The internet has backed a man who is demanding his cousin gives him $1,500 in damages after her teenage daughters destroyed his game room in revenge for not getting cash from him.
In a post shared on Reddit earlier in September, under the username u/Formal-Grocery5838, the 24-year-old man explained that he has a game room in his home where he keeps his beloved Dragon Ball figure actions and other items, which he’s been accumulating since he was a child, and is now worth over $3,000, or at least it was.
Anime culture is quite popular in the United States. About 72 percent of people enjoy watching anime shows regularly in America, according to the World Population Review, making this country the second biggest consumer in the world after Japan.
The poster continued explaining that recently, two of his cousin’s teenage daughters vandalized his game room, wrecking his entire collection, just to get revenge on him for refusing to lend them money.
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However, his cousin, whom he entrusted with a spare key to his home which was the same key that the girls used to break into the man’s property and wreak havoc, refuses to take responsibility and pay for the damage incurred.
He wrote: “My shelf is annihilated, everything is thrown down and broken, all the figures are missing body parts, my dragon balls are broken, and that drawing I spent three months on finishing is cut to shreds. And some of my hoodies and shirts are gone, my capsule corp hat is gone.
“I tell [my cousin] I need her key back and tell her what her daughter did, I then let her know she owes me about $1,500 dollars over this and this is me being generous. I’ve spent well over 3K on this whole thing but I needed something back for this.
“She tells me she’ll give me the key but I’ll be seeing no money from this. I’ve banned her from my house until she pays me and she says so be it and refuses to pay me saying it’s my fault for not locking my game room door. That door doesn’t even have a lock.”
Marni Goldman, certified life coach, and author of True to Myself: Peace, Love, Marni, told Newsweek that, in life, there are moments when unfortunate events unexpectedly become blessings in disguise, and such is the case with this cherished collection.
She said: “The [cousins] dynamic sounds like it’s always been tarnished by a hostile atmosphere of bullying. Sadly, the toxicity extended to his cousin’s daughter who has become conditioned to follow in her footsteps, perpetuating a cycle of disrespect.
“Chances are, his cousin knows how emotionally damaged her daughter is, and rather than take accountability, it’s much easier to project blame. The reason for the collection maliciously being destroyed is disgusting and shows a very disturbed teenage girl.”
According to Goldman, his cousin’s rationale for the destruction of the collection is ridiculous, keeping the door locked in the game room is a classic case of gaslighting at its finest.
She added: “By diminishing and trivializing, his cousin deflects blame and shirks responsibility. As destructive as it was, this incident ultimately became a much-needed ‘wake-up call’ for him to reclaim his power and put an end to any harmful behavior. Family or not, toxic is toxic.
“You can’t put a price tag on your happiness, you can, however, protect your peace. Accept the financial loss, take the hit, and surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you, not the stress in you. This newfound awareness is long overdue and will spark a journey of self-reflection and self-empowerment.
The post quickly went viral on the platform, receiving over 7,500 upvotes and 1,200 comments so far.
One user, 2Whom_it_May_Concern, commented: “[Not The A******]. File a police report and report the loss to your insurance. If you don’t have insurance get it for future losses. A kid doesn’t get money for no reason and then destroys a ton of property and steals your s***. That kid needs help. Your cousin isn’t doing them any favors. Ffs this is an infuriating story.
“Edit: the 16-year-old helped the 14-year-old destroy and steal your property! Their mother doesn’t care? She won’t even partially reimburse you or hold her children accountable for their CRIME?!”
Gypsycat_25 said: “[Not The A******]. The 14-year-old is old enough to have to deal with the consequences of this and I would have understood if cousin would have said she can’t pay you back right away but will figure out some type of payment scheme. But the way she reacted is ridiculous! Makes me almost wonder if the money wasn’t for 14-year-old but something else.”
And Available_Bid_5320 added: “[Not The A******]- She has told you how she feels and obviously doesn’t care to raise her kids right. Send her a message letting her know she now has 24 to 48 hours to pay you back or you will be filing a police report.
“Tell her you that her and the two kids is banned from seeing and visiting you until further notice. (That way the innocent one doesn’t suffer), This is not a toddler this was a 14-year-old girl so she is spoiled and should be treated as such, no gifts nor extras for a long time and the parent also.”
Newsweek reached out to u/Formal-Grocery5838, for comment via Reddit chat. We could not verify the details of the case.
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