this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
53 points (98.2% liked)

Ask Lemmy

38965 readers
1575 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, toxicity and dog-whistling are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] knotRyder@lemmy.ca 1 points 26 minutes ago

Dying with unspent money in my bank account

[–] Pirtatogna@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

Helicopter rotor blades. I'm afraid they will hit my eyes. Even seeing them on a video is very uncomfortable and I have to look away or close my eyes until they're gone.

[–] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 hours ago

Something supernatural coming to kill me, so I can't explain anything to get help, and when I'm dead everyone thinks I died for some other reason.

[–] joshthewaster@lemmy.world 6 points 7 hours ago

Prions. Misfolded proteins that manage to get into your brain and just wreck shit. I don't handle anything that would be contaminated or anything but just the idea of this non-living thing that will just replicate and cause havok - horrifying.

[–] DaleGribble88@programming.dev 5 points 10 hours ago

Having a slug come into contact with my feet or my socks or my shoes, but only if I am wearing them at the time. Anywhere else on my body is fine. I don't know what harm will come from this occuring. I do know it is fine if a slug is touching my shoe, I pick it off, and then put on the shoe. My fear of snails is likely but unverified.

[–] ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 hours ago

Floors I can see through (metal mesh, drainage grates, thick glass, etc.)

I struggle to walk across it, even when it can hold literal cars.

[–] BzzBiotch@lemmy.world 28 points 16 hours ago (5 children)

The invisible shark in the swimming pool. I will say nothing more

[–] moondoggie@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago

Invisible shark doot doot de doot de doo

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Suddenly falling over the railing that separates me from the long fall below.

I don't generally have balance issues, and I know hundreds of people have successfully leaned on that railing, but I'll be good standing a few steps back.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

But I'd really prefer if everyone stood back, because it's stressing me out to watch.

[–] Broadfern@lemmy.world 22 points 16 hours ago (4 children)

Dropping my phone when I’m in a high place

[–] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 35 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Put it into airplane mode and worry no more.

[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 20 points 16 hours ago

Illogical fears require illogical solutions!

[–] quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 14 hours ago

Similar, when I'm in a high place and I look down I have the sensation that my glasses will fall from my face into the void.
My glasses never have fallen from my face even doing jumps or stunts, but for some reason when I'm looking down from a balcony I'm terrified that they'll just drop.

[–] paulzy@lemmy.world 5 points 13 hours ago

Or when you walk over the threshold of an elevator door and there is that little gap. Same with keys.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] emotional_soup_88@programming.dev 24 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

Flying insects. I scream. Period.

Also, I adore them and I am fascinated by them. Period.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] tanisnikana@lemmy.world 18 points 16 hours ago (6 children)

Being murdered for being trans while living in Oregon. It shouldn’t happen, but it’s not impossible.

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 18 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

My spouse was still sleeping earlier so I tried to sneak into the room to grab my phone I left on the nightstand. When I was walking out I stepped on a stuffed mouse on a string (usually hangs from a doorframe so the cat can play with it but he pulled it down apparently). When I stepped on it I thought it was a real animal and soon as my foot felt the pressure of pushing down on such an object I jerked it up roughly to my waist, kicked the door I was trying to walk through and it slammed shut.

One of those moments where you want to apologize, but really then you are just causing more noise to wake them up further.

Tldr; I'm an idiot

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 1 points 6 minutes ago

My childhood cat used to catch and eat mice. Unfortunately, it would leave their entrails on the kitchen floor. Listening to my mother curse, when she discovered them with her bare feet, was an interesting way to be woken up.

I think you got off lightly with the stuffed toy. 🤷‍♂️😅

[–] prex@aussie.zone 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Surprisingly often at the beach near me I'll step on a whiting that wriggles off.
I have very mixed feelings about this: first I jump 10 feet in the air, then I worry that I hurt the fish, then I regret not catching & eating it.
Edit: also relief that is wasn't a flathead or baby stingray.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Meeting myself in any variation.

I have no idea why, but I've always had this idea that if I met another me in the world it has to end in one of us dead. Doesn't matter on the origin, clone, copy, alternate timeline, time travel, doppelganger, replicant, don't care. There's absolutely no way around, it's on sight and to the death.

This is one of my most consist feelings in life and I often wonder if it's because I consumed my twin in the womb. As a child I came up with an arrangement that if I accidentally time travelled I'd be able to use to contact myself indirectly so that we can't cross paths.

Of course, the chance of any of these things happening is insanely low so it's kind of dumb to have a plan in place for its eventual occurrence.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

So if you walk past yourself in Walmart, do you just go ham instantly and beat the shit out of you?

Is it possible it's actually pent-up sexual frustration and you'd actually bone you?

[–] fiendishplan@lemmy.world 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Raccoons, with their little hands and rabies and they're not scared of people. They're giant rats that will kill you as soon as look at you.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 1 points 9 hours ago

My old boss, as a child, adopted three orphaned kits.

He'll confirm there's nothing illogical about fearing those little thumbed miscreants.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago (2 children)
[–] AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Not illogical. I was talking with a friend one night under a tree and had one fall on my face. Super gross.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 1 points 45 minutes ago

I just mean I know logically they aren't harmful but my mind cannot. I'm not scared of spiders or lizards or snakes but those overgrown roaches strike absolute terror into my heart since I was little. I am so sorry you experienced that. I've had them fly at me.

So few of them around now, and my logical & rational fear is that is a bad sign for the world. But it has been amazing to be able to work in the yard without the constant fear of picking up a brick or stone, they used to come out from under every single upturned stone.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 3 points 9 hours ago

Palmetto bugs.

In NJ they were 3 inches long, sleek and black and abhorrent. Ugh!

[–] gdog05@lemmy.world 10 points 16 hours ago

Small birds. Their tiny little dinosaur motions. Jerky and predatory. I have monkey brain issues with them and it takes all I have to override it.

[–] hoohoohoot@fedinsfw.app 8 points 16 hours ago

Talking to people

[–] sneakypersimmon@lemmy.today 9 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Falling. I've had a fear of slipping and falling since I was a kid, even just walking downhill can trigger it. I think it's a vertigo type thing.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›