This is based on true events.
I’m a geek, I can’t lie to you. I’ve always been a fan of superheroes, table-top role play games, anime, the works. Because of this, I’ve often found myself going online and making friends through forums, reddit and even some discord groups. At one point, I wanted to play a Dungeons and Dragons text game. I have social anxiety, so asking someone I knew personally was out of the question. So I did what I would usually do and made a post on reddit, asking for someone to help run a D&D game. That’s when I came into contact with her.
Marina
She was incredibly kind. We gave each other our discord users and immediately clicked. I was sixteen, but she was in her thirties. That didn’t really worry me though. She had three daughters of her own, 13, 5 and 2, or something like that. Because of that, I trusted she wouldn’t wish any harm towards a young girl since she had a few of her own. Even though we initially met to play a text D&D game, we ended up becoming closer and closer. Eventually, we became sisters.
She’d check on me daily, making sure I ate and was taking care of myself. At this point, I sent photos of myself and whatnot since we were best friends. She knew me and I knew her. She’d compliment my looks, assuring to make me feel confident since I was so incredibly self-conscious , but it was never weird. She was just kind. Not only did I rant to her, but she would to me. Crazy family, casual arguments with her husband, all that. The only thing was, Marina never sent photos of herself. No videos, nothing. She confessed to me that she’d been doxed before so tries to keep her face online. I understood and believed her. After all, I’m not going to pressure someone who has trauma. Plus, I didn’t need to see her face to believe her as a person. We were close, closer than any of my real life friends. Hell, I even became “Aunt Sara” to her kids.
I was happy and confident with my friend. However, out of no where she messaged me.
“I’m leaving all my social media. I realize that I use it to cope and it just isn’t healthy. I can’t force myself to cope online.”
Obviously, this came as a shock. I kept asking why and hoped she wouldn’t forget me. We’d known each other for nearly a year at this point, so I’d grown attached. In the end, Marina decided to email me instead, so we’d still have some sort of contact. Obviously, I was happy to have anything.
Roughly four days since Marina left social media, she finally shot me the first email. It was normal, however the name of the email address was under “Silva Lima”, a Brazilian soccer player. I knew she lived in Brazil, so I didn’t overthink it, but it was odd. Eventually we chatted like normal, but she then made a new rule.
“Please don’t call me Marina. I’m ashamed of that name.”
I obliged, but it was no more than two messages later that she finally broke the tension.
“Sara I have to tell you something…
I’m not Marina. I’m not even a woman. I have no kids, no husband, nothing. I’m a man and am unmarried. I made this persona six years ago.”
Marina wasn’t real. My sister with three dumb kids, an annoying husband and crazy family simply wasn’t real. Marina was a character. A character this man had worked on for six years.
Marina would call me her little sister
She’d compliment my appearance and would remark my body in a positive light
Marina wasn’t real.