Many of the images that earn popularity across the world tend to be up-front about their subject and show dramatic scenes with an obvious emotional resonance. However, it's also true that some images prove the most widely compelling by being mysterious.
Here are images that have more going on than you think...
It must have felt nice to have some input
When Reddit user ChazMcGreedly posted this, their neighbor was in the process of asking all the residents in the area to weigh in on what color they painted their house. Judging by the sign's text, there seemed to be quite a wait before it got to this point.
Nonetheless, the idea to poll the neighborhood was a hit, with some respondents even drawing little hearts and complimenting the inventive notion. And while it's unclear how long this poll has been up, the top shade of green seems to have a narrow lead.
How did this happen?
When this person got their hands on this bottle of glue, they quickly noticed that it was full of ants. Even in this picture, they can be easily identified as they float around. But as good as it is that this isn't something they were planning to drink, why did they end up in here?
The most likely answer is that many transparent glues like this have a vaguely sweet smell that sometimes attracts insects. This is likely because they contain some form of starch or carbohydrates, which unintentionally lures the ants to their sticky doom.
The one-in-a-million shot nobody wants to make
Even at first glance, one aspect of this photo is obvious. There was a very damaging power surge that affected both this power bar and this charger, likely ruining at least one of them. It's lucky that it didn't start a fire, but that's the only lucky thing about this.
That's because Reddit user Dizzy_Fly_ was wearing a metal necklace that somehow managed to fall into the exact outlet that their charger was plugged into. That feels like something that would be hard to do on purpose, but it was apparently just small enough to fall into the worst place it could.
Believe it or not, this isn't Photoshop
It's pretty jarring to see a picture of a baby who appears to have the legs of a grown woman. And while there's typically only a split second of confusion once people see a photo like this before they decide it was made in Photoshop, that's not what happened here.
Instead, the picture was taken from an angle that gives the viewer a confusing sense of perspective. The baby is simply sitting on the lap of an adult woman whose upper body is being covered by that pillow. Now, the only question is whether she created this effect on purpose.
This photo solves a maddening mystery
Cats can get up to all sorts of mischief, but it really isn't clear what this one is doing just by looking at the picture. However, Reddit user Broke_As_Always was able to fill everyone in on a situation that was confusing them even more.
As they wrote, "Couldn't figure out why I keep finding water on the floor by the fridge. Now I know." They're probably relieved to learn that their fridge wasn't malfunctioning, but that doesn't make it any easier to figure out how to get the cat to stop turning on the water dispenser.
A moment of affection and nothing more
Although this scene of a loving father and daughter embracing is sweet, there's something about it that has a way of throwing people at first. After all, where does the father's body end and the daughter's begin?
Of course, this photo neither shows a man with unusually stubby legs nor the world's first conjoined parent and child. Since the father is sitting down and his daughter's body is obstructing the view of his body, the only sign of his legs is under the table.
He seems surprisingly fine with this
When touring the U.K.'s many castles, visitors will note that some of them lead to treat tourists to an interactive experience. At first glance, this one seems a little too interactive if it means being stuck with so many arrows.
Of course, this person's calm expression suggests that they're simply playing a part and not really injured. However, even that perception isn't quite right because they aren't even being stuck with pretend arrows. The two in the back are in their belt, and the others are actually stuck in the target that their body is blocking.
It'll take more than three guesses to identify this
These gem-like pieces of glass look sort of pretty, but it's also a little hard to tell where they came from. But they weren't found by the sea or in a sand dune, but rather in the uploader's garbage disposal.
As Reddit user ConstructionHefty716 explained, years of broken dish fragments accumulated in that disposal until it became so clogged that it wouldn't stop making horrible scraping noises. Once they did a more thorough cleaning with a shop vac, these were the compressed glass orbs that came out.
An old facility in a deeply meaningful place
At first, this image just seems like a neat discovery. After all, it's not often that someone discovers a functional water pump of this advanced age in what otherwise appears to be a modern city. Yet, people were stunned when they learned that this photo was taken in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Not only did that knowledge make commenters deeply concerned for the uploader's safety, but it also astonished them to learn that a water pump that had been installed before the fall of the Soviet Union was still standing in Kharkiv today. Given its age, the uploader assured commenters that they had no intention of trying to drink the water.
Is that Clifford?
It's likely that the first reaction anyone will have to see this photo is saying, "Whoa, that's a big dog!" And while it very well may be, it's not quite as big as it looks when compared to this child.
And no, that's not because the child is unusually small. She's just far enough away and standing at just the right angle to make it look like her family owns a giant dog. It's the same trick they used on the hobbits in the Lord Of The Rings movies.
There are the keys, but where's the piano?
For most people, seeing a bunch of piano keys laid out without the actual unit is a pretty unusual sight. But in some professions, it's something that folks can expect to see every day and probably isn't even worth commenting on.
That's because the piano these keys belong to is being repaired. And from the looks of it, the keys are in the way of whatever broken part needs to be fixed. Considering how much room the keys take up on a piano, that probably needs to happen a lot.
Don't worry, there's nothing wrong
This strange photo makes it hard to tell what's going on, but it also doesn't exactly create a great first impression. Considering how lumpy this cat looks, it looks like it's experiencing some dramatic case of a disease.
Fortunately, that's not what's going on at all. That's because not all of the white "fur" here is actually part of the cat's body. It turns out that somebody draped a white blanket or towel over it, and that happened to blend in perfectly with the fur.
Everything's fine, situation normal
Some photos are just jarring to look at from the very beginning. And it can be surprisingly hard to stop seeing them as impossible little nightmares even after what's going on has been revealed. This person can't be this casually headless, but what's going on?
Well, it seems like they brought a mirror to this bus stop and happened to naturally hold it in such a way that it seemed to erase their head completely. That would explain why they don't seem to have much of a torso either.
It looks like someone was frozen in carbonite
This photo makes it hard not to picture what happened to Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back, but it's obviously easy to identify this as snow. Even so, that doesn't make it any easier to tell how this happened.
Some may guess that this person was buried in snow, and others may think this is a snow sculpture, but it doesn't seem like either of those explanations are true. Instead, this is an optical illusion resulting from someone imprinting their face in the snow. That's right, it's going inwards, not outwards.
Worlds are colliding
What this photo is capturing doesn't seem like it should be possible. Although this cord has a slight bend in it, that bend does not match the curling effect seen in the cord's shadow. So, how is this even possible?
Well, it all has to do with how light plays with shadows. As it turns out, the light in this picture just happens to be hitting the cord from the perfect angle to make the bend in it look like a more pronounced curve. It's such a trickster sometimes.
It's a common sight but not in this context
In and of itself, this head of silvery gray hair is not an unusual sight. The older people get, the more likely their hair is to look like this in cases where it doesn't fall out entirely. However, this photo is capturing a significantly rarer phenomenon.
That's because the person being shown is only 13 years old. And while thyroid performance and vitamin imbalances can be a factor in youthful cases where this happens, it's likely that the reasons for this premature graying are genetic.
How are footprints like these even possible?
Unless there's some strange concave shoe that looks just like feet, it doesn't seem possible to make footprints that stick out of the ground rather than imprint into it. The only other explanation would normally seem to be a series of small sculptures.
However, the eyes aren't always so easy to trust because the fact is that these are just normal footprints on a beach. Once again, light is tricky and creates an interesting optical illusion here. It helps to look at the furthest ones first to see what they're really like.
Sometimes, nobody knows the story behind a picture
In the harsh red lighting of this picture, it may be a little tough to see what it's showing. And while there are a few blanks here that almost nobody can fill in, the identification of this object isn't one of them.
This is about half of a set of dentures. And as if the red light and the presence of the pole weren't enough of a hint, it was confirmed to be found in a gentleman's club. With that in mind, it's perhaps best to leave how it got there to individual interpretation.
Even knowing what this is doesn't explain everything
This is a strange thing to see for the familiar, but some may recognize this photo as featuring a pretty serious burn on a pillow. Naturally, it's not exactly a comforting thought to learn how close a fire was to a place in the home that's supposed to feel the safest. Indeed, Reddit user taurusdelorous was certainly startled to learn that he and his girlfriend narrowly averted danger when they heard a pop and smelled something burning.
However, his commenters were even more horrified to learn that not only did they go back to sleep right after but also that they caused this problem in the first place. Apparently, taurusdelorous was sleeping with a lighter under his pillow. Sadly, he didn't explain what made him think this was a good idea or how it even got there.
It's not something most people see every day
While Reddit user ocean432 was driving in the American Midwest, they came across this unusual sight on the side of the road. What they discovered was that someone had stuffed white rice, two kinds of lentils, and a boiled egg into a gourd and put it on a handkerchief.
Understandably, they were more than a little confused by what they were looking at. However, commenters filled them in on the fact that in some religions, roadside offerings of food are an appropriate way to honor a loved one who has passed away. As funny as this cornucopia may look, the reason for it is solemn, and such roadside offerings should be left undisturbed.
Who knew this product existed?
While it's unclear exactly where someone would find this, it appears that there are companies that manufacture something called "kangaroo essence." Not only that but that $60 price tag implies that people are willing to pay top dollar for this stuff.
However, a report from the FDA warning about a hidden ingredient found in products like this explains a lot. That's because the undeclared ingredient that's leading them to caution people not to buy supplements like this is sildenafil, which is the active ingredient in Viagra. At least that explains why someone would pay $60 for this.
That surprise is oddly fitting but deeply concerning
As Reddit user UrethraStealer explained, they ordered a pair of vintage military boots a few months ago. When they arrived, let's say that their new owner found out that there was every reason to believe they were authentic in the worst way possible.
That's because that metal object lying in one of them is a genuine hand grenade. The seller was reportedly unaware it was there and refunded the Redditor, which was handy because summoning an explosives disposable unit is probably a little expensive.
This raises more questions than answers
In one context, this might seem like one of the easier photos to explain. This person's neighbor simply got so into Halloween that they erected a macabre display of mannequin heads and red food coloring to celebrate the occasion.
However, Reddit user The_Racoon mentioned that this display didn't come up anywhere near Halloween. In fact, they have no idea why their neighbor decided to do this, and it doesn't feel like a safe question to ask them. That's certainly understandable.
It looks eerie, but it's not supposed to be
Reddit user phphka was both disturbed and confused to discover that someone had put a raw chicken foot in each of these five mailboxes in their neighborhood. Out of context, it's hard not to see that as either a tasteless prank or some kind of curse.
However, it turns out that the most likely explanation doesn't fall into either category. It's not unusual for practitioners of Santeria to use chicken feet as components in purification spells or as good luck charms. So, while whoever did this likely freaked everyone involved out, it seems they at least had good intentions.
This ain't Disney World
While it's true that mouse and rat mascots aren't that unusual for child-friendly entertainment, it's not so often that people see a ride that's generally dedicated to rats. And since the rats depicted here are pretty cute and whimsical, it's probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing sights in the park.
That's because this is Bon-Bon Land in the Danish town of Holme-Olstrup. Although it was built by a candy manufacturer, its attractions are mostly themed around unpleasant fare like garbage and farts. It's sort of like if there was a Garbage Pail Kids theme park.
A beautiful use for a remnant of a dark chapter.
These unusual stone horses can be found at a beach called Hvidbjerg Strand in Blåvand, Denmark. And if the bodies of these horses don't appear to match their heads, that's because they were built before anyone had the idea to turn them into art.
Specifically, they were once bunkers erected by German forces during the occupation of Denmark during World War II. Since that was an unpleasant reminder of a terrible time for both the nation and the world, it felt appropriate to transform the infrastructure that used to haunt Danish citizens into something better.
It's like a sideways icicle
Although it's often hard to predict how the weather will affect human-made infrastructure, some results of a sudden shift into winter weather can stand out above the rest. And one look at the little tail of this pointed, narrow fence post shows why it was so fascinating.
As for how this happened, the process was likely natural and dependent on the shape of the holes in this post. If the whole thing is hollow, the ice likely built up and compacted enough to squeeze this odd ice stick out of it.
Nothing here is what it seems
At first, the most immediate question this photo tends to raise is, "What is that thing in the middle?" It seems like it flew in front of the camera, but it also looks like some kind of coin with a dead bug smooshed into it.
However, it is neither of those things, and this photo doesn't even technically show a room. Instead, it shows the reflection of one in a mirror. And in the middle of that mirror is a hole revealing the white wall behind it, which features a deep crack.
It turns out there are a lot of Flying Dutchmen
Legends about the ghost ship known as the Flying Dutchman are hundreds of years old, but it's not impossible to capture a similar phenomenon on camera today. And the boats involved are no more magical than they were back when alarmed sailors first reported seeing them fly.
Instead, this is a result of something called the Fata Morgana effect, which sees a warm layer of air immediately pass over a colder, denser layer. When light passes through these layers in calm conditions, it's like they're passing through a refractive lens, which then distorts the image of the boat sailing to the naked eye. As a result, its normal travel on the sea looks like flying.
This image is more discomforting than it looks
Although this looks like a quirky accessory, Reddit user Ok_Try_1217 explained that this little button is attached to their finger for a serious medical reason. Apparently, they had just undergone a tendon transplant, and this button is here to hold the new tendon in place while it heals.
What's so disturbing about that? Well, they mentioned that the only way to keep it secure enough to fulfill this purpose was to sew it through the fingernail. Indeed, this person wasn't any more comfortable about having something driven through their fingernail than their horrified commenters were.
Reality is sometimes disappointing
When Reddit user unshartedterritory was wandering near Lake Michigan, they came across something they were sure was an ancient hand tool made of rock. After all, that looks like a pretty pronounced handle on this four-inch object.
However, it seems that its formation is just a coincidence. One commenter pointed out that this is red shale, a sedimentary rock that was never really used to make tools. That handle just happened to erode that way naturally. Better luck next time.