Try as hard as we may, we can't always hide our identities. All these apps and websites we visit, we leave a print or an essence. We can come up with creative nom de plumes but once we start to let loose on some details or write in our usual styles, our voices will be recognized. And the internet doesn't have a communication violation.
People will blab...
Redditor u/Elijafir wanted to know about those times we've come to recognize a person whose secrets we know but only from a digital meet-up... what happens in an actual face to face or when you want to tell them but can't, oh the drama.... it was asked.... Have you ever read a story on Reddit and realized you know the person in real life? What happened?Polly?
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Oh man the first one of these I get to answer and it's so lame.
I sold a baby parrot I hand raised for work to a girl and later saw her post pictures of him in a parrot subreddit.
I Concur...
I posted snow conditions on popular local trail. Someone commented and said that they are there recently and agreed with my description.
It was my husband whom I did the hike with. Hahaha. We actually know each other's username. We just don't look at first. When I was in China, Reddit was the only western app that wasn't blocked (yet), so that was how we stayed in touch.
We stay out of each other's profiles because we know that we are boring people. Lol.
I think so....
About a month or so ago a guy posted a thing saying his girlfriend believes she is a cat. He went on to explain their relationship and all her quirks and whatnot. The more I read the more it sounded like this girl I had a really complicated relationship with some years ago. Everything matched, even her age.
At one point she said something about wanting to quit her job and live full time as a cat, and I swear to god this girl I knew once said the same thing to me. The girl I knew even used to meow and mew like a cat.
I reached out to OP to see if we lived in the same area, to find out if it was in fact her, because if so i was gonna warn him about the fact that she was very emotional abusive and manipulative, but he never answered. I'm still fairly certain it's her though.
"That was me!"
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We were telling our dog walker about this crazy story from Reddit of a guy who was in the big Boston blizzard that had just happened and ran out of this rare drug used to help with organ transplants, and someone on Reddit helped him by giving him some of their same rare organ transplant drug. And he was like, "That was me!"
you'er safe....
I chanced upon my partner's nephew's account last year. He was in his early teens and really socially awkward, and I always had a soft spot for him. I knew he wasn't popular at school and was dealing with some depression issues, and he wrote about that a bit on here.
I didn't tell anyone about the account because I didn't want him to lose the privacy of this kind of outlet, but I checked it every now and then to make sure he was OK. I've seen young people get quite candid about loneliness and depression on here, and I wanted to know that he was safe, at least.
I Know You
I'm like 95% sure I stumbled across my manager's reddit account a couple months ago. There were numerous points in a post I read that lined up perfectly with things he had been talking about at work for a couple of weeks before hand, and the word use and tone matched his speaking pretty perfectly, not to mention the account name was fitting. It was super weird reading through the post and having this slow realization that it was him. I didn't mention it to him, this kind of knowledge is too powerful.
I Remember Her
I told a story of when I broke my ankle skating and one of the other roller derby girls in my team commented! We used to chat through reddit a bit as I didn't skate anymore but then last year she died suddenly in her sleep. I still have her messages and I feel weird seeing all the comments and stuff she made knowing she's gone now. Just sad.
Hey Sis....
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My oldest sister. I asked her if she had a username based off of one of her favorite bands, specified the album her username referenced, she said "DAMN. HOW DID YOU FIND ME?!" Her dog was on the front page of Awwww.
Never really went through her post history, sometimes see her commenting on stuff. She gets an automatic upvote.
The Dancer
In the Houston subreddit someone posted a picture of a belly dancer at a Greek restaurant they went to. I think they were there for their anniversary, and they really enjoyed the restaurant food and entertainment. I looked closely at the picture, turned out I knew the dancer, we had taught at the same charter School about three years before. One of her first graders had been allowed by her mother to get ice cream every day before school at 7 a.m.
Every day she crossed a major thoroughfare in rush hour traffic with her older brother. One day she ran ahead, and was hit by a school bus that couldn't stop in time, and was killed instantly. My friend was devastated beyond belief and ended up leaving education.
Well that's not weird.... I suppose.
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The reverse happened to me.
About two years ago I was diagnosed with pre-cancerous cells in my cervix, which simply put translates to I didn't have cancer yet but was going to if it wasn't handled. Thank God they found it early. I posted on reddit for a while during the whole ordeal because I wanted to reach out to others who had gone through the same thing and learn more about the procedures, etc.
Anyway, one day a friend came over and randomly asked me about it. Immediately I was confused because I hadn't told anyone about it other than my mom and SO. He kind of laughed, kind of apologized, and said he had found my reddit and read my posts about the whole thing. Like, even my replies to comments and stuff. Lots of honest and detailed things.
I mean, it wasn't a huge deal, but it was a little awkward at the time.
Shroomed...
I was browsing the sub for my city and saw an interesting post, I looked at the username and recognized it as an ex-coworker because the username is the same one they use on Instagram. Out of curiosity I looked to see what else they have posted and found out that they are really into taking shrooms. Never would have guessed it. This person was so straight laced and by the book when we worked together, I was really surprised!
Downsized...
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I came across someone I knew from high school. We weren't friends or anything, but he was a nice enough guy. Him and his wife had lost something like 100 lbs. combined. I was happy for him.
Ups and Down
Yeah I saw someone I knew on r/RoastMe and it was so awkward. I started stalking their profile only to find that they posted various memes on depression and how even though they were extremely depressed they were also very determined and wanted to live. It was a mixture of inspiring and depressing since their posts were all over the place.
Get Out
I was the opposite, I posted about my (now ex) husband and he found it. I talked about his abuse and my fears about leaving with the children, I talked about him gaslighting me and being physically abusive. He called my very Catholic dad to tell him I was considering divorce (which was advised to me by redditors and my friends) and my dad called me and told me to make the marriage work (meanwhile my dad had divorced my mom when I was 4).
I said forget this and left his butt. Best thing I ever did and regret 0% of it. Met now husband on Reddit and am happier than ever.
Leave that fool and find your true happiness (even if it means being alone).
"where's his arms"
Saw a screenshot of this tweet and in the photo was this guy I recognized as a customer from the arcade I used to work at. He has no arms (this is relevant) and was decked out in sonic clothes i think his t-shirt said something like sonic for women's rights maybe? Everyone I worked with knew him he was really nice and amazing at playing guitar hero with his feet. All the comments were saying "where's his arms" and making fun of the sonic outfit. Made me sad cuz he's so nice.
"hey, that was me"
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In my town a toddler escaped from his day care and was wandering down the middle of a busy road. He was found by a local worker, after hearing multiple people honking as they drove around the kid.
I posted to my town subreddit asking what the hell was wrong with our town that no one stopped. I got a beer with another dad and he brought up the story he read in reddit, which I had posted.
I said "hey, that was me" but the conversation just kept going. I don't think he heard.
Idiot Profile
Yeah some idiot that I was seeing briefly years ago kept mentioning reddit and certain subs so I started browsing because it sounded interesting. Came across a post that was undoubtedly him, had his car in it and wording only he'd use. I was just about to text him "found your reddit profile!" when I clicked on his username just to find a post complaining about my leg hair and saying that I don't shut up quickly enough when he interrupts me. I shut up real quick when he never heard from me again.
Are We Open?
Im only on reddit because my ex kept telling me to go on it. I was on the relationship advice page and someone had posted about being in an open relationship with (my age f) and (her age f) saying that he'd dumped one because this girl stopped wanting the open relationship and all he could think about was wanting her back, the other girl being boring and missing his now ex. Well I'm his now ex and I split with him because I found out he had another girlfriend in another city.
The Nutty One
I recently discovered an ex's reddit (we dated in 2004) and it was interesting to see his comments and posts but eventually they just stopped. Then a few months later I learned he had died. Life is short.
edit: https://www.reddit.com/user/BigGayMusic
He was a nut in 2004 - only got nuttier with time. He did a lot for me and I wish I could tell him that!
The Wholesome One
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Soon after a wedding where I was in the wedding party (and knew the wife waaaay better than I knew the husband), I found the husband on reddit.
He was so wholesome.
I knew I liked him (and that they were a good match) but that was just an extra layer of being happy for the wife for finding someone like that to be in her life.
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For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.
Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.
The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.
Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:
"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"
Serious Danger
"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."
"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."
oofboof2020
Waiting for Food
"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."
"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."
nowhereboy1964
Captain Hobo to the Rescue
"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"
"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."
FartAttack911
Survival
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"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."
faithfulpoo
These Tsunami stories are just tragic.
On the Sand
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"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."
oyloff
Be Clever
"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."
OstneyPiz
Bad Jokes
"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."
Alegan239
YOU
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"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"
PrettyLola2004
Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.
No one should talk to others in the dark though.
Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...