The trappings of the modern world have ensured that bizarre content crosses our screens almost every day. In a somewhat strange display of that tendency, a minor milestone passed by Reddit community /r/NotTheOnion has threatened some individuals’ sanity.

On October 20^th, 2021, /r/NotTheOnion passed its twenty-million-subscriber mark, surpassing its previous record of literally any number beneath that figure. While this sort of arbitrary milestone would have typically been glossed over without notice, one longtime reader took it upon themselves to celebrate in a bizarre way, producing an entire news segment dedicated to the event.

The piece of questionably compelling journalism was oddly in keeping with the theme of the subreddit, which catalogues apparently satirical yet completely true reports from around the globe.

In response to the exposé, one Reddit-user was quoted as saying “This is meta enough to make the universe turn inside out,” with other individuals expressing quasi-comical confusion about the recursive nature of the story.

Still, what does all of this mean for the reader at home? Are you a subscriber to /r/NotTheOnion? If so, what memorable moments from the community do you remember? Could self-referential reporting truly cause the universe to implode?

Let us know in the comments, and remember to send any tips for stories our way.

For the moment, silly subreddit summons several subscribers, rousing really recursive report.