{"id":33,"date":"2025-02-07T05:18:37","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T05:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gqwebb.com\/?p=33"},"modified":"2025-02-07T05:18:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T05:18:37","slug":"aww-cooties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gqwebb.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/07\/aww-cooties\/","title":{"rendered":"Aww, cooties!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“Aww, cooties!” screamed Sir Scared Alot, his voice echoing through the heart-shaped-balloon-filled air. He scrambled backwards, his shiny (and slightly too large) armor clanking with every panicked step. The Princess, a vision in pink and glitter, giggled. It was a sound that could melt glaciers\u2026 or curdle milk. Sir Scared Alot was pretty sure his milk was curdling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Cooties!” he shrieked again, brandishing Pointy Stick like a toothpick against a dragon. The Princess, however, was undeterred. She advanced, her tiny, bejeweled crown somehow radiating an aura of pure, unadulterated\u2026 girlishness<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You can’t escape my love!” she chirped, her voice dripping with sugary sweetness. Sir Scared Alot shuddered. Love was, after all, a battlefield. And he was woefully unprepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He tried his signature move: the Tactical Retreat. He turned to flee, but his oversized greaves tangled in a patch of heart-shaped daisies. He stumbled, Pointy Stick flying from his grasp and landing with a plonk<\/em> in a nearby rose bush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Oh, bother,” he muttered, scrambling to his feet. The Princess was gaining on him! He could almost feel the glitter emanating from her dress, a shimmering cloud of pure, unadulterated princess-ness<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He considered his options. He could try the Classic Diversion: feigning a sudden interest in a passing ladybug. But the ladybugs here were heart-shaped, too. Everything was heart-shaped! It was a tactical nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He could try the Invisibility Potion. Except, he\u2019d used the last of it to avoid a swarm of excessively friendly butterflies. He\u2019d ended up invisible for three days, wandering lost and alone in the Whispering Woods, pursued by a very confused squirrel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Princess was almost upon him! He could see the glint of\u2026 was that lip gloss<\/em>? He gulped. Lip gloss was a weapon of mass\u2026 girlishness<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Prepare to be loved!” the Princess declared, lunging forward with a tiny, bejeweled hand outstretched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Scared Alot squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable. He imagined the cooties, swarming him like glitter-infused locusts. He imagined the forced tea parties, the endless discussions of\u2026 feelings<\/em>. He imagined\u2026 giggles<\/em>. Oh, the giggles!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then\u2026 nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He opened one eye, then the other. The Princess was standing before him, a slightly confused expression on her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I\u2026 I forgot what comes next,” she confessed, her voice losing some of its sugary edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Scared Alot blinked. “You\u2026 you forgot?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Princess nodded, looking slightly sheepish. “I was going to\u2026 to give you a kiss. But then I forgot why.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Scared Alot stared at her. This was it? This was the fearsome Princess he\u2019d been running from? A princess who forgot her lines mid-battle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He cleared his throat. “Well,” he said, trying to sound brave, “maybe\u2026 maybe we could just\u2026 call it a draw?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Princess considered this for a moment. “A draw?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yes,” Sir Scared Alot said quickly. “A mutual agreement to\u2026 to not\u2026 kiss. Or\u2026 or give cooties.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Princess smiled. “Okay,” she said. “A draw it is!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Scared Alot breathed a sigh of relief. He\u2019d faced the fearsome Princess, and\u2026 well, he hadn\u2019t exactly won. But he hadn\u2019t lost, either. And, most importantly, he\u2019d avoided the cooties. That, he decided, was a victory in itself. He retrieved Pointy Stick from the rose bush (carefully avoiding the thorns) and, with a polite nod to the Princess, beat a hasty retreat. He still wasn\u2019t entirely sure about this whole \u201clove\u201d thing. It was far too\u2026 girlish<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get Ready For the 14th<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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It’s still a bit early to have the full<\/em> details on all the LEGO Valentine’s Day offerings for 2025. LEGO tends to release these closer to the holiday. However, based on trends and some early information, here’s what we can expect, with some images of similar past sets to give you an idea:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. LEGO Icons Bouquet of Roses (10328)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opens in a new window <\/a>www.bigw.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LEGO Icons Bouquet of Roses (10328)<\/p>\n\n\n\n