If we’re being honest with ourselves, it’s totally normal to feel like the hero of your own story sometimes. Especially after navigating the slim chances and fortunate twists of fate during the pandemic, and with superhero narratives woven into our daily entertainment more than ever before, it’s only fitting to occasionally embrace that Truman Show-like sensation of being the main protagonist. However, not until the point where this notion begins to consume us.
Continuing on the #maincharacter trend that took the internet by the storm in 2021, one user asked the Ask Reddit community, “What is the worst case of ‘main character syndrome’ you’ve ever encountered?” Ranging from self-absorbed local celebrities to narcissists who treat others like NPCs from a video game, there’s a lot of fascinating answers to pick from.
#1
At my brother’s wedding, his MIL showed up in a floor-length ball gown covered head to toe with sequins and with a band of giant bling around the waist. To a simple 20-person backyard wedding where the bride wore a simple knee-length sheath dress. She was also drunk and spent the whole day showing off her new boob job. They were C’s, but she’d gone up from AA and was proudly brandishing them at everyone, including elderly relatives and kids, commenting that the bride would look so much better if she got hers done.
I bided my time until she came up to me and dramatically sighed about how sore her boobs were and said, “Oh good for you! When I got mine reduced, the doctor told me not to go down under a D. I wish I’d had the courage to get them reduced as small as yours.” She cried in the bathroom for 2 hours, and my SIL hugged me so hard I got bruises.
Image source: unlovelyladybartleby, Tamara Bellis
#2
I was in Japan back in April. We climbed up to a viewing point to see Mt Fuji. A “famous” American Tik Toker and her “ entourage” started physically pushing people out of the way so that they didn’t ruin her shot. And then she yelled “i need an Asian in the shot to make it authentic”. So they grabbed an old man and got him to take photos with her.
It was gross and disgusting
Image source: Yaseuk, Marcos Paulo Prado
#3
I was a shiftmanager at Starbucks, and an elderly woman had a heart attack in the middle of the store. I had to call emergency services and provide first aid. While doing that a barista came to me to ask if she could get another position to work at. Because she was bored of standing at the counter. This was while I was giving cpr to the woman on the floor. Then she got mad that I ignored her.
Image source: Choice_Ad6875, Chloe Leis
#4
In general, check insta, tiktok, and snap.
In terms of my real life? My mum. Holy s**t… To hear her tell it, an overweight 77 year old woman is the most desirable partner in the world. Every damn man she finds even marginally attractive and has spoken to her has been “after her for years”, and if they’re dating someone else then “that b***h is a real piece of work, let me tell you”. She has basically told me that world leaders are watching her because she is very important, and “I just don’t know”.
I can’t barely spend time with her at this point, because it’s got so much worse as she’s aged… Thankfully she has dogs that she loves so I just get her talking about them.
Image source: imaybeacatIRl, ŞULE MAKAROĞLU
#5
About a year ago. Trying to board a flight and a couple held us up so that Main Character could get a series of photos in a series of poses standing at the top of the boarding stairs like some 1960s JetSet starlet in St Tropez.
This was not First Class transcontinental glamour flight, this was a 4 hour Budget Ryanair flight from the Canaries to the UK.
After being forced into the plane by the cabin staff who kept standing in the shot trying to get the plan boarded (Ryanair do not mess around with their fast turnaround) and also by angry people trying to squeeze past boyfriend/cameraman and getting in the shot. She then proceeded to stand in the aisle during taxi for take off just after the safety brief to get more photos. After threats of returning to the terminal and being put off the flight she sat down.
Nothing says a classy instagram model like the Ryanair colour scheme.
Image source: Magnus_40, Markus Winkler
#6
My sister. She’s two years younger than me. She’s done many Main Character Syndrome-driven things, but one particular highlight was when she announced that she had brain cancer. At my high school graduation. (Spoiler alert- she did not have and has never had any type of cancer, and our aunt had died from brain cancer two years ago. That upset quite a few relatives)
Image source: 97ratsinatrenchcoat, Aiony Haust
#7
My MIL and SIL who cried and HOWLED during our wedding ceremony acting like it was a funeral
Image source: Angry_Custurd, Kat J
#8
My irritating asf sister She can’t be at anything even her own kids celebrations without attention seeking, being loud and annoying. Must have all eyes on her at all times. Exhausting
Image source: Ronotrow2, ŞULE MAKAROĞLU
#9
My dad, all day long. He wasn’t evil, but he was always right, every time. And he knew everything. Never mind anyone’s education or lived experience of a situation, he knew all about it. Every time. He tolerated no criticism, especially from my brother or me, nor did he respect boundaries. He was our father and that trumped everything.
Image source: SororitySue, Soroush Karimi
#10
A former coworker had her disabled dad quit his really recently found new job that he truly enjoyed (he had a really hard time found one du to his handicap) because he couldn’t miss a day of work for her birthday. She was 23 at the time, going 24.
She got mad when he explained to her that he couldn’t miss a day so soon after being hired.
The man is in his late 50 with really heavy arms handicap. And he miraculously found a gardener job in his hometown (no drive car needed)
She didn’t care about anything he said and cut short to the discussion: if he wasn’t going to take a day off for her birthday, she didn’t want to talk to him anymore.
The poor guy quit. He loves this ungrateful brat so much, it’s painful to watch… really
And when he did, she wasn’t even grateful, she clearly thought it was the bare, decent, minimum from his part
Image source: AdOk1965, behrouz sasani
#11
A mother at school demanded that the break for the whole school should be postponed because her daughter is not hungry yet at the set time
Image source: Pass_the_Lasagna, Antor Paul
#12
One of my exes thought he was the main character of some cringy Garden State-type movie and that I was supposed to be his manic pixie dream girl. I’ll never forget one of the arguments we had in which he was frustrated with me for not being more ~*~*quirky*~*~. He said, “You’re supposed to take me by the hand and show me the world!” which sounds like a bad joke, but trust me when I say he was being serious.
Image source: middaymeattrain, James Kovin
#13
I worked with a woman Betty who was pregnant. Another coworker Tracy was pregnant at the same time and had a miscarriage. When Tracy was out recovering maybe a day after it happened, Betty found out she was having twins. Although Betty and Tracy weren’t really friends, Betty announced that she needed to be the one to tell Tracy her news and it needed to be done NOW. Betty called Tracy and it was just nauseating.
Betty also liked to tell everyone she tricked her husband into getting pregnant. They are divorced now.
Image source: sanibelle98, freestocks
#14
I was downtown Vancouver, just walking a long smoking after a night out and across the street from us we saw two guys being loud as s**t and another group of about 7 guys just walking down the street towards them. The two drunk guys walk through the other group of dudes and bump into them.
The two guys instantly demand apologies, “ do know who I am? Bro I train MMA, I’ll knock your a*s out”
The bigger group is trying to avoid conflict but these two dudes are just being giga chads. One of the two dudes throws a punch (looks like it’s the first punch he’s ever thrown in his life), the other guy slips the punch and lays him out on his a*s. The second drunk guy goes into hero mode or something and also launches into an attack and gets his a*s kicked. The bigger group didn’t even go all out they just knocked each guy out and walked away
These two guys apparently thought they were tough s**t and got quick lessons handed to them. One of the best things I’ve ever seen in my life.
Image source: Generalmogar, Kajetan Sumila
#15
Local celebrities are pretty bad. Their spouses and families are even worse. The only time I’ve heard “Do you know who I am?” in the wild was when the wife of the local weatherman was arguing with a clerk at the grocery store.
Image source: Old_Army90, Cleyton Ewerton
#16
Me from age 0 to 16/17.
Im convinced to have gained conscience just after that. Some s**t was justified but man i must have been exhausting to be around.
Image source: Mars-Regolithen, Gabriel Brito
#17
My soon-to-be ex-husband asking me how to flirt and date.
He doesn’t move out until the 30th, *he wants the divorce*, and refuses to work on the relationship. He announced he was leaving only weeks ago, and is trying to get me to talk about dating experience with him while we cohabitate. He’s already semi-stalking one poor woman who just changed her workplace and vocation suddenly (he used to show up at the bar she managed, now she left for a controlled childcare environment where he can’t show up).
We have been together for ten years. What a POS. It’s taking all my willpower not to Samwise Gamgee him with a frying pan
Image source: Opposite_Ad1080, Ben White
#18
Not a specific instance, but working in college admissions, I deal with a worrying number of students who basically speak like they’re trying to be edgy anime protagonists. And I mean general tone of voice, vocabulary, the whole “smirk while pushing their glasses up” thing, etc.
Like… it’s not a lot of them. But it’s more than you would expect.
Image source: sfzen, Jeremy McKnight
#19
Pick any of the people who started fights when I moonlit as a bouncer. Nothing says main character delusion like thinking you’re not going to get hurt fighting two dudes who have 60lbs on you.
Image source: BidenTrumpR34, energepic.com
#20
My ex thought he came up with the idea for pop-up ads when he was 15 and was still telling people this at 33…
That was just one of the multiple things that convinced me that he was a narcissist with the biggest main character syndrome….
He also thought that women’s vaginas were permanently affected by any penis it came in contact with it, thought that men shouldn’t do housework because “the appliances are made specifically made for women” and I could probably write a book about him. I was so blind lol
Image source: Moonrocked4200, Magnus Andersson
#21
It was weird when the Salt Bae guy inserted himself into the World Cup celebration immediately after the game.
Image source: 44035, mrlonelywolf
#22
My parents. They genuinely don’t understand that other people are equal peers and that their children/grandchildren are separate, independent beings, and not accessory extensions.
Image source: Beneficial_Step9088, https://unsplash.com/photos/pglEQsNWuWk
#23
An acquaintance of the family. She had a birth defect in her legs that made walking somewhat difficult. Not impossible at all. Just not something she could do a lot of.
She had the ability to walk and climb stairs. I’ve seen her do both. She was awkward at it, but she could do it.
I mention this because, apparently, at a niece’s graduation she decided that her niece needed to help her to her seat. As in the niece was supposed to leave the ceremony part way through, come down off the stage in her robes, and escort this woman to her seat before going back.
Well, as you might imagine, the school didn’t seem willing to accommodate this. So other family members offered to help her. But, as it wasn’t the attention grabbing stunt she wanted, she decided that the best way to punish her family was to seat herself. By flopping down in the floor and moaning and groaning as she crawled on all fours. As I understand it, her family was running along beside her and trying to help her up but she ignored them. Just did a belly crawl up the stairs and made a big show of it.
Image source: semiloki, Verne Ho
#24
At my wedding, one of our invites brought her roommate as her plus 1. They decided to pre party and she got s**t faced drunk and started yelling how she wanted the day to be about her. She was escorted out.
Image source: topherthepest, Genessa Panainte
#25
The husband of a friend of my told her he didn’t really care for interacting with their two twin boys, and would just wait for them to grow older and would be able to talk about his pretty specific interests.
They’re no longer together.
Image source: Smellmyupperlip, LaShawn Dobbs
#26
Some guy took the microphone during the school talent show and said,”No one is here for this s**t. They’re all here for me.”
Image source: Riman424, Daniil Onischenko
#27
This woman I know actually refers to some people as NPCs. Obviously she doesn’t believe it literally, but she does treat people accordingly. She has also referred to some of her behaviors as “hot girl s**t”.
Image source: TornadoGhostDog, Alrick Gillard
#28
Just one example of her… my mother has said, more than once, “If I had been born in medieval times I’d have been royalty.” She has said it so seriously. She meant it. I think this was around the time she was watching The Tudors.
It doesn’t even make sense!! As if monarchies don’t exist anymore.
Image source: BoneWhiteHaze, Jared Subia
#29
I was at MSP and I was waiting in line to get a pizza. Dude walks up asking about a pizza place on a different terminal and which terminal it’s in. They tell him and he’s trying to play it all cool that he was sorry he wasn’t going to eat at this one pizza spot.
So the guy walks away, and maybe 10 seconds later comes back and says, “you know what? I’m gonna hook you guys up” and then he pulls out his phone and goes on TikTok or whatever and starts recording himself and how this pizza place he wasn’t going to eat at was dope. Recording all of these workers. Then he walks away.
Then after he walks away, the worker just says, “what an a*****e” and I was laughing super hard cause that was such a douchebag thing to do
Image source: slykido999, Levi Elizaga
#30
I was briefly friends with a woman who could do no wrong. She was the victim 24/7 and everyone was out to get her. She saw other people as means to an end and would say whatever she wanted about them, accuse them of horrible s**t, “repeat” things they supposedly said about you to your face (she made it up or heavily exaggerated every time), and just in general use people.
She told me within the first two weeks of us knowing each other that she was telling everyone we were best friends. When she moved away, she forgot I existed.
Image source: an_ineffable_plan, leah hetteberg
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