Grayson, what’s wrong?!”
“They cracked the window… S-Sheila they… oh God… oh fuck, they just…”
“THEY DID WHAT?”
“It’s secreting some sort of enzyme… it’s on the window, it’s… FUCK… I’m gonna die… I’m gonna die… I’m gonna die…”
“You’re not gonna die, baby! Just… just keep ascending, okay? You’re at 30,000 feet… just keep going…”
I nodded, and kept on rising, although the question of whether or not the rest of the creatures were trying to digest the other parts of my submarine floated through my mind. How much damage could The Tempura take before it imploded? How much longer did I have? The submarine still continued to rise… 25,000 feet… almost halfway home… almost… almost.
The creature outside of my viewport slithered along the glass, searching for a better area to try and digest. Past him, I noticed a few of his companions dropping off. Maybe the change in pressure finally was getting to them?
From the corner of my eye, I suddenly noticed a flashing light. A warning. The hydraulics on one of the Tempura’s arms were shot… what else was damaged?
I checked my oxygen levels. 32%.
I should’ve had at least 14 hours of air. I’d only been down there for about 6 hours… I shouldn’t have been this low.
31%.
No… no, no, no, no… they’d damaged the air tanks!
30%.
29%
“20,000 feet!” Sheila said. “You still with me, baby?”
“Y-yeah…” I said. I didn’t mention my air situation. I didn’t need to worry her further.
The submarine continued its ascent.
15,000 feet.
24%. I was running out of time.
The creatures still clung to the Tempura. How had the pressure change not killed them yet? My oxygen was dropping faster than before. I was hemorrhaging air. Another crack formed across my viewport. I let out a little, involuntary gasp before trying to force myself to stop hyperventilating.
“Grayson, what was that?”
“I-it’s fine…” I stammered, “It’s fine!”
“Grayson what the hell is going on down there?!”
“They’re still on the submarine… they’re still…” I paused, looking at my oxygen levels. “19%...”
“19% of what? Grayson what’s going on!”
I paused.
18%.
“Air… I’m… I’m losing air…”
“That’s fine, you’re going to make it!” She said, although I heard her voice cracking a little. “You’re gonna make it!”
I didn’t answer.
12,000 feet.
11,000 feet…
My oxygen level continued to drop.
15%.
14%.
12%.
9,000 feet.
The creatures still clung to me, as the submarine continued to rise. The one on my viewport was still there, slowly crawling along the glass again. I stared into its eyeless face and swore I was looking at the face of my killer.
7,000 feet…
Oxygen had dropped to 9%. It dropped to 8% before I even got to 6,000 feet. I was going to die here…
The viewport cracked again and I squeezed my eyes shut. The submarine rocked. I was sure one of the thrusters had been damaged. My ascent slowed.
“Grayson, what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry Sheila…”
Another crack spread across my viewport.
“I’m… I’m not making it back up…”
“YES YOU ARE!”
“I’m sorry…” The tears started to come as the reality of my death became clearer and clearer… this was it.
“YOU’RE COMING BACK UP, YOU HEAR ME! GODDAMNIT, I’LL BRING YOU BACK UP!”
“I love you…”
That creatures face pressed against the glass. It vomited more of its stomach acid onto the cracked glass, and I wondered if this might finally be what broke it. Part of me hoped it would be… the one good thing about dying this deep was that at least I’d die quickly. My suffering would be over. Then, the creature suddenly pulled back, twisting and writhing violently. I saw other shapes moving past it in the water, other ‘mermaids’ that had been clinging to the submarine.
Something was agitating them.
Something was scaring them off.
Then I heard it, over the radio… whale songs.
“What the hell…?”
“Grayson, are you still there?!”
“I… they’re finally breaking off. Sheila, what did you do?”
“I’m broadcasting some of the orca recordings we’ve been using. Are they still clinging to you?”
“No! They’re backing off! I… whatever you’re doing, keep doing it!”
The submarine kept rising.
5,000 feet.
4,000 feet.
4% oxygen.
I could still do this, right?
The submarine continued to rise.
3%.
3,000 feet.
2,000 feet.
2%.
1,000 feet… so close… I was so close…
I could almost see the surface through my viewport, rushing up toward me. I tried not to breathe. Tried not to move. All I did was hope.
500 feet.
I closed my eyes.
“Grayson we have your signal, we’re coming to pick you up!”
Sheila’s voice sounded so far away as my submarine finally breached the surface of the water… and with the last of my strength, I pulled the emergency release on the hatch, and threw it open, taking in lungful after lungful of fresh salty air.
I didn’t dare so much as touch the water beneath me… but I was topside again, and in the distance, I could see The Burger!
“We see you!” Sheila said, “We’ve got you baby… we’ve got you…”
“I see you too…” I said through the tears. “Thank you… thank you…” I didn’t have any words left in me after that.
As soon as I was back on the ship, I collapsed into Sheila’s arms, breaking down into tears as I clung to her, terrified that at any moment, some sort of unspoken other shoe would drop and I’d lose her all over again.
“Shh… it’s alright baby… I’ve got you… you’re safe… you’re safe…” I felt her fingers running through my air and I knew that what she said was true.
I was home.
I was safe.
***
I left my colleagues to review the data that the Tempura gathered during its short expedition. As far as I know, they haven’t published anything. I have a few ideas as to why, but I’ll keep those to myself. Let’s just say that some people would rather this information not become public.
I have a feeling that the Tempura may not be diving again for some time, if ever. I will confess that I do consider that a bit of a shame. Despite everything… I would consider it a success. It endured far more stressful conditions than I had expected, and from what I heard, required fewer repairs than I’d thought it would. But, even if it was approved for another dive, it wouldn’t be me piloting it. No. I will never be setting foot inside of that machine again, nor will I ever be returning to what my colleagues have been quietly referring to as ‘The Jenner Trench’.
I can’t.
Every night, I wake up crying after dreaming of pale shapes outside of my cracked viewport, clinging to Sheila and sobbing. I can’t put myself in that situation again.
I can’t.
Instead, I think I’m going to spend the next few years on solid ground. There’s a teaching position available at a local university. I think that might be the best place for me right now. Who knows, maybe I can help some other deadbeat discover a passion for marine biology.
After everything, my love for the sea remains unchanged… I’m just a little more wary of it, these days.

I had unprotected sex around maybe 4 months ago, never had any huge problems and my partner got tested after and came up with nothing. But I’ve noticed Fordyce spots that developed on my shaft recently, every week or so one will kinda become red and look more like a pimple, usually I squeeze them and nothing ever comes out and the red dot usually goes away within a few days, does this sound like something to be concerned about? Can Fordyce spots randomly flair up and become red?
I’m a very paranoid person which is why my partner got tested Becuase the Fordyce spots showed up not long after we had sex or at least that’s what I’ve decided in my mind since I don’t remember seeing them before, nothing seems to match up with any std I have seen.

Generally I don't have people in remembered dreams.
And even the ones with people, they are "movie extras"
I have dreams where I'm flying a Cessna 150 or Piper Cub down the street, a few feet above cars, barely between cars and powerlines, but I don't notice people.
A dream where I fly by force of will through my high school, but if there are people, they are vague obstacles to be avoided. One was so vivid that I had to try it the next morning. Didn't work.
One where a faceless person dragged me under a wide doorway while 40 foot chunks of yellow painted 5/8" steel rod fell from a distant ceiling. Later there were large payloaders scooping up rubble, includeing rods with impaled but still screaming and crying victims into big dump trucks.
One where I am trying to stop a flood of finger paint in red, yellow and white (white finger paint? Why?) It moves slowly knocking down trees like lava. No people.
The one exception is the one where I am facing my mom who is about to slam me into a door. I see this from two points of view at the same time: From young me looking at her from about 2 feet, and older me, standing a couple feet behind and to the right of my mom. He/I know what is about to happen. She will setp back on her right foot, raise her arms, half bent, push forward. The heels of her thumbs will rest in the hollows on the front of my shoulders, and she will push HARD, younger me's head snaps forward, his/my shoulderblades hit, then our head, We see stars and we feel the breath knocked out of us. We slump to the floor. All this without a sound.
This sequence doesn't happen in the dream. It's all what He/I know is about to happen. And we know we have to keep silent. If we make a noise we get extra helpings.

I’m not too sure if this is the right place to post this. Hell, I don’t know if anyone’s even gonna see it. I want to start this off by saying that this story isn’t to be taken lightly. I don’t want you to read this and try to copy what is done, instead take it as a warning. A warning to never play this game, a warning I wish I had gotten before I made that mistake.
I lived almost my entire life in the middle of Delaware, if you forgot that was a state I wouldn’t blame you. In my neighborhood there were 3 kids I always played with everyday. Kyle, Jimmy, and Seth. Our houses were close enough to each other that we played together whenever we had the chance.
We did all the typical things a couple 13 year old boys would do. Swimming in the local pool, going to the Walmart and buying nothing, or just hang in one of our basements and being jack-asses. It was almost a Disney-like childhood. Sleepovers were nothing new for us, I think we had one almost every weekend. What was new was not having any parents there to watch us.
Seth offered to host the next one and included that his parents were gonna be gone for the night. They were staying down at the beach and told Seth it would be fine for him to invite us over. Fine for him, not so much for the rest of us. I think me and the other guys pleaded and begged our parent’s multiple times to let us go.
Our parents knew each other and trusted us but the idea of 4 pre-pubescent boys being alone in a house was any parents worse nightmare. Somehow, by the grace of god, they agreed the night before. After all this time, I still wish they had denied us. Maybe things would have ended differently.
I wanna tell you about the events that happened that night that changed me into who I am. It changed my life and every families that was involved in it. This is the night I played Hide and Seek with my friends.
“Hide and Seek? Won’t that get boring with just 4 of us?” I asked suspiciously as I took a handful of Doritos from the bowl on the table. It was about 10:30pm when Kyle suggested we play a game so we could try and stay up later.
“Yeah man and besides, we have an Xbox.” Jimmy pointed out. Seth came walking down the basement with some sodas in hand, almost dropping the cans
“What are you guys talking about? You better not be thinking of touching my controller with your greasy hands Jimmy, not after last time.”
“It was an accident! I got you a new one.” Jimmy responded before chuckling a bit.
“No guys, I saw this on the internet a few nights ago. We have to try it.” Kyle said. He almost sounded like he was pleading with us.
Kyle was always the kind of kid to believe in spooky things. Ghost, werewolves, demons. You name it, Kyle probably believed it. I remember one time he somehow got us all to go in the woods with him during the winter to look for dog people that a YouTuber said was out near us. We all got the flu after that.
“Oh god, another one of these? Is it gonna be like that dog thing again?” Seth chimed in.
“It’s not like that, this one is real. I promise dude.” Kyle seemed genuine about it. I almost felt bad as the other guys called him stupid for it.
“Alright man, we try your game for a bit. Then if it’s a bust, we play Xbox.” I suggested. Kyles face lite up as he got some paper out of his bag.
“Who said you were in charge of deciding when to play my Xbox?” Seth questioned. I just shushed him as Kyle got some more stuff out of his bag. Candles, lighters, a knife. I would have hated to see what would happen if we said no to his idea.
“Alright, first. We gotta turn all the lights off. Not a single one can be on during the game.” We looked at each other before we went off to get the house started. I had been in Seth’s house almost as much as mine but there’s strangeness to it when the lights were all off. We got back to the basement where we found Kyle lighting the candles and placing them on the ground around the paper. As we sat around him I could see some words on the paper. “Ready or Not, here it comes”
“What’s that for?” I pointed as Kyle placed the last candle down.
“That’s to start the game. I saw these Indian guys play it and they said you have to start the game just like this or it doesn’t work.” Kyle answered as he slowly pulled the knife up and turned to face us.
“Now, we have to cut ourselves.”
“Like Sarah from home room?” Jimmy chuckled
“I thought that was a rumor?” Seth remarked as he leaned towards Jimmy
“Guys! Focus! Just a small prick on your finger. Then you put it on the paper.” Kyle demanded as he slowly pressed the knife tip into his finger
“This feels very, extreme. Is this safe to play?” I asked, seeing Kyle whence as blood slowly pooled on the top of his finger
“I think so, the guys seemed like they were having fun when they did it.” He held the knife towards me next, the guys watched as I reluctantly took the knife and plucked my finger. I did encourage us to play this for Kyle sake, I couldn’t chicken out now. The other two did the same, Jimmy had more tears then the rest of us but when he finished he handed the knife back to Kyle.
“Now?” Seth asked, rubbing his finger on his Pokémon pajama bottoms.
“Now, repeat after me.” We all listened to Kyle and repeated
“ 1, 2, 3. Ready or not, come find me.” We stared at each other. Silence filled the basement as our eyes kept darting to see if anything happened.
“Do you hear that?” Seth whispered We listened as the most quiet fart escaped him. He fell on his back and laughed. Jimmy joined him and so did I. We laughed and laughed, I looked to see if Kyle found it as amusing but was met with sadness. He looked almost heart broken, I knew he lived for these kinda things and for it to not work most have broken him. I moved to him and smiled
“Hey, at least we didn’t have to sit out in negative degrees to get results this time huh?” He smiled slight back
“Yeah I guess you’re right. I don’t know how those guys made it look so convincing.”
“CGI probably, my dad says that’s how most things are done like that.” Seth said as he got up to go turn the light back on. Before he hit the switch, a loud thud filled the room. I’ll never forget the look on his face as he rushed back to the floor where we were all sitting.
“W-what was that?” Jimmy whispered to me. I didn’t know what to say until Kyle reluctantly chimed in.
“It’s him, the seeker.” We sat still as another thud could be heard. Like it was right above us.
“What the fuck dude? S-Seth? Did you invite someone else over? Duncan or Josh maybe?” Jimmy was frantic with his questions as his eyes filled with tears.
“No, it’s him.” Kyle answered before Seth could respond.
“Who?” I asked
“The seeker. The person who plays the game with us.”
“Well tell him we don’t wanna play anymore.” Seth demanded, making sure to keep his voice down.
“We can’t, they said he plays until everyone is found.”
“What do you mean until we’re found?” I asked, I kept looking at the stairs. My brain was trying to wrap around what was happening while also trying to keep reason in it.
“It’s like hide and seek. We play until we’re all found or he can’t find us.” Kyle answered
“Ok, let’s go get found so the game can be over.” Seth tried to stand before Kyle pulled him down.
“No, we don’t wanna be found. Bad things happen if we’re found.” Kyle looked at the carpet as he said it. The thud got louder, almost like it was searching the house.
“Ok, ok. Then we should just stay down here right? If we hide down here it won’t find us….h-how long do we have to hide man?” I stuttered as I waited for Kyle to answer.
“I…I don’t know.”
We sat there in silence, thuds and crashes from upstairs made the silence somehow louder. I had wished it was all a prank. Seth and Jimmy loved pulling those and Kyle was usually the target for them. But I knew it wasn’t that, I knew this was real. I don’t know how it was but at that moment there was something upstairs, tearing the house apart trying to find us.
We stayed like that until Seth finally spoke “Let’s run.”
“What?” Kyle mumbled out, his face covered by his hands. Tears were rolling down his cheeks.
“Let’s run, the doors not to far from the basement entrance. We unlock it and run to a neighbors.” Seth looked for nods or any sign of agreement. Jimmy nodded and I slowly shook yes. I looked at Kyle, grabbing his leg and squeezing it.
“Come on man, we’re definitely faster than it. We’ll be out before it even sees us.” I smiled at him.
He looked up and slowly smiled, nodding. We all slowly moved to the base of the basement stairs. Looking down into a dark basement is scary, but looking up into a dark house is another whole kind of fear. I don’t know how long we took going up those steps but it felt like ages, we were slowly ascending into what could be our end. Seth held the doorknob and just stared at it. I knew he didn’t wanna be the one to open it, to potentially be the one to see what ever it was that was on the other side. I scooted around Jimmy and slowly turned to knob.
The door silently opened, the house was almost pitch dark. The only light we had was from the moon herself, shining into the windows and illuminating the destroyed house. He quietly but quickly moved towards the front door. I peered into the living room to see the chairs and couches turned upside down, some side table doors ripped off they hinges.
“Hurry up man.” Jimmy urged Seth on as he fumbled slightly with the deadbolt. I looked to see Kyle slight behind, close to the basement door. I moved over to get him ready to run
“Let’s go Kyle, we gotta get-“ I almost finished my words as I watched his face turn from scared to horrified. I turned slightly to see Jimmy on the floor crawling away from the door.
I’m not sure even after all this time how to describe what we saw that night. I had wished it was just a man. Some man that was in the house with us but it sadly wasn’t. The best I can try and give a description is to think of a Picasso painting. It had a crookedness to it. Its arm jagged and legs crumbled as it towered over Seth. Seth didn’t move, he didn’t try and fight. All he could do was stand there and look up to see its eyes peering down at him. It picked Seth up and like a rag doll threw him into the living room. A mean and disgusting noise came from his body as he hit the wall of the fireplace. I quickly got Jimmy to his feet and Kyle to snap out of his gaze. Me and Kyle ran to the bathroom as Jimmy made his to the kitchen. I locked the door as I tried to catch my own heart from jumping out my chest. “J-Jimmy? Where-“
My question was shortly answered as I heard Jimmy whimpering and crying outside the room. I unlocked the door and peaked out the crack. I watched “it” linger its way towards him and all I could hear was wet sounds. I quickly shut the door and relocked it. My mind didn’t really process what had just happened in what couldn’t have been more than 3 minutes. My two friends I had been with almost my entire life were gone, just like that. I sat on the cold tile floor as I listened to the thudding from outside. My breathing was dull as I looked to see Kyle shaking by the toilet. I slowly moved my self over and gave him a hug. I knew what he was thinking, I knew the horrible things he was saying to himself in his mind. I didn’t know how to tell him that what was happening wasn’t his fault. I’m not sure that even now I could find the words to tell him that.
“We’ll be fine, we just gotta stay here. It won’t find us.” I tried to reassure him.
“No, it will find us. We can’t stay here.”
“Kyle, Seth and Jimmy are dead. We can’t go back out there and run. I don’t know why we thought it would work.”
“No we…we…I need to get to the basement.” Kyle said, he looked up at me.
“Why? It’s a dead end there. It will-“
“Maybe, I can try and end the game. Rip the paper up…something, I don’t know.” I didn’t know what to say.
On one hand it was the only idea we had besides hiding and waiting to be found. On the other, I couldn’t bring myself to put that hope in his mind. To encourage him just to watch as it fails, He knew this as he came to his own conclusion.
“I’ll go down there, and you head for the coat closet. If it doesn’t work I’ll run back up and I’ll head there to hide with you. Ok?” He nodded to himself. I just stared at him as I nodded back slight. We stood up and slowly unlocked the door. It wasn’t anywhere we could see, which made it all more frightening. We slowly made our way to the basement door
“Good Luck” I whispered to him. He smiled and went our separate ways in the house. I quickly got in the coat closet that was almost directly in front of the basement door, and Kyle made his way down stairs.
That was the last I saw of Kyle, it wasn’t long after I heard loud thudding outside the closet door that quickly went down the stairs. All I could do was sit there, and listen as I heard the silent screams and the pounding of flesh over and over and over again. Soon the hits became more wet, and the screams became more silent.
I sat in the closet and accepted my fate. I slight covered myself with a fallen coat as I heard the thudding move around the house. It was only a matter of time before it got me, before it ripped the door open and I would be met with its horrifying figure. I looked out the slits of the closet door and saw the moon light shining through the windows.
I’m not sure when I fell asleep or even how I did. My body must have been so exhausted that it decided sleep was more important than survival. My eyes slowly opened to see daylight peering though the house. The night was gone and the day had come to save me. Although I was relieved I still forced my eyes shut. The small amount of what I saw was enough to make me do it. I saw the closet door was open, I didn’t wanna have them open as it might slowly peer from the corner and look at me. I didn’t want my last image to be that. I just kept them closed and covered my ears. And then I felt it. Thuds.
I could feel the thudding get closer, closer, closer. Two hands grabbed me, this was it. My flight or fight kicked in and I started to fight. Kicking, hitting, screaming. Anything I could think of I was doing.
“Calm down son, calm down. You’re safe.” Those words hit me like a wall, a calmness I hadn’t felt since the day before came over me. My eyes slowly opened to see the face of a young man kneeling in front of me, his hands holding my arms. He was a police officer.
“It’s gonna be alright.” He reassured me again as he slowly brought me to my feet. He walked me out of the closet and faintly said “Keep your eyes down kid, I’ll lead you out.” I think he said it more for himself, cause I knew what he didn’t want me to see.
Seth was laying in the living room, he’s body bruised from the impact with the wall and his bones broken.Jimmy was on the kitchen counter, multiple wounds and slashes were found on him. Kyle…I’m not sure what really happened to him. The reports on his body never came out. I just know I’ll never forget those sounds from when I hid in the closet.
Seth’s parents moved away almost immediately after the incident. Just left, didn’t take a single thing from that house. It was later taken down, I guess no one wanted to live in a house where something like that could happen.
I saw Jimmy and Kyles parents every once and awhile when I walked around the neighborhood. They would give me small smiles and waves and I would return them back. No more, no less. After high school I moved away for college, my parents knew why and never argued that I should stay closer.
That was a little more than 15 years ago. Few weeks back my dad called to tell me mom had passed away. He offered if I wanted to stay at home for the funeral, stay in my old room. I hesitated. I thought of that night every day for the past 15 years, never really bringing myself to wanna be back in that neighborhood. I refused and opted for a hotel a few miles away in town.
And that’s where I am now, in my bed writing my tale. I want you to take it as a warning, cause as I write this I know I’m not alone. It’s here, it’s in the closet of the hotel room. I can just make out its outline. It’s crooked legs crouching to fit inside, its arms slight poking out from some clothes, and its eyes staring at me. It knows I see it, and it knows I’m writing about that night. I’m not sure why now it decided to finish the game from all those years ago but here we are. Once I finish and close my laptop, it will kill me. My father will have to bury his son just moments after burying my mother.
I say this again, this tale is a warning. If I could I would go back and tell myself to never play that game. I would tell my parents to never let us have that sleep over. I would do everything in my power to stop that night from happening, to be able to save my friends. So please, I beg and plead to you, don’t play this game. Cause if you do, whether your ready or not…
He’s coming to find you

There's a saying in the horror genre, they always say it's all in your head or it's all a dream, but my recent experience was neither of those, it was very real, and almost cost me my life, I used to be a night person, staying up from 12am to 3am, and I would take walks on occasion, but never again after what happened a couple weeks ago.
So one night, I decided to go for a walk during 12am to clear my mind over a fight I had with one of my ex friends, I walked down the small suburb near my town, I knew the town like the back of my hand, once I got to the park, I saw something that wasn't there before, a tall 18ft statue with red hair, big pupils and barely visible irises, a wide grin, and the statue had it's hand raised, like it's welcoming the guests of the park, I walked past the statue and I swear, in the corner of my eye, I could see it staring directly at me, but when I turned to look, it looked back ahead, I was getting weirded out already, so I decided to head back home.
I decided to take the long way home, near the grocery store and up the hillside road, once I reached the top of the hill, I started hearing some sort of footsteps, booming footsteps, like a giant or big creature, I shrugged it off to be my mind playing tricks on me, but oh boy... It wasn't my mind, once the footsteps got closer, I groaned in annoyance and turned around, expecting to see nothing or a crazy person, but it was neither of those, it was the statue, slumped down to my level, staring directly at me, I slowly backed away, scared shitless, then what happened next made my skin completely pale, it's mouth opened, still maintaining that smile, and I saw teeth... Razor sharp teeth, at least 3 rows of it, this thing wasn't a living statue... It was a legit monster, it suddenly screeched at me and I knew I had to start running, so that's what I did.
I could hear the booming footsteps of the creature growing closer and closer, I was scared for my entire life, running as fast as my legs could take me, suddenly I was pushed by the creature, which led to my arm getting scraped against the pavement, I groaned in pain and held my arm tightly, I looked up at the towering monster, as it planned to eat me alive, but before it could, my arm hit a rock that was beside me, with no time to lose, I grabbed the rock and yelled at the monster. "Asta La Vesta bitch!" I threw the rock at the monster, hitting it square in the face, it roared in pain and fell back, now's my chance, I ran back to my house with all the energy in my body remaining, once I entered my house, I locked every entrance of the house so the monster wouldn't break in.
I slumped onto the couch, out of breath, tired, and thirsty, I had time to think to myself. "What the hell was that thing, why did it attack me?!" I said to myself, I looked at my now bleeding arm from the pavement scraping, I sighed, got up, and headed to the bathroom, quickly though because I heard the creature's booming footsteps, once I got done patching myself up, I went to the kitchen to get a can of diet coke, once I did, I heard thumping on the window, I was scared to look, but a sudden bang made me, trembling, I turned to the window, and of course, the monster was there, still maintaining that sinister smile, it simply waved at me, then walked off into the woods, I quickly closed the curtains and hid in my bedroom, not coming out till daytime.
Once the sun beamed through my certain, I felt a little relieved, then took a 30 minute nap, once I woke up, I had a news report notification, my instinct was to ignore it, but the contents of the news report made me stop myself, the image was the monster, laying on it's belly, blood on it's skin, the article headline read "Statue Of Park Found Bleeding And Laying Behind The Grocery Store." After I read the whole article, I heard a knock on the door, hesitant, I went to check it out, I noticed a piece of paper near the door, I assumed it slid it underneath the door, still hesitant, I picked it up and read what was on it, it only said 4 words... "Bow To The Silencer..."
I will never be a night person ever again...

I just watched the episode where luffy fights grount (the guy with the red gorilla arm) And the end of the episode was talking about seeing a sanji flashback on how hes gonna go talk to his dad I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE SECOND FINAL STRETCH OF ONE PIECE (That being said i miss enel so much, i wanna see him come back crazy strong)