Everything is fair in love and war, they say. If it's meant for you, it will cross seven oceans to reach you, they say.
But what happens when a romantic gesture atop New York City’s iconic Empire State Building ends not with wedding bells but with handcuffs? (Not such an ‘awww’ moment anymore, is it?)
Well, even if not an aww moment, the internet is surely having the time of its life. Meme makers have gotten their hands on the latest meme template. And while the couple’s message was “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace,” the internet is firing off jokes about Spider-Man and Goa travel tips.
On Wednesday, two people (Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov) were taken into custody after the man and the woman climbed the top of the Empire State Building’s 200-foot spire, unfurled a banner calling for peace, and ended with a dashing climax of the man getting on one knee and proposing to his girlfriend.
One viral post compared the pair to the characters Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, with one user writing: "Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy need to chill out."(That’s the million-dollar question: would Peter and Gwen have acted so foolishly?)
Many users reflected what we had on our minds: “How did they even get up there?”
That confusion became meme material of its own. One popular image featured a giant floating Jesus looking down at the climbers with the caption: "How did you get up there, twin?"
While the message on the banner was clear, social media users were busy editing the message with their own versions.
One widely shared parody replaced the slogan with: "We've been trying to reach you about your extended car warranty."
Another transformed it into a bit more serious, with the banner almost hollering "Release Epstein files," while Indian users replaced the banner with: "Don't let a non-Goan influencer tell you where you get the best fish thali in Goa."
With a stunt like this, it’s official now:
Relationship goals? Maybe. Felony goals? Absolutely, yes.
The stunt occurred during a busy week for New York, which is dealing with a summer heatwave, World Cup crowds and Independence Day celebrations. For many online, that context only made the story even more absurd.
‘One viral meme hit right on point: "That’s gonna be some prison time.”