"Legend" is a descriptor often associated with those who are fearless, audacious, and awe-inspiring.
Curious to hear about the people who've left quite an impression on others during high school, Redditor Nearby-Level6472 asked:
"What made the 'high school legend' become a legend?"
These legends each had their distinctive methods for attaining their status.
Mr. Lev
"Our legend was actually the gym teacher. He became a legend by getting hit by a bus, getting up, getting on the bus and asking if everyone was OK. He ended up getting fired about 5 years after I graduated because he was caught soaking raisins in vodka and then eating them over the course of the day. Never change Mr. Lev."
The Hybrid
"His last name was 'Alcock' and he ran for student council..."
"His campaign posters consisted simply of his slogan:"
"Part man...Part machine...ALCOCK."
The Brother
"My brother ran in to the statue of our high school mascot with his truck at night. Knocked the bulldog off it's platform then threw it in the back of the truck. It ended up in a pond out by our house. My brother, who was a massive wallflower in school, and never told a soul until he mentioned it to me over some beers in our 30s."
"No one ever knew who it was but it was a big deal and I remember tons of allegations, accusations, and rumors as to how our mascot disappeared. Never in my life would I have ever suspected my brother."
"Legendary in my eyes."
– Finiouss
The Hero
"When I was in 11th grade, a guy a year older than me, in grade 12, saved a grade 9 girl from being abducted by her estranged father in the school parking lot. Her dad hadn't been in her life for years and had previously tried to take her from her elementary school. This being her first year in high school, I guess he tried again. The 12th grader heard her scream as her dad tried to force her into his car and he ran over and got involved, apparently punching the dad before the dad got back in his car and sped off."
"Guy was a legit hero at the school."
– BigPZ
The Heroic Reader
"Not high school but elementary school. We had this system where if we read a book we could take a quiz online ab the book and we'd get points for how much of it we got correct and at the end of the year the students that had a certain amount of points got to go to this after school party with waterslides and food trucks and it was a alot of fun. Anyways, this buddy of mine would read all these big long hard books (they were worth the most points) and hed take the quizes, write down the answers and pass them around to other students and by the end of the year, there were ab 50 students who went to that party including myself all thanks to him. Hope youre doing alright James!"
– ThyEagle
Thief Catcher
"During gym class we noticed people's change and stuff would go missing here and there, as it was a british school with uniforms and blazers etc. Someone left their ipod recording in their blazer pocket and we caught the girl who'd been stealing our change red handed LMAO. It was so crazy bc she was like the richest kid, she was actually a semi-successful child actor who'd been in several shows."
Mudslide
"So, 'legend' in this case means f'king lunatic. He took the teacher's thermos from the back of the room, not knowing it was hers. He goes to the bathroom, with the thermos. Comes back, with the thermos. She says, 'Oh, you found my thermos! Great, thanks! Just put it on my desk.' He does, and then walks out of the room wordlessly. She opens the thermos in confusion."
"He sh'*t in the thermos."
These legends were never seen by anyone on campus, but their presence was very palpable.
The Mystery Prank
"Halfway through my last year of high school someone managed to put a ceramic toilet on top of our multi story gymnasium. I have no idea how that feat was achieved. The school staff didn't know either, nor could they figure out how to get it OFF the roof once they found it. As a result it remained on the gym for the remainder of my time there."
"I never found out who did it, but I will admire them until my dying day."
These Conspiracy Theories Are Easy to Debunk | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Virtual Arcade
"Someone installed games onto the schools server. There were a bunch of N64 emulators, Peggle, and some other games. But then there were also LAN games that could be played against anyone/everyone in the school including Counterstrike and Halo. Sometimes you'd go on and there'd be no one, other times there'd be 10v10 fight in Blood Gulch."
"It lasted at least 10 years but don't know if it has been taken down since."
He Was Untouchable
"Joe Sticka, class of 1969 at my HS. The guy didn't exist. He was created by a group of my friends as a mid-year transfer student with a totally fabricated deep background that was so smooth 'Joe' even made the yearbook with a 'picture unavailable' caption."
- BoS_Vlad
Some legends are so over-the-top, they put on quite a show.
Best Costume, To Be Frank
"It's pretty stupid but a friend wore a Walmart hot dog costume and for some reason everyone thought it was funny, started chanting hot dog kid and he won the best Halloween costume award of that year."
"Next year he wore a penguin costume and as he stepped up on stage he ripped it off to reveal the hotdog costume underneath. Everybody f'king lost it. Sadly we have a rule that you can't win 2 years in a row so while he didn't get the prize we all knew who had the best costume that day"
"That is how the legend of hot dog kid was born at my high school."
The Ruse
"In ninth grade, one of our teachers got sick so we got a sub. And this kid just starts talking in a strong Spaniard accent (like super well) and convinces the teacher he is from Spain. And he talks this way FOR THREE MONTHS. It was hilarious. And when another kid tried talking as a Spaniard too, he got really upset and accused the other kid of mocking his culture etc. Then when the year ended we had to do a presentation and our teacher who got sick came! So the kid just nodded through the whole presentation while his group mates talked. It was hilarious."
Self-Harm
"He cut his thumb off on a third floor window 5 minutes before final bell and busses. Getting all of us locked in the school of an hour as the ambulance arrived took him away and the school cleaned everything up."
Legend In The Flesh
"We had a carbon monoxide leak at my high school one day in which the entire school was evacuated to the football field. The leak was taking so long to fix, that eventually local news cameras started showing up. At about the 3 hour mark of waiting on the football field, one of the seniors ran naked across the entire length of the football field, IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE SCHOOL. He ran straight at the cameras that were pointed at the field, hopped the fence, and ran across a busy intersection... butt naked."
"One of the funniest things I've ever seen. Every single person, including the teachers, was laughing hysterically."
"Kid became a legend that day for sure."
Facing Consequences
"When I was a freshman, there was a senior on the last week of school who thought it would be legendary to streak on campus. He was 18. He was unable to receive his diploma on stage and had to register as a sex offender."
"Go Wildcats!"
"To add to this, I agree that his punishment was harsher than what seems fair. Taking away his ability to walk on stage in addition ro community service would have been better. & in regards to where this occurred, this was in a suburban high school in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles."
Hard Evidence
"Someone spread a rumor that Legend had a small pp. He responded by photocopying his Johnson and leaving the pictures on the desks of everyone in the class. He got suspended but set the rumors straights. BDE for sure."
Many young adults feel invincible, but the decisions they make can be a fine line between legendary and pure insanity.
Legends earn their reputation after engaging in ridiculous stunts. If they succeed, the status is earned. If they fail, they fade into obscurity after being laughed off or pitied.
Did you have what it took to become legend, or were you happy just being average?
Personally, I was just happy to survive what I thought was a brutal period in my life.
For me, being a survivor of high school makes me a legend in my own eyes, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
People who've had bad encounters with someone they've never met shared their experiences when Redditor Jemuzu8304 asked:
"Whats the most f'ked up thing a complete stranger has done to you?"
Drivers and passengers recall their rude interactions.
The Prank
"One time I was in south Philly and a car pulled up with two guys in it. They called out to me asking for directions so I walked over. As I was explaining where to go the dude in the passenger seat spit in my face and they sped off."
– the_humbL_lion
Willing Victim
"You just reminded me of a similarly gross interaction:"
"Years ago after a doctor's appointment, I got into my car and turned it on, at which point a small child started leaning/sitting on the hood. His heavily pregnant mother stood by doing nothing, apparently distracted by her phone. I rolled down my window, and asked if she would mind getting her child off of my car, as I needed to leave, and was concerned he could get hurt."
"She asked if I had insurance. Confused, I answered '...yes?', to which she said 'Well I hope you DO hit him so I can get some MONEY!' She proceeded to lean in through my passenger window, and started spitting on me. The kid was no longer on my car, and I desperately wanted to get away from her, so I put my car in reverse. She then hurled her pregnant belly into my sideview mirror, and shrieked in such an exaggerated way, as if I had hit her."
"I eventually found a new doctor."
– TheHaydnPorter
Unwanted Car Wash
"Stopped at a red light one time. Someone from a building adjacent to the light threw a bag of ice and water on my car, from a few stories up. Dented the roof and shattered the windshield."
"Wasn't even a nice car, I was driving a Dodge neon sh*tbox."
– IAmPandaKerman
You never know the capabilities of strangers you encounter.
The Violent Thief
"I got held up at gun point 2 weeks ago in philly 10 feet from the door to my friends apartment. They stole both our watches. My watch was given to me by my dead uncle. https://imgur.com/a/V59aebW"
– xcpain93
Hit By A Hard Object
"Reminds me of something. Some a**hole tossed a lock, like the combination type out of a car at me and hit me in the knee. I had trouble walking correctly for damn near a month."
"I always thought if they'd have stopped at a light I'd have hurled that b*tch right back."
"Good thing they didn't. I wasn't in any condition for a fight."
– Ok_Relationship_705
Moving Targets
"I also have a drive-by experience but it was with a f'king paintball gun. My friend and I were in freshmen year, just walking to the park to play some ball and with no warning he suddenly recoils and shouts in pain. I had no clue what happened. He reaches at his back and when he turns around I see a bright red paint splat on his white shirt. I look up and see the car that just passed us turns around, pulls up next to us with the kid in the passenger seat hanging the gun out window saying 'Sorry bro, I’m just so surgical with this thing,' and speeds off. Pretty hilarious story in hindsight within our friend group now, but at the time we were pissed. Luckily we got their plates and the cops showed up at their house and they got in trouble. F'kers."
– zakxk
Wrong Target
"I was about 11 and me and some friends were standing on a small bridge over a lake. All of a sudden I was picked up and thrown over the railing into the lake below. I tried to grab onto anything I could as I fell and scrapped my arms up pretty good. I still have scars 30 years later. So I swim to the side and some older kid comes up to me and just say - sorry, I thought you were someone else."
– discostud1515
Attacks happen when you least expect it.
Random Attack
"Punched me, for no reason. I was standing. Waiting for the community bus. A stranger got out of the car and punched me. I filed the Police report but nothing happen."
– Hallo-Mapskollegen
Hitting The Elderly
"My grandmother was at the movies and a guy walking up the aisle punched her in the side of the head. He told the cops he was mad because he was on a bad blind date."
"Like...great excuse to wallop a 75-year-old woman minding her own business."
– BarracudaImpossible4
The Ferrari Guys
"Had a similar thing happen when I was in Downtown Los Angeles. I was crossing the street and just came up onto the sidewalk. Some dude in a Ferrari steps out of the car, walks up to me and tries to swing on me in broad daylight. I sidestepped this dude, and he then spun to try to hit me again, calling me a motherf**ker and not to dodge. I caught him with a nut shot with my foot and doubled him over."
"His buddy hops out of the car, and another of his buddies (I assume) gets up from the side of the sidewalk and both are yelling at me, and I'm like, 'ah, f'k, I'm not ready for this.'"
"These absolute legends who had been watching all this sh*t go down just appear out of nowhere and jump these guys for me. Like, six different people from out of the woodwork. Nutshot and Scrub (Ferrari guys) hop in the car and just take off, scraping the car and taking the right side view mirror off. Their (assumedly) other homeboy gets left behind, but he tries to stumblef'k his a** away after having taken a couple of hits to the head. One of the guys who helped me jogs up and punts this dude in the side right after he falls over, doubling him up. Meanwhile, everybody else is checking on me and making sure I'm good."
"Cops show up, detain us, figure out what's going on, let us go, and arrest homie that couldn't get away. Come to find out, these guys have been doing this for weeks, and the people who helped me were local residents who had been on the lookout for Nutshot. Arrested homie later squealed, and all the guys involved got a couple of years for aggravated assault."
– feronen
My bad interactions with strangers were all random but definitely premeditated assaults.
I was mugged twice in New York City while I was typically minding my own business.
Also, while I was in Barcelona, I had a team of youths pick-pocket me and run off with my wallet containing my passport and credit cards. Fortunately, the friend I was with saw what happened and ran off after them. She sucker-punched the young lady who had my wallet, causing her to drop it.
Be careful out there, folks!
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