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50 Times People Spotted Inception Happening In Real Life And Just Had To Document It
Something that you have to know about me, Pandas, is that I’m a geek, through and through. From books, movies, and TV shows to anime, manga, tabletop top games, and video games, I’m a fan of it all. I love exploring new worlds and immersing myself in adventures. Video games, especially, have been an important part of my life since I was a kid, helping spark my interest in storytelling and the fantasy genre as a whole. For me, they were—and always will be—gateways into someone else’s imagination that help expand my own. So when it comes to discussing games and anything related, I know a little something.
One of the most satisfying things that you can encounter in any video game is the sense of wonder and shock you get when the situation takes an unexpected turn. Say you just defeated a really difficult boss after having seen the GAME OVER screen flash at you a dozen times. You’re euphoric. You punch the air. You’re the best! That’s when your smile fades, as you realize, the boss is getting back up and has another health bar. Cue some epic music, the fight’s far from over.
This is where the r/2healthbars subreddit comes in. An online community of nearly half a million members, the online community documents bizarre, funny, and odd examples of the so-called ‘2 health bars’ phenomenon. It occurs when you think you’ve defeated a video game boss only for it to start a new phase with another health bar. Scroll down for some of the sub’s best pics, upvote your fave ones, and remember—don’t you dare go hollow, dear Pandas.
Bored Panda reached out to pop culture, entertainment, and lifestyle expert Mike Sington, from Hollywood, to hear his thoughts about why certain photos and posts go viral online while others get left by the digital wayside. "In my experience, there are three main reasons why a photo goes viral: uniqueness, humor, or cuteness. But even with one, or more than one of those qualities, luck and timing are still required to drive a photo across the internet," he explained to me. Read on for some more great insights from Mike, including how there's only one way to be truly original on social media.
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Fish Mascot Has More Layers Than It Seems
In Mike's opinion, bizarre photos can make us stop our scrolling and do a double-take. "Weirdness, or uniqueness, is one of the driving forces behind internet popularity," he told Bored Panda.
He noted that there's an over-saturation of content online and many of us can feel like there's nothing new to be seen or experienced on the internet. "In a 'seen it all' world, seeing something you’ve never seen before, tends to really pop and grab attention," Mike said.
The Dog's Ear Is Another Dog
Grandma And Grandma
According to Mike, if we want to be original, we can't pander to anyone else, which is thoroughly exhausting. Instead, we must focus on who and what we're truly like. "There’s only one way to truly be original on social media, and that’s to be authentic and just be yourself. Be confident in knowing there’s only one you, let your own original content speak for itself," the LA-based expert shared with Bored Panda.
"Trying to outcompete the competition and chase internet popularity, is just going to lead to frustration and burnout. If you’re not having fun while you’re posting, and your content seems inauthentic, you’ll lessen your chances of going viral. 'Do you,' and let luck and timing control the rest."
Chain Link Icicles
This Man Was Born For This Job
A Ship Shipping Ship Shipping Shipping Ships
Though things might seem clear and simple, r/2healthbars isn’t focused on content that is simply a photo of two identical or very similar things next to each other. The subreddit’s mods explain that at the core of the subreddit lies the idea of transformation.
“We are about one thing that exists, that thing gets defeated, that thing has a physical or perceived transformation, and that thing, after this reveal/transformation, reveals a second layer of life (a new health bar),” they explain. Or, as they summed things up: “One item, four steps.”
Currently, the subreddit is home to just over 494k members. The community has grown to such a size in just over 4 years, since having been founded in late March, 2017.
For any fresh-faced redditors who are thinking of joining r/2healthbars, you should definitely have a thorough read through all of their rules. The moderators have even typed up a handy wiki with various clarifications. It’s detailed and will most likely help you get settled in quicker.
Today My Boyfriend Accidentally Broke The Ear Off Of His Dog Statue, Which He’s Had For Twelve Years, And Discovered Another Smaller Dog Inside… I Have So Many Questions
It's A Me
Painting Nature
Naturally, all the content that you share on r/2healthbars has to be relevant to the subreddit. However, there might be some confusion about where exactly the line lies between photos that fit the spirit of the community and images that, for whatever reason, fall short of this.
The moderators stress the fact that all of the photos need to have a “physical or perceived transformation” that then reveals a second layer, aka “a new health bar.” Duplicates of the same thing don’t technically count as being in line with r/2healthbars.
Clock
This Tree Has Been Adding Layers Of Another Tree Every Year
The People Of Walmart
What you need to focus on is a single thing, one item that transforms, not two items that are independent of each other. “One layer of life can't exist at the same time as the other, one has to be defeated,” the mods explain.
Even though something might be ironic, like two coffee shops of the same brand being next to each other, it doesn’t automatically mean that it’s worthy of r/2healthbars. The subreddit has a neat list of things that might sound like they fit the spirit of the sub but should be avoided.
Cute²
This Town Hall Has A Mascot Of Itself
How Are They Already On The Textbook If They Are Posing For It
Things that should be avoided include: someone or something holding a thing that is holding a thing; two people wearing the same thing, pictures of a thing next to itself, a sticker under a sticker, a mask under an identical mask, or a camera attached to a camera. Unfortunately, doors behind doors also don’t count!
As the subreddit has grown to quite a size, the moderators have started taking a different approach to what kind of content they let through and which posts they remove. Currently, they’re focusing on increasing the number of high-quality photos and filtering out low-effort and/or low-quality content.
Someone Tried To Break Into An Auto Parts Store Near My House
Cockatwo
4 Health Bars: The Abyss Watchers
“Content posted on our subreddit should resemble something new and original. It's low effort when you have posted something that is comparable to, but is not as good as, already existing content on the subreddit,” they explain.
If something looks dull, unappealing, or generally brings the quality of the community down, the mods have the power to remove it. “In this past year, this sub has grown in size. No longer are the days when literally all the posts were about ‘seeing double’ of something. In fact, we are trying to move forward from that kind of content. In the past, we didn't remove low-quality content because that would ultimately kill the sub. Now is the time for change,” they explain their reasoning.
Japanese Mascot Kumamon Putting His Face Through His Own Cutout
This Candle Which Makes A New Candle From Its Melted Wax
He’s My Step Son
Some examples of low-effort posts include: double-labeled items, boxes in boxes, packages in packages, glasses over glasses, double notebook covers, smaller versions of fruits and vegetables inside one another (alas, a favorite of mine), and anything food or drink-related. Screenshots of any kind also don’t count.
Mandarin Double Time
This Ducks Beak Looks Like A Duck
My Aging Shift Knob And A Perfectly Good One Lurking Underneath !
Which of these photos did you enjoy the most, dear Readers? Have you seen anything recently that would be a perfect fit for r/2healthbars? What’s the most surprising video game boss fight that you’ve ever encountered? Share your thoughts below. Oh, and if you’re curious (and a small spoiler warning here), I’m a huge fan of what happens with the Guardian Ape boss in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. I think there’s hardly a better example of a boss that’d fit the r/2healthbars sub!
Pumpkin Skull In A Pumpkin Face
When An Enemy Splits Into Several Small Enemies Instead Of Dying
Ready For Some Serious Walking
They're Evolving
Found This Hammer In The Airbnb I'm Staying In. I Was Intrigued To Discover It Rattled. Then I Discovered The Extra Health Bars!
Triple Snail
Apple-Ception
This Apple Has An Apple On It
This Mouse Gave Birth
Toilet Paper Mitosis
Hard Boiled Rock
Cookies On Cookie
This Second Window Created By Ice
Though This Place Was Closing But It Was Just Entering Phase 2
This Tree Has A Second Later Of Different Bark
Incognito
"Take That Ridiculous Thing Off"
Bottle Of Rum Within A Bottle Of Vodka
Thy Lover Is Thyself
Pulling Up The The Flooring In My Porch To Reveal More Flooring
The Room Before The Final Boss Where The Game Lets You Stock Up
My Headphones With An Adapter Actually Already Had The Correct Piece Screwed Under The End
Burburguer
This Car That Has A Smaller Car Inside It
Looks Don't Matter, It's What On The Inside
A Case For The Case
Next I want to see “50 times BP blatantly repeated posts from other articles”
BP is a content aggregator. It's what they do. Gather up content into lists. Much like buzzfeed, if one author doesn't check similar posts from other authors, things get repeated.
Load More Replies...Why are there so many repeated stuff? Are they Bored Panda's inception too?
Next I want to see “50 times BP blatantly repeated posts from other articles”
BP is a content aggregator. It's what they do. Gather up content into lists. Much like buzzfeed, if one author doesn't check similar posts from other authors, things get repeated.
Load More Replies...Why are there so many repeated stuff? Are they Bored Panda's inception too?