AND when I clicked on this meme in the featured 'is this a pigeon' gallery, under the meme format, because I was intrigued by seeing the word 'transcendence'... this is so utterly not what I was expecting to find. the experience was, like, how I imagine it would feel to ride a rented horse towards something you think is a hill only to get bodily thrown off at the peak of what turns out to be a cliff

like. this meme is brutal to read, it is in some ways REALLY raw, but because of that it's also one of the funniest things I've ever seen? like the juxtaposition between message and format is inspired, but there's more to your craft than that. the transitions between beats in this is so good!

first text box: nothing to see here, standard meme. the viewer is lured further into a false sense of predictability.
second text box: complete f**king hairpin tonal pivot. '5 years sobriety': creates gravitas for what follows. 'trips once': simultaneously reverses the emotion that the viewer is primed to respond with and (by introducing the 'Xes once [Y outcome]' meme) reinforces the comedic frame.
third textbox: further wedges open the gap between the comedic frame and the tone of the events described. the viewer is invited to contemplate your perspective from several distinct points in time; five years sober and prior to tripping, while tripping/contemplating transcendence; and the moment at which the meme is made, with an entirely different (but mostly implied) evaluation of the trip and its effect on your status.

this is masterful. a f**king harrowing emotional rollercoaster in 10 words. I admire the shit out of the introspection this meme required to make, and again, good luck on your further journeys.

hey PsyrenOsirus I wanted to let you know that I'm witnessing how hardcore your dedication to memeing through the rough patches is and I respect the hell out of it. also, from one Internet stranger to another, all love and (moral) support to your sobriety process