GagBase Logo Explore

Alternate Reality Subway Optical Illusion

This photograph is captured inside a public subway train. A young adult man wearing a light blue button-down shirt is seated on a patterned blue seat behind a younger boy, who wears a black baseball cap and black t-shirt while looking down at his mobile phone. The subway window to the right reflects the image of the man reading his book. The boy's cap aligns perfectly with the reflected image of the man's head, creating a humorous optical illusion that makes it appear as if the man reading the book is wearing the boy's baseball cap, giving the impression of an 'alternate reality' as the title references.
Make

Overview

This photograph is captured inside a public subway train. A young adult man wearing a light blue button-down shirt is seated on a patterned blue seat behind a younger boy, who wears a black baseball cap and black t-shirt while looking down at his mobile phone. The subway window to the right reflects the image of the man reading his book. The boy's cap aligns perfectly with the reflected image of the man's head, creating a humorous optical illusion that makes it appear as if the man reading the book is wearing the boy's baseball cap, giving the impression of an 'alternate reality' as the title references.

Origin notes

This meme was shared via 9Gag's RSS feed, originally published under the title 'Alternate reality'. It is an unedited candid photograph capturing an accidental optical illusion on a subway, which circulated online as a humorous visual gag.

Similar memes

This candid photograph is shot from the front of a public subway or light rail car, looking down the central aisle between two rows of blue patterned seats. Four passengers are arranged in an almost perfectly symmetrical, mirror-like formation across the two sides of the aisle: on the left front, a Black woman in a red work polo shirt sits looking down at her phone while holding another device to her ear, with a Black man in a gray hoodie behind her also using his phone. On the right front, a young white person in a black baseball cap and black t-shirt sits looking down at their phone, with a person in a red hoodie behind them holding a hand over their face. The near-identical positioning and actions of the pairs of passengers makes the scene look like a mirror reflection at first glance, which is the core humorous joke of the meme paired with the title 'Never Forget'.

Never Forget: Unexpected Mirrored Passengers On Public Transit

This candid photograph is sho…

A person identified as Iryna Zarutska is sitting on a blue patterned seat, likely in a public transport setting such as a bus or train. She is wearing a yellow short-sleeved outfit and is positioned leaning back slightly, with one hand resting near her face, conveying a thoughtful or relaxed demeanor. The background includes part of another seat and a partial view of another individual in red clothing.

Her name was Iryna Zarutska

A person identified as Iryna …

A split-screen collage featuring two distinct bus interior scenes. On the left side, a person wearing a red hoodie and long hair is standing in the aisle, raising one arm energetically next to a seated individual in a black cap and dark shirt who appears to be looking down. On the right side, another person dressed in a black jacket with a white hood is bending over a blue-patterned bus seat, seemingly interacting with something or someone in the seat. Dominating the center of the image is large, bold yellow text reading 'AGAIN?!', which bridges both scenes, suggesting a recurring or unexpected event taking place in public transportation settings.

Unexpected Bus Incidents Again?!

A split-screen collage featur…

This meme uses a forced perspective optical illusion for humorous effect. A scene from the 2011 film *Drive* showing Ryan Gosling as the Driver sitting in a car is visible through a real car window. A person standing outside the physical car has pressed their leg against the window, creating the illusion that a large, disembodied leg is sitting in the passenger seat next to Gosling in the movie scene. Gosling's character appears to look directly at the fake leg with a slightly alarmed neutral expression, paired with the title "I'd run for my life" to emphasize the absurd, unsettling vibe of the gag.

I'd run for my life

This meme uses a forced persp…

A photograph taken from behind a person wearing a green shirt seated in red stadium seats. The individual is holding a smartphone in their hands, possibly interacting with the device, while surrounded by a large, densely packed crowd of spectators. The stadium is brightly lit, with the audience extending to the far end, indicating a major live event (concert, sports match, etc.). The perspective emphasizes the contrast between the person's focus on their phone and the surrounding engagement with the live environment.

Person Using Phone in Crowded Stadium

A photograph taken from behin…

This image captures a young, heavyset boy wearing glasses, a brown hoodie, and a black backpack, making an exaggerated pouty, pursed-lip facial expression. He is positioned in an indoor public space, likely a school or building entryway, with glass doors visible in the background. His body is slightly turned, and one arm is raised in mid-motion, which amplifies the comedic, over-the-top nature of his annoyed look. This image is widely used as a reaction meme online to convey feelings of petulance, playful frustration, or exaggerated annoyance in response to frustrating situations, petty comments, or minor inconveniences.

Pouty Backpack Kid Reaction Meme

This image captures a young, …

This candid meme image shows a man in a manual wheelchair preparing to board a public city bus that has deployed its accessibility ramp for disabled access. The ironic dark humor comes from the absurd mistake: the bus's front wheel is parked directly blocking the start of the ramp, making it completely impossible for the wheelchair user to board the bus despite the accommodation being provided. The meme title 'Hell is waiting for us' emphasizes the frustrating, darkly comedic nature of this unintended failure.

Hell is waiting for us

This candid meme image shows …

This is a reaction meme featuring a close-up shot of a young adult man with short dark hair, light stubble, and a blue crewneck shirt. He is looking off to his left with a distracted, unfocused, preoccupied, and slightly dazed expression against a plain dark brown background. The meme is paired with the text 'I can't talk right now…' to convey that the user is too busy, distracted, caught off guard, or otherwise preoccupied to engage in conversation at the moment.

I can't talk right now distracted man reaction meme

This is a reaction meme featu…

This is a low-resolution candid photograph taken from the backseat of a vehicle, depicting a man with dark curly hair wearing a light gray shirt, seated in the driver's seat facing forward. A forced perspective optical illusion is created by the camera angle: the upper curve of the steering wheel aligns perfectly with the man's facial profile, making it appear as if the steering wheel is an oversized, oddly shaped nose or mustache attached to his face. The car's interior, including the dashboard, manual gear shift, rearview mirror, and the road visible through the front windshield appear in the background. The original title "Wait for it..." references the delayed moment when viewers notice the humorous visual illusion.

Car Driver Forced Perspective Optical Illusion Meme

This is a low-resolution cand…

This is a high-angle, first-person perspective photo taken from an elevated position looking down at a sidewalk next to a body of blue water. A bald, mustached man wearing a red sleeveless tank top, white shorts, and flip flops is walking along the sidewalk. He holds a black cat cuddled to his chest like a human baby in one arm, while using his other hand to push a completely empty baby stroller. The humor comes from the absurd, relatable joke of the man treating his pet cat as his child, choosing to carry the cat instead of placing it (or an actual infant) in the stroller, matching the 'me as a parent' framing of the post.

Dad Holding Cat While Pushing Empty Stroller 'Me As Parent' Meme

This is a high-angle, first-p…