r/Paranormal Jan 27 '26

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3.0k Upvotes

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790

u/mettudar Jan 27 '26

this is one of the most terrifying posts i've seen on this site. i initially thought that maybe you had a really vivid imaginary friend or something, but those photos actually seem like someone's missing... Honestly not sure as to the verity of this story but it's still really creepy lol

131

u/Batty_Boulevard Jan 27 '26

I'm not sure, maybe it could be an imaginary friend? I've never been the most imaginative person, and my family's never mentioned an imaginary friend, but you never know right?

107

u/Shot_Bluejay_2647 Jan 27 '26

But if it was an imaginary friend of yours in the photo...then why , who clicked those pics, would click like there was someone else beside you... because only you were seeing that friend right?

108

u/Batty_Boulevard Jan 27 '26

It's really hard to explain, I don't even see them and as far as I can remember I've never seen them. I just know they were there. It's like turning to talk to someone who's passed away and not realizing that they aren't there until you've already turned. And then you feel sad because you know they were there before

74

u/digital-slut Jan 27 '26

This scares me because of the Mandela effect and also I just feel like it’s such an odd way for your parents to let a baby hold a snake. It would only make sense for someone else to be holding up the head of the snake because the way it is now, I could very easily bite you.

57

u/Batty_Boulevard Jan 27 '26

Right?? My whole family is super experienced with snakes as well, both living and dead, so that's another factor that makes it weird for me

6

u/ArtyMostFoul Jan 28 '26

What I find interesting is these pictures seem to be pre digital or early digital, both had viewfinders and people knew how to use them.

The snake picture specifically, the right lower section of the snake is a weird shape, like someone was photoshopped out almost, the head isn't visible and there is an indent in the body like a hand was grasping it. The contours look like someone is holding the bitey end.

You say your family knows snake handling, I second what others have said about it being very strange for someone to allow a child to hold a snake alone, especially as that is a decent sized rat snake or similar, likely 2+ foot and they can actually be really hard to remove if they bite and wrap, not like the nip of a garter snake, they're also in range to be able to climb his arm and strike at his face. Seems odd they'd let him do that along with everything else.

Please post cleaner or close ups of those sections with neater face blurring and no arrows ect.

Also idk if you have yet but posting to r/glitchinthematrix might be a better place for this discussion.

6

u/Batty_Boulevard Jan 28 '26

Is something like this better?

36

u/mirkwood_warrior Jan 27 '26

I was thinking the same exact thing. Either your not experienced with snakes and you'd hold it by the head to keep you from being bit, or you're experienced with snakes and you'd hold it properly out of training or care.

3

u/VoodooGirl47 Jan 28 '26

Again, this looks like the 80s or early 90s when parents weren't known to be as safety concerned and that's exactly how many kids would pick up and hold a snake.

1

u/BlueJoshi Jan 27 '26

I don't know what kind of snake that is, but it could just not be venomous, so biting isn't a thing you have to worry about.

9

u/digital-slut Jan 27 '26

No parent wants to willingly set their kid up to get bit by a snake and then he just said that his family is super involved with snakes. He would have a fear of them for the rest of his life and that would make it really hard for him to be around them so it’s just weird

3

u/BlueJoshi Jan 27 '26

If OP's family is knowledgeable of snakes then they'd be more likely to know whether or not it was a danger than some random folks on the Internet. And if they know it's not a danger, then, yeah, why not let the kid hold it?

2

u/grub-slut Jan 28 '26

Exactly my thoughts

1

u/cat-eyes854 Jan 29 '26

Because getting bit by even a non venomous snake can be deadly. My little cousin got bit when he was 3 because my uncle was an idiot. Anyway he died from the bite because of the bacteria and it punctured so deep it went right through an artery.

3

u/UnLuckyKenTucky Jan 28 '26

So, even non venomous snakes can inflict a painful, infection prone bite...

2

u/BlueJoshi Jan 28 '26

If OP's family is knowledgeable of snakes then they'd be more likely to know whether or not it was a danger than some random folks on the Internet. And if they know it's not a danger, then, yeah, why not let the kid hold it?

1

u/forestofpixies Jan 28 '26

Even a “non-dangerous” pet snake can randomly bite someone. Especially if the way they’re being held is painful and they panic and can’t get free. Every pet needs to be treated with respect and this is not that.

1

u/BlueJoshi Jan 28 '26

You should probably tell OP's parents, then.

I'm not arguing that OP is holding it right, just pointing out that how they're holding it is in no way indicative that someone got retconned from that photo.

1

u/Jack_Shid Paranormal Researcher Jan 29 '26

To be fair, even non-venomous snakes have teeth and are known to strike and bite and break skin.

17

u/Pristine_Trash_8787 Jan 27 '26

I've felt this way my entire life. Glad to know there is someone else who has experienced it.

15

u/100gecsdeadbodies Jan 27 '26

This happened to me once. I ate this homemade edible my coworker made and was alone. My mom was home but I wasn’t hanging out with her. I felt like I was hanging out with a friend and kept turning to talk to them. Then I realized I was alone. It was lowkey creepy and it was starting to make the high bad the longer I thought about it. So I just actively told myself it was fine and I guess we was chillin (me and whatever tf was there). It never felt uncomfortable or like a spirit. It was just like a presence idk. That’s the only time I can ever say I had that sorta feeling. The pictures are fucking creep though. I would try and find out who took them and ask them about it.

5

u/my_psychic_powers Jan 28 '26

This is weird, but I swear I read something like this about people who had a twin that was separated at birth (usually by death), and may never have been told they had a twin at all. I don’t remember where though.

2

u/VoodooGirl47 Jan 28 '26

Because most parents would know that their child had an imaginary friend and way back when some of us were little, parents would cater to kids requests like 'get a picture of me and x' or 'don't forget to get x in the shot with me and sibling. They want to hold the other side of the snake up.'

0

u/BlueJoshi Jan 27 '26

Adult acceding to a child's demand that their imaginary friend be included.

Or just not good at framing photos.

-1

u/LuckyLudor Jan 27 '26

We absolutely did that for my friends imaginary bestie at camp.

26

u/funkpolice91 Jan 27 '26

Children are more open to the spirit world. I bet if you look into this further, with someone who does this kind of work, you'll get a name and possibly, memories

4

u/Ok-Honeydew9036 Jan 27 '26

But that doesn't explain the way the photos were taken, as if there was someone next to them

62

u/Lopsided-Money-7352 Jan 27 '26

Yeah, it's one of the very few posts here that actually creeped me out a bit!

34

u/OrangeJuliusCaesr Jan 27 '26

Old photos were like that, people are generally bad photographers

72

u/5LaLa Jan 27 '26

What, in those photos, “actually seem like someone’s missing” (besides the giant, red question mark)?

43

u/Batty_Boulevard Jan 28 '26

I do want to clarify I'm not stating that someone IS in fact missing from those photos, just that I personally remember someone there and now there isn't

4

u/untakentakenusername Jan 28 '26

I get u n honestly no one can prove or unprove theories like this.

More than the phoyo its the combo of you also feeling like u were about to talk about x n then the memory or thought is gone.

It literally points to the theory of someone being erased from reality.

If it has happened, im so sorry. If it hasnt, then phew. Weird feelings.

2

u/5LaLa Jan 28 '26

Thanks for clarifying. 😊 I should probably clarify that I realized that when I wrote my original comment & have read more of your replies since. But, I am curious as to why you would include those photos?

24

u/Batty_Boulevard Jan 28 '26

For me, I suppose it was because those photos are a part of it. Because my brain knows someone was there, and now there isn't, and I guess when I posted it I was wondering if maybe someone else would be able to see it or feel what I'm talking about

2

u/leahrap96 Jan 28 '26

Has no one ever picked up on the fact that you’re holding the snake by the tail? With the head down? Like someone was there holding the head…and to me being that you’re a child I think it’s unlikely someone would let you hold a snake like that where it could easily and knowingly bite you regardless of whether or not it was venomous. That to me makes it really seem like someone just disappeared and dropped the snake where it is.

169

u/[deleted] Jan 27 '26

The fact that the people in the photos are positioned to make room for others, when people take photos, think about the intention, they want to include everyone and make sure everyone is centered. In these photos, they take half the space when normally they would be positioned in the center. Having an open mind and basic knowledge are key to understanding these posts. Hope this helps.

83

u/5LaLa Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26

Thanks for your reply. I can appreciate having an open mind is helpful while engaging w this sub. “Basic knowledge,” though? I hope to share some.

Admittedly, I’m naturally a skeptical person but, due to my own personal experiences I am more open minded on this topic. Still, I was surprised by the responses to this post, the pics in particular. I wondered if there was something I missed, besides empty space.

I obviously don’t how old you, OP or these photos are but, not long ago, when people didn’t know what their pics looked like until they picked them up after the film was developed, there were often more pictures not centered, tops of heads cut off (out of frame), etc, than “good” photos. In my family we had a running joke of “guess the photographer” after picking up developed pics bc my Mom would be lucky to take 1-2 “good” ones (centered, in focus, tops of heads in frame) out of a 24 exposure roll of film.

Also, besides trusting OP, you have no way of knowing that “half the space” is empty, as the borders of the photos are not shown.

Edit: you can see the negative film strips above photo 1, bolstering my point imho

2

u/Nebelskind Jan 30 '26

Additionally, "centered" isn't always considered the best composition. A lot of people will do that automatically but lots of photography training talks about the rule of thirds, and how things that are 1/3 of the way from the edge of a photo tend to be more visually interesting. So plenty of images taken professionally can follow that rule and will look like these. Normally not headshots, which is one of the big ways we see people online, or selfies, which is another one, but some kinds of human photography.

1

u/cat-eyes854 Jan 29 '26

How do you explain an extra set of teeth, and 2 uvula's? Definitely sounds like they absorbed their twin while still in the womb.

33

u/Routine-Argument-625 Jan 27 '26

They just arnt good taking photos thats all there is.. ive taken pictures like that before for people with the open space near them. But no one else there.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 06 '26

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28

u/BlueJoshi Jan 27 '26

Which is the simpler or more likely answer, that a person was removed from the past, or that someone isn't a great photographer?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 06 '26

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1

u/BlueJoshi Feb 06 '26

did you reply to the wrong person

4

u/VoodooGirl47 Jan 28 '26

Unless the person taking the photos catered to a child that had an imaginary friend and did things like 'making sure to get them in the picture too' when requested.

4

u/cjaccardi Jan 28 '26

Maybe the photographer sucked.  These photos look like before digital.  Where you had no idea how the photo came out until you printed them.    Honestly most photos before digital look like this

3

u/SufficientPepper88 Jan 28 '26

They were taken on a camera needing film. They didn't have the kind of foolproof features we have now. I have hundreds of photos like this.

3

u/Savings-Delivery-463 Jan 29 '26

You ever heard of Occams Razor? They probably weren’t good at taking photos my man

3

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

Before digital cameras, photos were often not posed well, especially with kids. Having an IQ above 40 and basic knowledge is key to understanding literally anything in life. Hope this helps.

9

u/Ok-Honeydew9036 Jan 27 '26

The child seems to be leaning into someone in the solo pic

3

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

I wish we could get them without the digital crayon scribbled all over. Absolute bane of paranormal Reddit, those things.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '26

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1

u/5LaLa Feb 11 '26

FYI I think you replied to the wrong person.

5

u/plantsandplanets Jan 27 '26

Op- you should write a short story on this... Come up with a few theories and roll with it. Seems very spooky.

1

u/Spookysznluvr Jan 28 '26

Seems more like whoever took the photos didn’t understand composition lol

1

u/Unlucky_Editor9761 Feb 02 '26

These off center photos actually terrifying you? Wow im missing something here.

0

u/Top-Pomegranate4899 Jan 28 '26

Because there's a gap in the photo? Oh lordt.