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Archived link

EU ambassadors agreed on Wednesday (9 October) to give Ukraine up to 35 billion euros as part of the bloc's share in a larger planned loan from the Group of Seven nations (G7) backed by frozen Russian central bank assets, a statement from the Council of the EU said.

[...]

All of the EU's sanctions on Moscow must be renewed every six months via a unanimous EU vote. But Hungary, with its Russia-friendly stance, has repeatedly tried to block sanctions and measures to help Ukraine, and could halt a renewal.

Hungary - which holds the six-month rotating EU presidency - does not want to discuss any possible extension for the regime holding the assets until after the US election in early November.

The European Commission proposed extending the renewal period from six to 36 months but Hungary did not table the proposal during envoy discussions, EU diplomats said.

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cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3629367

Chinese authorities are seeking to intimidate people from China living in Japan who take part in activities critical of the Chinese government, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Chinese government’s harassment of people from China, including those from Xinjiang, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia, and their family members back home, appears aimed at deterring members of the diaspora from protesting against the government or engaging in events deemed politically sensitive. The Chinese authorities have also sought out diaspora members to provide information on others in Japan.

Chinese authorities appear to have few scruples about silencing people from China living in Japan who criticize Beijing’s abuses,” said Teppei Kasai, Asia program officer at Human Rights Watch. “The Japanese government should make clear to Beijing it won’t tolerate the long arm of China’s transnational repression in Japan.”

[...]

Most of those interviewed said that the Chinese police have contacted them or their relatives back home, pressuring them to end their activities in Japan. Several provided logs of messages from the Chinese social media platform WeChat, recordings of video calls, and CCTV footage that corroborated their accounts.

One person said they stopped participating in any politically sensitive in-person and online activities after receiving a call from Chinese authorities in 2024. Another who initially agreed to be interviewed later decided not to participate out of fear that Chinese authorities would retaliate.

[...]

A brief exemplified summary:

  • Several ethnic Uyghurs from Xinjiang said that Chinese authorities contacted them through their relatives back home.
  • Several people from Inner Mongolia involved in promoting language rights and peaceful self-determination for Inner Mongolians, an ethnic minority, said that Chinese authorities had contacted them, often through their relatives back home.
  • A person from Tibet who promotes Tibetan culture in Japan said that when they went to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo to renew their passport, embassy officials told them they needed to return to Tibet to do so. -A person from Taiwan previously involved in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activism in a third country said the Chinese embassy sent them multiple invitations to “retrieve important documents.”

[...]

A person from Taiwan previously involved in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activism in a third country said the Chinese embassy sent them multiple invitations to “retrieve important documents.”

[...]

In recent years, the Japanese government has become increasingly vocal about the Chinese government’s human rights violations, including raising the issue with Chinese officials, and with resolutions in parliament to monitor the cases.

[...]

The Japanese government should recognize the threat posed by the Chinese government’s repression of Chinese nationals abroad, and help protect their basic rights by establishing a system for residents in Japan to report such incidents, Human Rights Watch said.

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As reported by Bloomberg Law, the class action complaint accuses the Assassin’s Creed publisher of sharing personally identifiable information (PII) with Facebook company Meta.

According to the complaint, players who use the Ubisoft website to buy a game on the Ubisoft Store or use it to subscribe to Ubisoft+ are having their PII sent to Meta through its Pixel user tracking software.

“Defendant does not disclose on the website that PII users’ personally identifying information would be captured by the Meta Platforms, Inc tracking Pixel utilised by defendant, and then transferred to Meta, thereby exposing the subscribers’ PII to any person of ordinary technical skill who received that data,” the complaint reads.

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to eat Ramen after - that's happiness <3 Momotoko

feeling really,

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I've just read about ClubsAll in the Fediverse Report and did some digging. It seems to be another Threadiverse service federating with Lemmy and others.

While I always welcome new platforms into the fediverse, there are some weird things with this one.

  • It isn't open source, but the developer mentioned on ProductHunt that they want to open source it in the future.
  • You can't run your own ClubsAll instance at the moment
  • They want you to join their Discord, but wouldn't it be better to have the conversation around it on ClubsAll itself? I've found a ClubsAll Community on ClubsAll but it only has two posts from 10 months ago without any comments or upvotes.
  • Their main search bar is just a Google search
  • They want to finance it through paid accounts, awards and donations according to their about page.
  • According to their privacy policy they collect interactions with the content, like voting, bookmarking and reporting to improve and personalize the website and to develop new products and services and for marketing and promotional purposes.
  • I haven't found content that originated on ClubsAll yet, apart from c/ClubsAll. All I'm seeing is content federated from Lemmy communities.

For me there are some red flags in there, like closed source code, paid accounts and data collection for marketing. But, correct me if I'm wrong.

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So I recently got an e-reader and have started collecting e-books for it, but a lot of books seem to only be available through Amazon/Kindle. I don't want anything to do with that company. Where do I even start looking? I have my local library apps and have scoured Project Gutenberg and some similar sites. While this is great for classics and older stuff, I want newer books too, specifically science fiction and fantasy. Have looked at author's websites but they typically link to Amazon or physical copies.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/21203152

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A new report says Unity is cutting around 1,800 jobs, or about 25 percent of the its employees, according to a regulatory filing and internal company memo obtained by Reuters on Monday.

This is reportedly the largest round of layoffs in the software company’s history—far larger than what happened in November of last year—and it will be completed by the end of March. Unity has gone through three prior rounds of layoffs within the last 12 months.

“We are … reducing the number of things we are doing in order to focus on our core business and drive our long-term success and profitability,” interim CEO Jim Whitehurst wrote in an internal memo obtained by Reuters. The memo was sent to all Unity employees on January 8.

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It was tricky to capture the freeze frame, this chunk had some zip to it!

Link to CNN video in HD, context, and other hurricane reporter bonks: https://deadline.com/2024/10/anderson-cooper-hit-in-face-debris-hurricane-milton-1236112112/

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Regeringen har præsenteret en plan om at reducere offentlig administration med 1.000 årsværk, men besparelserne rammer ikke kun statslige administrative stillinger. Eksterne organisationer som Cabi, der hjælper udsatte grupper i job, står til at miste deres årlige bevilling på 10 millioner kroner, selvom de ikke er en del af staten. Lignende besparelser rammer forskningsinstitutioner som Aarhus Universitets Center for Rusmiddelforskning og organisationer som Danske Ældreråd, der mister deres driftstilskud. Flere ledere og eksperter udtrykker forundring over, at de er inkluderet i regeringens spareplan, især da deres arbejde ofte understøtter de formål, regeringen ønsker at fremme. Kritikere påpeger, at regeringen skærer på områder, der har stor effekt på socialt udsatte og andre vigtige samfundsproblemer. Besparelserne sker i lyset af, at antallet af administrative medarbejdere er steget markant i staten de seneste år, hvilket regeringen ønsker at adressere.

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/bohemiancouchpotato on 2024-10-10 03:38:46+00:00.


Everything was completely normal until last year. We had what felt like a totally typical marriage. I remember the night things started to get weird because it was right after our 5th wedding anniversary.

It was a regular day working at the bank when I got a text from my wife. A text from her in the middle of the day was not unusual, but what the text said was definitely not like my wife.

“Hey babe, I had an idea for something new we could try when you get home;)”

Now, don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to get this text in the middle of my workday. I think any man would be ecstatic at a text like that, but I was having a hard time getting too excited because something about it felt so off. My wife has never been the kind of woman to send a message like this, let alone want to ‘try something new’. She is a very shy and to herself woman.

The day moved at a snail's pace as I anticipated what my wife had in store for me. I tried not to overhype it in my head. I prepared myself to find a baked good or something when I walked into the house. I fully believed she didn't mean to send a winky face.

Not to say I would have been disappointed with whatever she had in store, I'm not much of a wild guy myself, but a little spice never hurt anyone…right?

When I pulled into the driveway I was surprised to see most of the house lights were off. I suspiciously unlocked the front door to see my beautiful wife standing facing away from me in the doorway to the bedroom. My happiness from seeing her quickly grew into confusion when she didn’t turn around to look at me when I walked in and said her name. She would normally run up to me and give me a big hug. In the past, my wife has always been the sweetest person I've ever known. For her to not run up and give me a hug and a kiss was strange.

I made my way inside after waiting a second. Trying to be as loud as possible in the hopes she would suddenly notice I was home and look at me. I got closer and noticed she wasn't moving other than her soft breaths.

I was standing right behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, sweetheart. Um, are you okay?” right as I got out my words she jumped around to face me with a giggle and smile.

“Ha! That was so funny! Did I scare you?” She said while covering her mouth in an attempt to hide her toothy laugh.

“Yeah, I guess you really did scare me,” I replied with a nervous chuckle. “So was that your special surprise you talked about?”

“Of course not silly! That was just the beginning of the fun.” She remarked with a smirk and a wink.

She grabbed my hand and led me into our bedroom. Under normal circumstances, I would have been over the moon about it, but her scaring me just before leading me into the bedroom felt so off-putting. Did she think this would turn me on somehow? Did one of my buddies reach out to her and tell her to do this? All I knew was that I was not interested in whatever romantic endeavors my wife had planned. I never thought I would say that.

As we got to the bed, she pulled back all the covers and told me to lie down. I honestly felt like telling her I had a headache or something, but it was clear she had been thinking about this all day and I really didn't want to discourage my wife from initiating things in the future.

My mind was spinning with thoughts of what she might do next but she did something I didn't expect. She put the covers back over me and tucked me in. I was both relieved and more confused than ever. She gave me a soft smile then in one fast motion fell to the ground like a sack of wet hammers. I intuitively sat up and leaned over the side of the bed to make sure she was okay and was only met with the ends of her long brown hair peeking out from the bottom of the bed.

“Hey Katlyn, why are you hiding? Can you please come out? I’m not a fan of this game you are playing.” I murmured in a tone trying to not sound freaked out. I was only met with the sound of a muffled giggle.

I sat in bed for the next 10 minutes trying to tell her to stop. It went from polite asking to begging, but the laughter didn't stop. After my begging didn't seem to work, I got the courage to get out of bed and look beneath me. As soon as I put my foot down she grabbed my ankle.

“What the hell Katlyn! This isn't funny. You have fun here, I'm sleeping on the couch.” I slammed the bedroom door behind me and curled up on the living room couch. I could still hear her laughing from the joke I seemed to miss.

It was so hard to sleep that night. The image of her hair barely peeking out from under the mattress really stuck in my head for some reason. It took a while but I finally fell asleep.

The next morning I was up for work a couple hours before her so we didn't get the chance to talk. I had to go into the bedroom to get my clothes for work so I peeked under the bed to check on her. She was sleeping peacefully on her stomach and I tried not to wake her.

It was a long hard day at work. I wasn't really feeling all that scared anymore, more so worried for my wife. I wasn't sure how I could help.

Around 10am I got a text from her.

“Hey Emmett…I'm really sorry about last night. I have a lot of explaining to do once we both get home. Can we talk over some pizza?”

I felt so much better after reading those words. It might seem insignificant, but my wife hates pizza so whenever she is willing to eat it with me I know she is putting in the effort.

It was the end of the day and I headed home looking forward to some pizza and some time with my hopefully back-to-normal wife.

I walked through the door and was relieved to see my wife setting the table and putting down a pizza box. She heard the door shut and ran to give me a hug and a kiss. I really felt like I had my wife back.

“I'm so glad you are home. Sit down, sit down, I got pizza from your favorite place down the road.” She said as she pulled a chair out for me to sit down.

We were both quiet for a minute or two after we both sat down. I don't think either one of us knew how to start the conversation. Just as I was about to speak up, she started to talk.

“So I know last night was weird. I just got really insecure after hearing a few of my coworkers talk about the things they do with their partners and I was worried you thought I was too boring. I know I can be shy and don't like to do anything crazy and started to feel guilty for not doing more with you. I wasn't entirely sure how to even go about it or what you would like so I just went for it. I understand now how I went wrong. I'm sorry I just don't know how to do this kind of thing” She said as if she had rehearsed it many times in her head.

“Why would you ever think I was bored of you? I don't need any of that wild stuff. I married you for a reason. You don't need to try to be something you're not. I love you for who you are.” I said as I grabbed her hand. She took a deep breath and looked at me with watery eyes.

“I love you too, thank you for being so understanding. I really want to make it up to you.”

“That's very kind, but the pizza is enough for me.”

“No, I'm really serious. I did some more research and found a few good ideas.” She said as she put her hand on my thigh.

I was so torn at that moment. I was terrified from the night before, but it seemed like she learned from her mistakes. Sure, it was an incredibly strange mistake to think scaring me would get me in the mood, but she is extremely sheltered. That's what I was trying to tell myself. I knew deep down something was still wrong and I should just say no, but I think many people can understand how your body can go on audo pilot in moments like this. At this point, nothing was going to stop me and I'd give every excuse in the book as to why it was okay to let her do her thing.

Just like last time I was led to our bed. She made me lay down and immediately put my hands over my head into handcuffs and put a blindfold on me. My heart was racing at this point. I was terrified but human nature was taking over and it could not be overridden.

Right as she put the blindfold on me, she stepped back and I didn't hear her move. I was expecting her to do something to me, but nothing…

I laid on the bed feeling more exposed than I ever felt possible. After a couple minutes, I heard the floor squeak and it confirmed that she had been standing right by the bed the whole time. I felt like I could feel her eyes staring at me. It was practically burning a hole in my skin. I heard the light switch flick off. Now I really couldn't see anything.

After a few moments of anticipation, I felt her fingertips graze the sheets near my sides. Then by my feet, just barely missing any part of my body. I started to maybe get hope again that I shouldn't be scared. Sure, this wasn't what I had in mind, but she was new to this. I was very wrong. That was the last moment I had hope for my wife. This was teasing. This was torture.

I was soon met with the sound of her scraping her fingernails against the walls like a wild animal. She moved around the room scratching anything she could find, along with a brief giggle here and there. It was like she was silently moving from corner to corner. I would hear her make the awful scraping then it would stop for a second. Then I would be jumpscared by her doing the same thing in a different spot.

It made my skin crawl like I had a million little bugs crawling on the inside of my skin. I wiggled violently, ...


Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1g0a1nd/my_wifes_obsession_is_scaring_me/

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Hobosam21 on 2024-10-10 02:56:59+00:00.


previously

So I’m at the call center, I’m by myself for now. If you read the last part you know things were getting out of hand, it sounds like they might be under control for now. And if they aren’t, I’ll be here to take your calls and send help.

Dean had been staying at my place off and on lately, Allyson and I were working nights at the call center and he was pulling night shift at the police station.

The three of us were growing steadily more exhausted, the call volume was through the roof. Dean was going out to violent crimes daily. It was wearing us out.

Things came to a head Wednesday night. You see there’s this taco truck that parks a few blocks from my house. Allyson and I were tired of our own cooking so we got dressed up and walked to Angels truck.

I was no stranger to his menu but Allyson was confused, “so what kind of food is this?” I didn’t understand her question, “what do you mean? Like is it authentic Mexican?”

She shook her head, “no like what is a torta or casa or carne?” “Allyson have you never had Mexican?” She looked embarrassed, “no I guess not”.

So we had the sample platters.

On the walk back we saw him, he was behind us but approaching fast. His seven foot tall stature easily visible, he pushed his way past people in his pursuit of us.

Before we had a chance to run a siren whooped right next to us, tires screeched as Dean came to an abrupt stop. He jumped out of the car and quickly placed himself between us and the lumber jack from hell.

“Hey! Stop right there!” To his credit the lumber jack obeyed. Dean rested his hand on his service gun, “ok now slowly lower the ax and place it on the ground”.

The man’s presence was so intimidating I hadn’t noticed the weapon in his hand. The blade was as large as my head and was polished to a mirror like finish.

The lumber jack looked at the ax than back to Dean. He shook his head and stepped forward. Dean raised his voice, “HEY! Hey back up right now!”

The man ignored him, “come on man! No one needs to die today!” the lumber jack was nearly on top of Dean.

Dean swore, he let go of his gun and drew his Taser. He fired it into the lumber jack who stiffened and grunted in pain before grabbing the leads and ripping it from Dean’s hand. Dean stumbled forward and the lumber jack swung a giant fist into his head.

Dean flew back, his skull bouncing off the pavement. He was bleeding but managed to roll over, the lumber jack kicked him in the ribs sending him flying. He landed in a crumpled mess, Dean looked up at us then threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Get out of here!”

In two enormous steps the lumber jack was at Dean’s side, he swung his giant ax! It caught Dean in the chest knocking him clear across the street and out of sight.

I grabbed Allyson’s hand and we ran, when we got to my house the lumber jack wasn’t far behind.

I knew it wouldn’t do much but locked the front door anyways. The gun was upstairs, I had stupidly left it on my nightstand. I rushed to the bottom of the stairs but froze, there was footsteps running across the second floor. Someone was in the house!

Allyson grabbed my arm and pulled me back, “there’s someone up there!” Just then I heard a crash at the front door, an ax head was poking through it. In the distance I heard sirens but they were minutes away and we had seconds left to live.

Allyson opened a door behind me, the basement door. “Abso-fucking -lutely not!” I yelled but she pulled me in with little effort.

The door closed and we were bathed in darkness. We fumbled down the stairs until we reached the bottom and turned on our phone lights.

Allyson went deeper and I hesitantly followed. I doubted this would buy is enough time for the police to arrive but it was better than dying instantly.

That’s when I saw it, an old door propped against the wall. I think it was my houses original door, I just know I never tried to remove it from the basement because it was heavy as can be.

Allyson walked up to the door, she gently traced its perimeter. Light suddenly engulfed us, we both looked up to see the lumber jack at the top of the stairs.

We were cornered.

Allyson grabbed my hand, with her other hand she opened the door. The door that was leaning against a concrete wall. The same door that I had moved out of my way in the past. She opened it, and on the other side was brightly lit forest meadow.

Allyson shoved me through just as that giant ax struck the concrete wall next to the door. I flinched at the shower of sparks. Allyson jumped through the door as well, as she was closing it I saw a second figure at the top of the steps. I couldn’t be sure but it almost looked like Jordan.

The door closed and the air instantly felt different, there had been a strange hum to it before. Now it was calm, almost therapeutically so.

I couldn’t bring myself to care about the weirdness that had just happened. I just wanted to take a nap, but Allyson kept pulling on me.

“Come on Kylie, you can’t stay here. We have to get you back”.

Man did my head feel light, I couldn’t really stand. Is this what huffing markers feels like? I knew I was being led somewhere.

“Focus Kylie, you can’t be here”.

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Allyson you nut, of course I can be here. Where ever I am is here so I’m always here no matter where I go”. Clearly this truth was so profoundly obvious she had to be able to see it.

Allyson yanked my hair, like the little ones on my temple. I opened my eyes, how long had they been closed? Why did Allyson do that? It hurt!

Was that a circle of flames floating in the air?

I hit the ground, way to much feeling rushed into every inch of my body. Before I could stop myself I puked all over the ground.

“fuck!”

Everything hurt, another convulsion racked my body and I dry heaved a couple times. Even my eyes hurt.

Allyson was leaning over me looking concerned. “Are you ok?” I shook my head, hell no I wasn’t ok.

“What just happened Allyson? I feel like I got turned inside out, and where are we?!”

I didn’t recognize our surroundings, we were clearly in some sort of forest but how did we get here?

“That’s normal” Allyson replied, “it will all fade shortly. But we should figure out where we are and start moving”.

My head was still too fuzzy to bother pressing her for answers. And not a nice fuzzy but more like having been kicked in the face by a mule fuzzy.

I did have the wherewithall to pull out my phone, I had service. My first thought was to call Dean but then I remembered what had happened.

Instead I went to Google maps, we were in the Darkwood Park. It looked like there was a gravel road not horribly far away. I mentioned as much and we decided to head for it, we needed backup. I tried calling 911 but there was no answer.

I didn’t get a chance to try any other calls. My phone shut off on me, typical for this area. Everyone knows you don’t take electronics into Darkwood Park.

Allyson dropped into a crouch, I followed suit. “What is it?” I whispered. Allyson looked hesitant to answer, “you should stay here Kylie. There’s something I need to do, it could be dangerous and you’ve already shown me so much kindness and I can’t bear the thought of you getting hurt”.

I put my hands on my hips, “Allyson what are you talking about? First of, if it’s dangerous I will most certainly not let you go alone and secondly what aren’t you telling me?”

There was that aura about her again, nothing that could be picked out. Just a difference, like she wasn’t coded right. That’s when I saw the concrete building behind her, it was nearly invisible but I could see a key pad on it.

“There really isn’t time Kylie, just know that I’m thankful for all that you did”. She stood and started towards the little concrete shed.

I grabbed her hand stopping her, “I’m coming with you. And that’s final”. She pulled her hand free but didn’t argue.

As we got closer I could see the concrete building was just ten by ten with a slanted roof also made out of concrete. The door was thick steel but Allyson typed in a code and it opened smoothly. Inside was almost completely dark, the only thing the building contained was a staircase that spiraled downward.

Each step had a dim light illuminating it. I glanced at Allyson but she was already starting the descent.

A lot of things weren’t adding up, “are your parents really in Europe?” I asked in a whisper. Somehow whispering felt required.

“Yes but not in the way you understood it. I never lied to you, but I did conceal the truth when I felt it was necessary”.

I thought that was a pretty bullshit excuse and told her as much. She didn’t disagree.

“So what are we looking for?” We had reached the bottom of the stairs and were facing another door. “Records, I need to remove information before I can go home. I honestly thought I could get away with living here but it’s just not possible as long as they know I’m here”.

Her answers were getting more and more annoyingly vague. “That’s not much of an answer Allyson”.

She sighed and turned to me, “Kylie I’m not going to tell you everything. It would be counterintuitive if I did. Just let me know if you see computer things”. I was a bit miffed by her reply. I felt like she owed me some answers.

We walked the dark quiet halls of the underground labyrinth for an hour. We found multiple rooms of unknown uses but none that held w...


Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1g09b3l/im_a_911_operator_and_some_of_our_calls_are/

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Correct_One1695 on 2024-10-09 19:13:26+00:00.


I’m not sure how many of you remember a children’s show called The Goodnight Friends Show. It aired sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s—I can’t recall exactly when, but I remember the times I’d sit on the carpet in front of the TV, completely glued to it. I’ve tried asking people about it recently, but every time, I’m met with blank stares. It’s like no one remembers this show ever existed. That’s probably for the best.

At the time, it was supposed to be a fun, simple puppet show for children. I was young, maybe 5 or 6, and my parents would let me watch it in the evenings before bed. The show was built around four puppet characters—Mr. Tickles, Lucy the Lamb, Dandy Duck, and the lead character, Uncle Goodnight, an old man who always wore a striped nightcap and a long robe. Uncle Goodnight would gather the puppets for bedtime stories, songs, and lessons about "being good." But what I’ve come to realize now is that the lessons were always...off. And the more I think about it, the more disturbing they become.

I didn’t think much of it as a kid; in fact, I loved the show. The puppets were funny, and Uncle Goodnight had this soothing voice. But even then, there were moments when something just didn’t feel right. For example, the music would occasionally shift from playful to this unsettling, slow lullaby, like something you’d hear in a broken music box. The puppets’ laughter would drag on too long, almost becoming shrill and distorted. But it was the “lessons” that truly unsettled me.

I’ll never forget the episode where Uncle Goodnight taught us about keeping secrets.

"Now remember, little ones," Uncle Goodnight said in his calm, gravelly voice, "secrets are special, and keeping them makes you a good friend."

The puppets—Lucy, Dandy, and Mr. Tickles—all nodded enthusiastically.

"But what if someone tells a bad secret?" Lucy the Lamb asked, her wide plastic eyes staring blankly at the camera.

"Oh, Lucy," Uncle Goodnight chuckled, "There are no bad secrets. If you’re told one, you must keep it forever. If you don’t, well..." He paused, the smile fading slightly from his face, "you might lose something very dear to you."

I remember the way his eyes seemed to linger on the camera. At the time, I thought nothing of it. But now, it’s...chilling.

In another episode, Uncle Goodnight taught a lesson about “always being nice.” On the surface, it sounded like something you’d hear on any kids' show. But the execution was...disturbing.

"Being nice is the most important thing you can do," Uncle Goodnight said, his smile wide but stiff, almost forced. "If someone is mean to you, don't get upset. Don't tell anyone. Just smile and let them have their way. That's what nice people do."

Dandy Duck’s puppet wobbled over to Lucy and pushed her off a small stage they were standing on. Lucy hit the ground with a squeak, but she didn’t cry or react. Instead, she just got up, turned to the camera, and smiled.

"See? That’s the right thing to do!" Uncle Goodnight exclaimed with his unsettling cheerfulness. "No matter what happens, always smile!"

Looking back, the entire premise of the show seemed to be about obedience and silence. The more episodes I try to remember, the more I realize just how sinister the lessons were. They weren't about learning or growing—they were about control. But that’s not the worst part.

I remember one episode in particular, and I wish I didn’t.

It was close to the end of the show’s run, and by then, I had started to feel uneasy about watching it, but I didn’t understand why. Something just felt wrong. In this episode, Uncle Goodnight was sitting in his usual armchair, but there were no puppets. The set, which usually had warm, dim lighting, seemed darker, and Uncle Goodnight looked...different. His eyes were sunken in, his smile weaker, almost strained. I still hear his voice sometimes.

"Tonight, children," he said, "I want to talk to you about something very important."

He leaned closer to the camera, his wrinkled face taking up more of the screen than usual.

"Sometimes, we have to say goodbye to our friends. And when we do, we can’t be sad. We have to stay quiet and smile. If you’re really good...they might come back."

I remember staring at the screen, waiting for the puppets to appear. But they never did. Instead, Uncle Goodnight just stared at the camera for what felt like forever, not saying a word. His smile slowly disappeared, leaving his face expressionless. The episode ended abruptly after that, the credits rolling in complete silence.

After that night, I never saw The Goodnight Friends Show again. It just...disappeared. No reruns, no mention of it on any TV listings. Even the VHS tapes we used to record it on were blank. My parents couldn’t remember the show at all. No one could. It was as if it had been wiped from existence.

I’ve spent years trying to find out more about The Goodnight Friends Show, scouring the internet for any trace of it, but there’s nothing—no episodes, no fan discussions, no records of it ever airing. But I know it was real. I can still hear Uncle Goodnight’s voice in my head. I can still see his face, smiling, then not. And I know I’m not the only one who remembers.

Recently, I found an old VHS tape buried in a box in my attic. It wasn’t labeled, but I recognized it immediately—it was one of the tapes we used to record the show. I was hesitant to play it, but my curiosity got the best of me. The tape was old and damaged, but after some effort, I managed to get it working.

It was an episode of The Goodnight Friends Show, but something was...wrong. The quality was grainy, and the sound was distorted. Uncle Goodnight was there, but he didn’t say anything. He just stared at the camera, his eyes dark and hollow. The puppets were lying on the floor behind him, unmoving, their eyes wide and vacant. After what felt like hours, Uncle Goodnight finally spoke.

"You remember, don't you?" he whispered.

Then the screen went black.

I don’t watch the tape anymore. I don’t even go near it. But sometimes, at night, I swear I can hear Uncle Goodnight’s voice, whispering in the dark. "You remember, don't you?"

And I do. I wish I didn’t.

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