There are six billion people on this planet. Even if there's only a one in a million chance that someone can understand and relate to you there are still ''six thousand'' people out there who qualify.

Make that seven billion people.

You are not alone. No matter what hardships you fall on, no matter what challenges lay ahead of you, know this. We TV Tropers stick together.

But don't count on us to be big damned heroes. Idealism is for kids, after all.

...Let's try for it anyway. It's a nice idea.

Optimism into adulthood, that's what I say!

Also, the internet is anonymous and 99% of us have no idea whatsoever where any other troper is at any given time.

This troper would argue that the above is actually a pretty hopeful idea. Your next door neighbor, your crush, your best friend... Any of them could be on here right now, and you wouldn't even know it.

Proven true for this troper. Sitting down to my now girlfriend on the first day of college, and discovering she liked anime. "Yeah, Evangelion was total nightmare fuel..." "HighOctaneNightmareFuel?" *FascinatingEyebrow*

You know that says about the remaining 1%.

It's still better than being entirely alone. Just think about how many more people might've committed suicide by now if the internet had not existed to show them there are people out there with a little empathy.

Or backwards, if they got in the wrong places...

And you can find a lot more people with similar interests to yours on the internet. I know about 13 people who play DungeonsAndDragons in real life, and an uncountable amount over the internet.

It's really quite beautiful, isn't it? All these anonymous people who care about each other, not because they are family or best friends, but because they are human enough to care about a fellow human being, regardless of whether they know each other or not.

Or think of it this way. Everybody is a ''potential'' troper.

In a perfect world, we all are.

6 billion people go through what you are going through. 100 billion already went through worse. You are not alone.

Or you could think of it as the entire world is onebig exclusive club, and if you don't feel a part of it there's something wrong with you.

...That's a really dickish thing to say. I'm not sure I like this club.

Don't worry, because that dickish remark is wrong. Exclusive means there will be exclusions, but in this club everyone is welcome; everyone is a member, and in some small but significant way, everyone is here for each other.

I would never want to be part of any club that would have someone like me for a member.

I believe it was Marx who said that first.

Subverted, since there's really no way to talk to your fellow tropers, and being on this site makes you spend hours alone doing nothing but reading the results of other people talking about other things.

Subverted? This website is nothing but people connecting, making links, making threads, making conversation. Extending the lines of communication to envelop anyone who joins and welcoming them. You read the conversations that have gone before and are a part of it, made better or worse, knowledgeable or idiotic, but at every stage impacted upon by it. Alone? Pah, Just by reading, you make yourself a part of it.

And even adding something this small makes you a part of it too. And every little bit of it is still good, and if someone goes away happier based on something little that you have done, then you've still had a connection with them, meagre as it may be.

Simply by writing that little statement, you have made an impact on me and all people reading it. This world you have pegged as small, and stifling, and empty... are none of these things. I am talking to you after all. Yeah, you. Besides, I might never talk to you or hold you for real, but that doesn't mean I'll ever love you tropers less. You're definitely not alone.

This placed a smile on my face. Just goes to show you, life can be bad sometimes, but....it has its moments. Sweet, joyful, warm moments. They...arguably, make it all worth it.

All of you have just made my day that much better. That's a good thing and you're RESPONSIBLE for it.

This troper has a hard time making friends. He can be very awkwardly shy. He pretty much lives in his own little world. Only once in a while does he get asked whats wrong, hardly being able to express his feelings in a way so others can understand. But being able to come on this site, tell others how he feels, and having others able to relate for and care for him...'Scuse me, I'm starting to cry a little.

Reading all of the above just makes this troper feel even lonelier. mildly disgusted and revolted. I'll probably never know any of you personally. now I'm not sure I want to. Bitter? Yes. Cynical? Yes. But also, I'll never know who wrote what. I even want to? and I'll never know how honest they were when they wrote it. For all I know, those so-called "heartwarming" words were written with self-service in mind - you wrote them not because you wanted to make someone else feel better (not even make them feel "not alone", just a vague "better"), but because it makes you feel better when you ''think'' your words are making someone feel better.

You are not alone =/= you are not a ignorant dumbass.

Humans only think of theirselves. But humans make themselves feel better by helping others, by the wonders of empathy. It is a mechanism that defines the relationships we establish with everyone else (and I personally think it's one of those things make me regain faith in humanity).

In the end, does it matter? The old argument that reaching out to others is a form of self-service is just a restatement of a tautology: that people do what they want to do because they want to do it. I don't see how that takes away from its sincerity. If what some people want to do with their time is post anonymous messages of support and encouragement on a website, I'm hardly going to begrudge them the fact that it (hopefully) makes them feel a little warmer inside as well. I know that for myself, I've spent so much of my life always being the one who was taking support from my friends and wishing that sometimes they would need a little back from me, it would be really nice to think that for once, in a small way, I was able to brighten up someone else's day a little.

If these statements have helped even one person feel better - and, based on the above, they have - then regardless of the intent, they've had a beneficial outcome. So what does it matter if whoever wrote them also felt better from doing so? In fact, for that matter, that just makes it more effective - it's a way for them to feel they're making a difference, so it benefits even more people emotionally.

We are Anonymi, and we are legion. So fear not Anonymous, for ''YouAreNotAlone.''

I guess the old saying about Anonymous is true: ''"None of us are as'' '''''kind''''' ''as all of us."''

By extension - if you ever feel uncool, dorky, boring, whatever, this troper would just like to remind you that you're on TV Tropes. I, for one, think ''you're awesome.''

''This Troper cracks his fingers, snarling at the alarming deficit of statistics on this page.'' A few quick figures, in regards to the above:

According to Alexa, TV Tropes over the last three months of this writing (added Aug. '10) contributes for ''0.02610%'' of web trafficThere are an estimated ''1,966,514,816'' users of the internet[[http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. Thus, ''513,260'' people are (estimated) to have used TV Tropes.

The 2008 world population is ''6,697,254,041''. of+ the+ earth

Meaning that the odds of a given person being a Troper are ''513,260 in 6,697,254,041'' (~0.008% world population).

Let's assume there are four people per household, and 26 houses on a block. Thus, the odds of a troper living on a given city block is: #QUOTE# @@ ''1-((1-(513260/6697254041))^(4* 26))'' = 0.793891195% (8 in 1000) @@

Of course, "read a page once" and "read ''regularly''" are two very different beasts. Alternatively: to be 50% confident of having met another Troper, you would need to meet ~9,000 people. Quite a few, but very doable. For 80% confidence, ~21,000. Pretty unlikely you'll meet that many people. Though for all you know you passed me getting coffee this morning.

If you live in the US, the UK, Canada, or Australia, chances are probably much higher that you've met a fellow Troper in real life. If you live in Zimbabwe...well, good luck.

I can testify to that. I'm currently in Japan and I met a fellow troper from Germany. Awesomeness ensued. Speaking of which, does anyone else feel that the above statistics is a C mo A for TvTropes? 

The hordes of rescue personnel, volunteers, neighbors, and family that descend after a disaster, big or small, has occurred are a fulfillment of this trope.

Your neighbors, friends, and total strangers are involved in citizen corps groups like CERT, ZAKA, NASR, and more across the globe, training to be there for you when there's a disaster. You will not be alone after the Big One, whatever it may be.

It makes me want to believe that Rousseau Was Right after all.

When the Zapatistas invaded Mexico City in Spring 2001, some 200,000 supports met them with chants of "''No están solos!''"

In the spirit of very recent and very tragic events, I'd like to speak for TV Tropes as well as the rest of the Internets in that we stand in solidarity to our brothers and sisters in webs in Iran and Haiti. You will never be alone.

And Chile too.

And Japan.

This trope is part of the point of Post Secret.

This troper's life loves this trope.

Straight uses during childhood:

Gifted? YouAreNotAlone, and you can even get a middle school full of those.

Bullied? YouAreNotAlone, and your new friends will side with you against the bullies.

Strange interests? YouAreNotAlone, and it gets you interesting friends.

Feel that God/Fate has his/her puppetstrings around your neck? YouAreNotAlone.

GenreSavvy during teenage years:

Bisexual? It seems like there are NoBisexuals, but there certainly are - yup, YouAreNotAlone.

Transsexual? Of course they're hiding, but you know YouAreNotAlone - and you aren't.

Genderqueer? Well, if you didn't know YouAreNotAlone, you wouldn't even think of looking - but you do, and it works!

And a subversion: Weird neurology looking like Asperger's syndrome but which definitely isn't? Surely there must be people like you out there - nope. You Are Alone.

(different editor) Actually...

''This'' troper recently found out that ''his own mother'' had suspected him of having Asperger's (which, like you, he definitely does not) and had been speaking about this behind his back with his aunts -- who, up till now, he had trusted and felt close to. So no, you're definitely not alone here.

So... Double Subversion then.

This troper excommunicated his family because they would not let up on this and accept the fact that he is who he is. You are not alone.

This troper has learned she is never alone, because of voices playing in her head and the stories she tells to herself. No, she isn't crazy, she just likes talking to herself to sort things out and her mind makes stuff up when there is too much silence.

Me too! Guess we ''really'' aren't alone.

Ditto for this troper; although she has a tendency to act out what she's seeing/hearing in her head, which has convinced those around her that she is crazy...-sigh-

*gasp* This troper ''knew'' she wasn't alone!

This tropers internal dialogue helps him sort out his thinking a lot easier, especially when you need two points of view (at least) but nobody is around to discuss with.

No, you definitely aren't alone.

Oh man, I knew there had to be other people who did this! I love talking to myself!

Other people talk to their voices and act out what they hear/see? @A@

You mean there's ''other'' people besides myself who talk to themselves to write dialogue? Sweet!

Gasp! I do that too! No, wait...I'm just crazy. Never mind!

Holy--! I really am not alone!

Well, here I am with all my friends, and I'm not lonely anymore. Nice...it feels nice.

No. Freakin. Way, you guys too?!!!

I do that too...sometimes I use fictional characters as my alternate viewpoints, and sometimes it's just different facets of my own personality.

Fictional character? Now I and my fictional characters don't feel alone!

I'm not the only one!!!

Why, we must form a club! :D

You most certainly are not alone. I'm with you!

Me Too! Mind, I have doubted my sanity before

Me too! Let's be a {{Nakama}}!

Well this is just wierd (I have a few myself. Luckily only one of them is overly harsh; not sure if it's the same one that tells me to kill myself in stressful situations- oh, don't worry, the words have lost all meaning by this point).

Holy freakin' crap, I Am Not Alone!

Oh... oh my god. I... I'm not the only one...

*sniffle* I-I'm not alone!

I'm not the only one who does this? I'm not alone! :D

I do this, And also when I'm playing computer games I imagine that I'm doing a walkthrough or a live stream, and what I would say to my audience... Feels a bit Rocky Horror sometimes.

*blinks* Me, too...*GLOMPS ALL*

I...wow. I really am not alone. *hugs fellow tropers*

The original starter here... Holy crap. Not that she thought she was alone (her father talks to himself to figure things out, her brothers hear voices), but she didn't realize ''how many'' people do exactly what she does. 

So, so I'm not the only one. Not the only one who has characters *tears* This Troper just felt a lot less alone now. *hugs all*

Me too

Me as well! *sniff, wipes tear* I feel the love...

I didn't even know I felt alone in doing this until I didn't any more.

This song is for all of you, including a hug from me.

The few times this troper has hit rock bottom, a kitten has always come up to him, purring and meowing at him, and adopted him. Seriously: whenever he's about to eat his gun, he ends up with a cat. It's ridiculous.

You know, if a cat appears every time you get depressed, you could purposely do so, sell the kittens and make money off it.

This troper has something similar - last summer, a whole bunch of stuff went completely wrong at the same time. I just sat down on the floor and started crying...and my then-6 month old German Shepherd puppy came up, gave me that curious-puppy look, and started licking the tears off my cheeks. Made things look a whole lot less dramatic.

For some reason, this song makes me feel less alone. A friend gave me the mp3 when I asked for some music to cheer up, and each time I play it, I burst into tears because it feels like someone cares.

What song is that? It's no longer on Youtube and sometimes I could really use a song like that.

I'm guessing that it's either 'Bridge of Troubled Water' by Simon and Garfunkel (it has the words 'I'm by your side' in it), or maybe the song 'No-one Is Alone' from Into The Woods. 'Now you're on your own./Only me beside you./Still, you're not alone./No one is alone./Truly.'

Another wonderful song for such times is -- no surprises here -- Kate Covington's version of "You're Not Alone".

The original poster here. It is, of all things, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piWMN_VNg3Y&feature=related "Jai Ho"] from SlumdogMillionaire. The usual songs tend to leave me cold and uncaring, utterly alone. It's music that grabs you by the wrist and makes you want to dance that makes her feel a part of the world.

This troper keeps a set of Mardi Gras beads hanging from his rear view mirror, along with a plastic Tachikoma on the dash board. Both are gifts from friends a few States (or oceans) removed. They serve as reminders to a person who has exceptional difficulty making friends and functioning in any social setting.

Probably the most common sentance on any troper tales page is "me too," or "are you my alternate dimension/opposite gender/time-desplaced clone?" We should have a convention or something. No one is alone around here.

This troper is a whole big bundle of screwed up for which there may well be no pathology. But knowing there are people out there in the world who share even facets of what I'm in for makes me glow with warm fuzzies. And while TV Tropes has made me feel like a worthless excuse for a human being on multiple occasions (usually due to poorly thought-out edits corrected with some people's usual tolerance for stupidity) it has ''never'' made me feel alone.

Haven't we all tried making those poorly-thought-out edits that get corrected almost immediately?

In college, my mom felt compelled to send me an email which basically went "You are never alone, there are at least two people on this earth right now willing to die for you". Kinda creepy, if you ask me.

This Troper thought it was a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming, but I guess it depends on how you look at it.

TearJerker, since my dad said something similar a long time ago.

I... might actually have had helped a girl through this way. A few years back I was fond of sending texts from my cell to random numbers within my provider (the number structure was --). One of them hit jackpot, and we started being textfriends-of-sorts. One day while hanging out, i received a call from her, and she seemed frantic. Turns out that she's home alone and her friend collapsed, and in her confusion ''dialed my number''. I helped her as best as i could (mainly calming her) and after a few hours she phoned back, telling me that her friend has improved. I never got to know the girl personally, and i lost her number when my old phone got stolen. So girl, if you're out there reading this, remember the stranger that helped to keep you calm!

This Troper discovered this while studying for a test. The test was hours away and I was heavily burdened by the weight of it all and to make matters worse I was doubting myself in many ways and losing confidence in what I was doing. It was in that moment that it struck me. I am not alone and that my friends who I left behind are still with me. I threw myself at the texts and the next day I finished the test with confidence in my grade. my friends will never know how much they've helped me, even when we're worlds apart.

This Troper is a Pokemaniac, but very old for one, and always lonely. Just a few weeks ago, she was at a convention and one of her boyfriend's friends fell on her: he suffered a heart attack, and was dead not much later. She was just about to start crying and freaking out in front of everyone when she spotted a kid there playing Pokemon. 20 minutes later, she was playing Pokemon with three nine-year-olds. If she'd cried publically it would have ruined the morale at the convention. Just by sharing their time, Pokemon, and compassion, those three boys kept her from crying and making the whole thing even worse. YANA indeed.

You know that feeling you get when you're downloading a torrent, only at first it looks like no one is seeding, only then the connections start coming in, and they just keep coming, suddenly that series you thought you'd never get to see is going to be there in full by the end of the night. :3

I once thought that I was the only person I knew who had an encyclopediac knowledge of pre-Nintendo video games. Then, I went to my school's videogame club, and found out that almost everybody there knew about videogaming history

I had been going through a really hard time, but my friends and family only knew the external half of it, which was much easier to handle than the emotional baggage. But when I went to my last club meeting of the semester, the group leader (who I don't even know all that well) gave me an award. The other awards went to people who were really good at what they did, but mine was for "overcoming obstacles" and for always being there. It's hard to explain exactly how much that meant to me...but every time I look at that plaque, I remember: ''someone thinks that I'm strong.''

I had a similar experience at a camp where I tried everything, even if it really scared me or I didn't think I could do it. At the end they were giving out awards and I got one for ''Having a go at everything''. It's not much, but I've always felt like no one ever noticed me, no matter how much effort I put into something. Someone did.

I whined to someone about how I sometimes feel like I don't have friends. She mentioned it to someone... And he made me a cake. With icing that called me awesome. Yeah, pretty sweet.

Did you mean to pull that Pun of Awesome? I'll assume you did :D

This Troper has a college radio station show. On a rainy day, I was remarking to a friend in the station that nobody even listens to my show, so why am I bothering, and that ProgressiveRock doesn't get the respect it deserves. Within five minutes of that statement, a guy walks into the near empty station from the rain outside, and asks who's playing the Emerson, Lake and Palmer on the air. I say it's my Prog Rock show, and he goes into thanking me for playing some great music, and we went on for a good while about how awesome Prog is. Now he cohosts the show with me, and we've actually had others compliment our show. I am not alone indeed.

Something similar here. I entered my college radio club and started my show (about video game soundtrack). I was sure that it was niche, that no one would be interested in it, but I did it because I love Video Game music. When I was in the middle of my J-RPG episode, Someone entered the studio and thanked me for playing Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI (among others). But the kicker, I did a NES special (I was still sure that the other students would find it ear-bleeding), and when I played the classic tune of Super Mario Bros, a few students walked to the studio and gave me thumbs up. Now I know, I'm not alone. YOU are not alone.

This troper suffers from panic attacks. One of the most helpful things to stop them is to look up statistics on how many people suffer from these. I may be going crazy, but I'm in good company!

This troper has Asperger's Syndrome, and I'm a bit...touchy about it when people make fun of it for whatever reason. I may not know my fellow Aspies, but I am sure as hell that I WILL defend those like me, and my family will back me up, too.

You Too? Mind, with me, it's when people make fun of others ( UNLESS it is clearly banter) that makes me go psychotic.

This Troper also has Asperger's Syndrom. While I knew in my head that I wasn't the only one, it's sort of hard to really get that when you live in the middle of nowhere with a whole lot of people who don't understand what it is. It got to the point where I would just give up trying to explain it and grin and bear it. Not long after I first discovered this site, I sort of had a meltdown. After constantly assuming the best of people, that they weren't making fun of me, weren't being serious, etc etc, I couldn't take it any longer and went into a depression. Then I discovered how many Aspies there were on this site. I started reading all the discussions on it, and the Useful Notes page that we have for it. I don't know how many people here have Asperger's Syndrome, not exactly, but it looks like alot, and even those here that don't seem to have a far greater understanding of it than most. To all of you, Thank You, thank you so much.

I don't remember if it was me who wrote the original line you two are replying to, but if it was, thank you, and if it wasn't, add a + one to that.

I found out rather recently that I have Asperger's, after spending upwards of 20 years thinking that I was just weird. Now, I rather liked being unique, but the nagging feeling that there was something wrong with me offset the cool factor more than a bit. Having a name for my weirdness helped, though it was still hard to explain to some people. Just how do you get someone to take a disability seriously when it isn't physically obvious? There were times when I thought that I'd much rather be in a wheelchair or something. Then I found more and more people who knew and understood the condition, or even have it themselves. And I would miss being able to run in the sunshine.

This troper is comforted by the fact that she's not the only Aspie on the internet, especially considering she wasn't diagnosed until late in her junior year of high school.

I honestly have no idea what to say, other than thank you, my Aspergian brethren. I'm truly glad I found you guys, and after nearly 15 years of feeling alone, this site and all its users have shown me otherwise. I love you all, and may whatever God(s) that're out there bless each and every one of you.

This troper is also an Aspie, but prefers not to reveal it. But I guess this time, I'll make an exception. :)

I normally doesn't tell anyone I have Aspergers' Syndrome, but if you people feel comfortable revealing it here, then... I guess it's safe to confess. It's quite interesting, being part of a group.

This troper spent all of highschool in a theater troupe that wrote small skits, and manages to write one about being Gay, one about being a Lesbian, one about being Bi, an one about being Transgendered. Just to make sure that maybe, just maybe, someone in the audience would know... you are not alone!

*reads page* Pardon me if this is misplaced, but I love you all.

We love you too...(Just not in that creepy stalker way)* Hug*

This troper has come to the conclusion that there will always be parts of her that no one understands. But this will ''never'' stop me from being who I am, and finding people I love and trust. And you know what? I refuse to believe I'm alone in this mindset. To others who just read this, hi!

I agree with the first part. There are things that no one will ever understand. But that doesn't mean that these parts of you can't be respected. It's all about keeping an open mind about what other people think and do with their lives. We need not understand each other to ''respect'' each other. If we do that, we are truly not alone. I guess what I'm saying is... Hello.

This troper has the mindset of the original poster, and would like to add some things. Like, hey, sure, no one may understand a lot of parts of me, my reasoning or logic. Heck, I still haven't met anyone who shares my music tastes! But I do know that there are people out there who are live like me, who think like me, and who share the same problems. I mean, this troper could never feel truly sad about things like sickness or death, because I think of all those people out there, those strong, happy people, who have overcome the same things as me, and it makes me feel like I have the power of them behind me. The power of happiness and love and everything I've ever experienced all twists and fades into the experiences of other people. Trying to understand each other instead hard, it's impossible, yeah, but it makes you understand the pain of other people... and how to live on through the darkest moments in your life, even when you've hit rock-bottom. I love you guys, and I'd just like everyone here to know that you all matter, that you ARE changing the world, even if it's only your own; you can change someone else's world with the smallest actions. And, as cheesy as it sounds, the world really does end with you. ...It felt good to get that off my chest.

I am asexual, and while I love see people in happy relationships and I have been a ShipperOnDeck in some situations, being in love and being attracted to someone are alien aspects to me which I'll never completely understand firsthand. Of course, I've gotten plenty of weird looks when I say that, people wondering how the hell an anomoly like that can exist. So when I finally met someone who admitted the same thing to me, we were both like OMG at each other, thanking the heavens we weren't the only one who thought like that. (And no, we are not dating. I just have a lot of fun discussing anime with her and slowly destroying her childhood dreams by pointing out all the fucked up things Disney did in their movies ^-^)

Definitely not alone. Not exactly asexual myself, but my complete and total lack of a love life combined with cluelessness regarding that aspect of humanity has made me wonder from time to time. But, hey, sexuality is only part of being human. As long as we have others to share our lives with that's great.

This troper didn't even know what asexuality was. She just thought she was weird or somehow just trying to make herself be different. When she discovered that she wasn't the only one who felt this way, that it was alright for her to not want a sexual relationship, everything suddenly made more sense in her world.

I honestly did think I was the only one for a while there. It was so weird listening to my sister talk about boys she liked and insisting that there could be no relationship without sexual attraction... I'm so glad she was wrong.

This trope is invoked by one of my friends when I'm not in the best of moods. Which, considering a lot of paranoia and stress at the moment, is a lot. I also try to remind myself of this whenever I feel lonely and down.

Bittersweet example: This Troper, who started the troper tales page for {{Gayngst}}, at first thought that all the examples would be subversions except for hers. She thought wrong :)

This troper has had that a lot lately:

Was feeling apprehensive about going to graduation and having to explain to people that she wasn't able to complete her degree (still graduating, but the degree doesn't mean much). Ended up speaking to not one but two other people who had similar things happen. Nice to have someone to complain with.

After four years of high school and four years of college without any attention from guys, joined a dating website. Within a week, made some connections. Met a guy who seems very nice and sincere, and likes the same weird things. Has her first date with him scheduled for next week! The best part of this is that he was the one to make the first contact. It feels amazing to have someone reach out to me (but not in a creepy way).

Had another one just now, reading on this very page about people who keep their sanity by writing stories in their minds. I have a large cast of characters living in my head, and will amuse myself by figuring out how they would react to different situations.

 This troper recently sent an email to her friend, "A", in reply to an email asking for this troper's phone number, of which A had lost. In ended up having a message of something along the lines of "You Are Not Alone". Here is the email (note all people's names are replaced with capital letters and all emoticons (pictures, not ":)", ":(", ":P", etc.) are omitted; also a couple of important notes are placed in the text): sorry... wait do you have my cell #? Aw well, here it is:n/a.

This troper thought nobody in his school liked SuzumiyaHaruhi. Huh. Turns out the closest one is in the class next door. Nobody was able to comprehend his references to {{Daemon}} and {{Hyperion}}. Huh. His history teacher loves those books. Now, off to find someone who's fanfiction is as dark as this troper's!

A few years ago, a friend of this troper's on Neopets put a small story about how the people she met there changed her life. This troper responded with her own story, and we both concluded that we are not alone. This was the first time this troper had ever thought that and it was a wonderful moment that she'll remember for the rest of her life. ...when she thinks about it, even though she never thought the exact words, the feeling of not being alone is what kept her from veering off into depression or worse. So in a way, the internets saved my life before it was even in danger, all because if this trope.

I've recieved this a lot during the past years and I thought they were real, but then...turns out most of it was bull. Anyway, there's still Tv Tropes...

Sometime around October or November of 2009, I was feeling disheartened, because I had just missed over two months of classes due to illness and was dealing with the academic fallout from that, and completely alone, because most of my close friends had moved away and I was feeling too ashamed of my general lack of success in life to contact the few who were still in town. I randomly opened a Twitter account and made my first tweet a despairing cry into the abyss of the internet, figuring that nobody would read it. Within a few hours, though, I got a response back and from one of my best friends who had moved away, no less. I still have no idea how she found me. YouAreNotAlone indeed.

Whenever I start to feel depressed, or lonely, or whatever, I like to go to my bookmarks, open this page, and read it, start to finish. I always end up feeling a lot better knowing there's someone else out there who's had a rough spot. Long story short, I love you guys in a totally platonic way.

This Troper's dog causes such moments for her. No matter how hateful, monstrous, and unloveable I feel, there's always my dog willing to cuddle with me on the sofa.

I get that, but with my cat. She's like a child, crying when someone fights and just knowing when you're sad and sitting on your lap purring... When I feel the most alone, she's always there to make me feel better.

''"I want to be a star. I want to have my light stretch over impossible distances and durations to give comfort to someone I don't even know yet who is at the same time a kindred spirit"''

Done many, many times with this troper: sometimes played straight, sometimes subverted. Here are a couple of examples.

I used to be a member of a small, very tight-knit forum and left because of school (my school makes us work inhuman hours), almost forgetting about it. A couple of years later a guy from the forum made a post asking me to come back on my blog. It was one of the most touching moments of my life. No joke.

I went to Latin camp a while ago and, at the small welcome party, got into a conversation with a girl who I didn't know (well, I didn't know anyone but still...) and started chatting about, of all things, Bleach and RPing. Now, since no-one at my school reads/watches Bleach and I don't know anyone there who RPs, I found this rather uplifting. Not to mention I know barely anyone who does Latin and there were about 150 of us there...

Last example is a very painful subversion. I am a social outcast, an introvert, and I always feel alone and detached from events (it's got better in recent years, but it's still there). I have only a few close friends and I'm shy. I know that I am always alone, at least at home...

Dude, you just totally contradicted yourself...how are you alone when you have close friends? You may not physically be next to someone, but that does NOT mean you're alone. Honestly, all anyone needs IS a few close friends. Those are the type of friends that make all the difference in the world :)

During a martial arts class, this troper (the only newbie at that time) was practicing the first, most basic kata. The teacher ordered everyone else to sit down to practice one at a time. Before starting, I was asked to close my eyes. And in the middle of the kata, I was ordered to open them, just to find the whole class around me, all performing the same kata in perfect coordination. After the class, the teacher told me "we all started like you."

This troper has felt alone many, many times. So, to everyone who could possibly be feeling alone after reading all that....Well, you just aren't. We are all here for you. Know this, and feel the warm fuzzies. *hug*

By extension - if you ever feel uncool, dorky, boring, whatever, this troper would just like to remind you that you're currently browsing TV Tropes. I, for one, think ''you're awesome'', and whoever the hell you are, if we bumped into each other on the street, I'd give you one whopper of a high five.

This troper agrees. Tv Tropes may ruin my life, but I'm still glad to have met all of you, and finding out that I'm not alone. Seriously, this page lifts my spirits as well as GMH and the HeartwarmingMoments page.

This Troper has started college and felt that everyone knew each other, was partying hard, and was leaving me out of everything (all of which are this tropers BerserkButtons). I decided to talk to my roommate after almost being DrivenToSuicide. His response? "Dude, I just drank for the first time last week when you weren't here. I'll take you sometime. And I think that everyone is a prick that wants nothing to do with anyone else." I started to cry, because I had found a kindred spirit.

This aspie may feel like it's wrong to talk about this here, but i have to say it. Back in 2006, I had a fixation (which later turned into a true love) with the evil colorful birds from WindWaker (Kargarocs, of whom my username is also named after). I thought it was weird to be liking something that most people hate, so I kept it a secret. I even doubted that anyone else on the planet liked these obscure fictional creatures. Then I ran into DeviantART, where I made an acount and put up some pictures of them. Then, I searched dA for pics of them, and I found a picture, drawn by a person who was inspired by me. Turns out, she loves them too! I almost cried. Since then, the person has become my best friend, and has made numerous arts for me. YouAreNotAlone *cries*.

When I was a kid, I find myself keep on imagining stuff happening to fictional characters. I felt weird because it was before the Internet became popular. Then, I discovered fan fiction and my first thought was 'There are others like me?'. 

The fact I know other people here have ADHD and Social Anxiety made me realize that am I not alone in that area and makes want to be a better person

My second love-interest was seriously considering committing suicide (because of losing everything), she asked me, "I'm completely alone, I have lost everyone and everything I've lived for, why should I not do this?" To which I replied, with a {{Determinator}} tone, "You are '''not''' alone." She carries on and lives and gets better.

But also subverted in the fact that '''I''' am alone, and said love-interest abandoned me when she got better, making this my new favorite song.

Been there. *internet hugs*

You may not agree with this, and I'm not trying to force anything on you. But God is always with His children. Even when no one else is. I have found that out.

I totally agree. It's present throughout my entire life.

"In his dreams, a man was walking across a beach. He noticed there were two sets of footsteps: one for him, and one for God. He was walking along his life. He noticed that in the saddest parts of his life, there was only one set of footprints. This troubled him, and he asked God why he would abandon him in his darkest hours. "My child," God said, "I love you and I would never abandon you." In the darkest hours of your life, it was then that I carried you." -Anonymous

You might not believe it but, a few years ago, I was feeling really depressed. I went to bed and was lying there, not sleeping, almost crying and not really knowing why when I felt hugged. Like someone was giving me the biggest, best hug ever and I'm sure it was my Father just letting me know He was always there.

Whether you believe in God or not, He believes in you. You are made in His image, and He loves you. I'm not trying to force my beliefs on anyone: I really don't care what you believe. Because God is there for you no matter what.

I have read so much stuff on here that is anti-religious, bashing Christians, and generally making me feel like I'm a bad person for going to church and being a bible-thumper. Then I read these comments. Thanks alot guys! I know that I'm not the only closet conservative christian on here!

This troper has gone through a lot in her life and still is going through things now, as her family is in total chaos and has been so for the past four years. Because of this, she has considered running away from home and never returning or even killing herself so her family would have nothing to fight over anymore (the chaos is centered around me). When she's in school, she just keeps to herself and tries to stay away from others. One day, she was sitting alone at lunch as usual and a girl came up to her and asked her if she's okay. She simply told the girl she's fine and then was asked why she's always by herself. When the girl wouldn't go away, this troper just decided to say what was wrong. Turns out the girl was going through pretty much the same thing and had been so for years as well. After talking some more with her, this troper had to start fighting back tears because for the first time in her life, she felt she really wasn't alone. That was a year ago and today, this troper is best friends with the girl.

This Tropette had a friend at camp. #QUOTE# Friend: I'm alone. Okay. I have no one. #QUOTE# Me: SiSi, as long as I'm around, you'll never be alone.

This troper isn't the OP, and in fact her life is going great, but she was crying by the end of this post, simply from emotion. It doubles as a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming.

After two very rough years, this troper is back. My latest blog entry sums it pretty good, I think. (along with Crowning Music of Heartwarming)

Incoming TL;DR. I don't know if anyone is reading this, and I feel like it's futile to do, but I made an account here just so I could write this. Because somehow I feel like I should, given that it seems like there are people here who might understand.... I've recently lost every friend I had, and had my heart broken by the one person in the world who ever made me feel worthwhile. I was an abused child, beaten every day for many years, and it seems more and more each day that the man who did it was right about me---I am useless, worthless and repulsive, and nobody will ever care about me more than is convenient for them. I feel like I am a monster, a horrible person, though I try not to be, I feel like deep down all of the things good about me must be fake. It takes a miracle for me to make friends at all. When I do make them, they inevitably make me cry and abandon me. My family? I am a black sheep, and they roll their eyes at my tears. And I feel alone. And I'm scared. I don't want to be alone. I don't know what to do. When I was a child, I could escape these feelings through reading about people who were loved and wanted and cared for and important. I am denied even that escape now since even those fantasies are invaded by thoughts of "even a fictional character gets to feel like someone likes them. You never will!" ...I hate the thoughts that are going through my mind and I just want it to stop. I'm really, really scared. Please... I really want to know someone hears and understands. I'd give anything.

This post genuinely brings me to have compassion for you. YouAreNotAlone. I hear you, I understand you, and though I've never met you of which I am aware, I love you. You are special, just the way you are. My troping name is Encarnacion Pastora and with it you can probably locate the real me if you need to do so.

This Troper would like to say that although I can't give you much in the way of physical help, I just want to say that there are people here, me included, who are willing and ready to be by your side. Here, you're never truly alone.

I don't know you and I probably never will, but I hope you'll believe me when I tell you I love you. And I'm not just saying it to make you feel better, I really do.

This troper would like to tell you not to give up. There are people out there just waiting to meet you. People who will make you feel that your life means something. People who need you, yes, ''you'', because whatever anyone tells you, you are not a horrible person. You are a unique miracle, and you will do amazing things with your life. And you will not do them alone. The people who love you, and whatever you may think, I guarantee that there is at least one other person out there whose life is a little brighter because of you, the people who will love you, and the anonymous tropers whom you will probably never meet but are praying for you, all have your back. YouAreNotAlone.

This Troper cried tears. Not Manly tears, but real tears. You are not alone. And you never, ever will be. No matter what they say.

I don't know You.I will never probably meet You or get to Hug You or tell You how much You matter.But I care about You and I sincerely hope that things will work out for the best for You.You are not Your abuse,You are not the friends who abandon You,You are not the family who don't value You,You are not the feelings of doubt and Fear.You are a Beautiful and unique individual and I Love You.And I'm not the only one

Hey... #QUOTE# '''Jon Osterman''': Will you smile? If I admit I was wrong? #QUOTE# '''Laurie Juspeczyk''': About what?  #QUOTE# '''Jon Osterman''': Miracles. Events with astronomical odds of occurring, like oxygen turning into gold. I've longed to witness such an event, and yet I neglect that in human coupling, millions upon millions of cells compete to create life, for generation after generation until, finally, your mother loves a man, Edward Blake, the Comedian, a man she has every reason to hate, and out of that contradiction, against unfathomable odds, it's you - only you - that emerged. To distill so specific a form, from all that chaos. It's like turning air into gold. A miracle. And so... I was wrong. Now dry your eyes, and let's go home.

Gah, you guys are making me all teary-eyed, and this troper hates getting all sentimental. Though....she assumes she's not the only one?

Of course you're not. This is the girl who wrote the cry-speak message up above. There was something I wanted to say, now that I'm back in a stable mindset, to you all. Before I wrote what I did, I had looked upon this page and thought, rather cynically, "How can anyone say that anyone else isn't alone? You don't know each other. You have never seen each other before in your life. You'll never know them, you will never even think about them, and that being the case, how in hell can anyone be anything but alone?" Well... now I know. I was in a bad place, as though buried deep within the earth, surrounded by cold and unfeeling dirt, and anyone could and did walk right on top of me and never even notice or care that they did. All I wanted was to be heard, to know that I did indeed exist still, that there wasn't enough dirt around to truly stifle the voices of the solitary---for I know and knew that I was not the only one, even if that didn't help the immediate situation. I opened my mouth and received a throat full of dirt, pebbles, and worms where I had wanted to breathe air. But I came here. And I wrote what I did. And not even a full day later, Encarnacion Pastora had written a response. I never found you, Troper. I didn't know how---I hardly know how to edit this page. I never found any of you who found it in your hearts to comfort someone that most other people would shrug at and say, "Angst is the fashion these days. Get real problems. Then you'll know what it is to be sad." But though I never found you, your words, they still stand as little warming torches against the wall of cold that is the reality.  You have taught me that even when it seems like nobody gives a damn in the world, even when you feel like you could disappear from the world and nobody would notice or care, there are still those out there who feel it. Maybe they didn't know you. Maybe they will never know what happened. But they'll know something did. They'll know, and they'll feel it, because that, too, is reality---that many people can and do disappear because nobody has found them. As for me... I want to be like you all, able to inspire hope with just a few words. Further, I want to be able to reach out, somehow, and show people they don't have to condemn themselves to be alone. Personally, I can't help but think, there are so many people online, and so many ways for them to talk to each other, the possibilities... but I don't want to ramble on too much. I just wanted to say, thank you. You are all to be thoroughly commended. Through your kindness, I now know that when you feel like you're buried and worthless, though it might be hard, you have to claw your way back up to the surface. When there's grit in your teeth, caked on your face, dusting your hair, stuck beneath your nails, stinging your eyes, you know that eventually you'll sit on the grass and behold the sunlight with the wisdom the experiences bestowed upon you. For the time being, it is enough for me to know, in truth, that I am not alone.

I'd like to think that you have been "able to inspire hope with just a few words." I have also felt trapped in that same pit, and sometimes go too willingly back there. Some of the last audible words of my hero, who alone could get me out of said pit, were "And surely I am with you, to the very end of the age." Where he is, I can be found. -Encarnacion Pastora

...And this should be listed in the CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming page. 

I registered on here after reading your post, and I would like to say the following: you are most definitely not alone (although I imagine that this was probably established by this point, huh?). My entire paternal side was emotionally abusive, with my maternal side having their moments (though not meant anywhere near as vindictively as the former). I went through a very... non-peaceful, we'll say, custody fight, all while knowing that my father fought for me not because he actually loved me, but because he hated "loosing", was going to be unable to force me to clean up the house that they recked, and did not want his child support raised. As most abusers do, he refused to believe that he was at fault at all; even though I was genuinely terrified of him, he was the "victim". My cousin (on paternal side) I'm pretty sure was paid off to talk to me, so that my dad would have an "inside source" to have info on me, and ultimately, probably betrayed the trust that I had in him more than I realize even now. During this time, my then-best friend pretty much point blank told me that my problems weren't as bad as hers, and that I needed to shut up and quit whining. I found out a few months later that the only guy I had ever loved, my then boyfriend, had been cheating on me for months. How did I find out? When I sent him a text and a girl asked me who I was. Everything crashed down at once, and I was literally so numb that I wouldn't have cared if I had died-- and more so, contemplated suicide just to "get back" at the people who had hurt me. Thankfully, I had one friend who actually was there for me. Point being (and hopefully I haven't bored you too much), if you can just hold on, there truly is a "dawn to every night"; now, I have two very good friends who I would easily both trust my life to and take a bullet for, and a boyfriend who truly does love me. At times, the fact that I've been abused shows-- I'm overly-cautious and have extremely low self-value, along with being sarcastic and fairly cynical (even though it doesn't seem like it from this, I imagine). Still, looking back, I'm glad that I made it today, and thought that I would let you know that, most definitely, you are not alone, are loved, and maybe not completely, but there are people out there who really ''do'' understand where you're coming from.

Well, this troper and her friends were discussing the wish - if granted ''only'' one wish - each would respectively request. One friend somewhat amorphously communicated her wish as somehow imparting health/happiness upon the world without instigating a BraveNewWorld like scenario. Recognizing the paradoxical parameters of the first wish (without the ills of the world, the potency of happiness or good health evaporate) and acknowledging the dangers of irreparably altering even the tiniest aspect the world, another friend simply stated that she would not wish for anything. On this oft-ruminated topic, this troper suggested that perhaps - though not necessarily advisable - a nice wish would be: "For no one to ever have to feel alone."

Watch the Loners Are Freaks troper tales page. Up to now, there are more than 161 recently discovered siblings/copycats/clones/parts of the same self in there.

This one is a little different, but this troper has a 30GB broadband allowance and pops the cap every month, being stuck with slow internet for up to two weeks at a time. When the fast internet comes back I get this warm fuzzy feeling, like I can connect with the world again and I am not alone.

"Never skip out on a single day of your life. Because then the world will miss out on the distilled badassery that you are." I love you, my fellow Troper, regardless of where you are, even if I don't know you.

Heck, we're getting too caught up on just ''people'' on this list! I was once chewed out horribly by my father over some minor issue and retired to my room to have a sulk over the situation. My two dogs, one semi-elderly and the other barely over a year old, both came up to me with expressions that said this trope clearer than any human could voice it.

I love you guys! 

This troper would like to say that, even if there is still only one version of you, everyone of us is a champion even before being born. If anything, be proud that you, out of potentially millions, won the right to be born. Even if your life is an absolute shit hole, you proved able to beat millions just to be given life and that it is an honour to live in these interesting times. Who cares if the world ends tomorrow? Live life like it should be lived and be happy.

This troper is commonly hit with depressing streaks of loneliness. Which is why she has cats. But, another nice thing is music. Go and Google "Keep Holding On" by Avril Levigne, and "Connected" by Katherine Mcphee. The key, my wonderful fellow Tropers, is going and talking to someone! Even your cat! Even the wall! Even God! (She's done that one.) GO GO GO!

This troper has moments with this constantly with, her friends, who come through for her always (Taking me out, coming out of nowhere and making sure I stay in your life, inviting me round to your house after me being a bit crazy the last time I came round), and her lover who even through the immense crazy/bratty/moody couple of years stuck by her. I am most of that crazy/bratty/moodyness! The point is. I am not alone!... and neither are you

and of cause you tropers and your tales and the mere existence of this site has inspired and influenced me so. I know I am not alone in my obsession with creativity! 

This troper feels incredibly alone, probably contributing to his clinical depression. It is rather hard to feel like you aren't alone when your family, frankly, doesn't give a crap and you don't have anyone to talk to about it. UPDATE: depression reached insanely high levels, failed suicide attempt.

This manic-depressive knows exactly how you feel, having spend a large portion of life in just that situation. You're not alone here, mate. No matter what life throws at you, you've always got two things here: a support network, and people who care, no questions asked.

A support network? People who care? O.O. *looks around trying to spot them* That's... unusual for my life. To say the least.

-points up at all the people here- We care, mate.

*is getting all teary-eyed and is speechless* That means a lot to me... Thank you. *hugs randomly*

You do have people to talk about it with. Who? Well, me for one. We tropers are like family. Remember, no matter how you feel, somebody somewhere loves you and is willing to listen.

This troper lived in constant agony. Every 2 years I moved to a different country and had to change friends, culture, and everything. When I finally went back to my home country, I felt like a stranger. I felt like nobody cared, and that nobody was really appreciating all the kindness I was trying very hard to give. I didn't talk about this to anyone for almost 7 years, but then finally I let my heart out to my childhood friend, who through all the changes in life still remained the kind-hearted person I always knew, and he accepted everything I had to say and criticized me, society, and everything in general and yet still gave me suggestions on how to gain back my self-confidence and self-esteem. I could never ask for a better friend than that, and I literally cried during out talk. Who said men can't cry about their feelings? 

This Troper has discovered that she knows where her real friends are: the internet. After a whole day of being bullied and pushed around at school, she came home, collapsed at the computer and poured out her heart to her internet friends. Sure, we don't know each other; we've never met; but This Troper knows that she'll always be able to depend upon these guys to pull her out of a rut. Thanks guys~ Mousy677

This troper knows that feeling. When she was in middle school, she used to get tormented for reading all the time- it was one of those 'sports stars are king' middle schools. one day she got an email from another fan of a book series, which led to starting an entire role play..which led to a handful of people she has never met saving her life day after day for over a year.

"Everybody who's ever teased you. Called you: fat, stupid, ugly, geek, gay--they were right! That's why we all go here, 'cuz if we go anywhere else, we'd all get beaten up!" A quote by Jimmy Urine from Mindless Self Indulgence. I recently discovered the quote. I wrote it on a piece of paper and tacked it to my wall. Now I read it everyday and feel instantly better as well as a good chuckle. And I'm pretty sure Jimmy Urine used those adjectives in a positive connotation. :)

Happens frequently at this troper's school. My school is an art school that is very emotional, with most people being friendly, geeky people who get obscure references. When I do feel alone, even in my school, I have a hand picked group of people that I go to whenever I feel down. And then I, of course, have the internet.

This troper's good friend told her a little while back that there was a chance she could move. Since her school is a really bad school where a kid leaves almost each month due to horrible bullying, and this troper's friend often seems like her only true friend, I was understandably upset. However, I was strong and told her that I would miss her if she did. Cue me listening to Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne and crying like a baby. (Wah, it was a little silly, I know...) But I spotted her on messenger and told her that I would really, really miss her, and she gives a small "it's okay," speech and goes offline. The next day I go into school and she bounces up to me and says; "I had a long talk with my folks, and I'm not moving! I mean, with you crying, and everything going nuts... still. Don't worry, I won't leave you alone here." I hugged her so hard after that (you see I've got an EmotionlessGirl image going and show little emotion at school, so no tears.) and a few weeks back, my friend says "We're gonna know each other for ever, aren't we?" the answer, Em, is I hope so. <3

Throughout Elementary school I never really had friends. 6th and 7th grade were no better. 8th was better but then I graduated and me and my friends split to different high schools. Then came high school. I had people to hang out with but they weren't really friends. One day, in class, I heard a girl mention a meme. I thought it was coincidence but one day we started to talk. She knew anime, manga, the Internet, and it was nice knowing someone who knew stuff I knew. Then she moved away. I had other friends in my high school, and we kept in touch but then for my Sophomore year I moved. For the first months I had no friends, cue a random girl coming up to me after seeing my manga and talking to me. After being a loner for most of my life, those two years of high school and those people met gave me a huge You Are Not Alone moment.

When I had just gotten my first Labtop,I found Tv Tropes while looking for Scribblenauts codes.I even made my account just to post on this page.Sure,I may not be popular,I talk to myself,my story ideas may seem strange to some,I may be asexual,and I may get bad grades,but you know what?! I DON'T CARE! I don't let myself be put down by my classmate's comment, because their wrong.I know I'm different,but I'm just being me.People call me weird for liking Pokemon.I just shrug it off.People call me gay.I just shrug it off.Because I don't pick on people I don't know/like.If I don't like someone,I just don't talk to them.I don't know you?I try to be friends.I met my one of my seventh grade friends when I was an eighth grader.I noticed they always ate lunch by themselves,so I got me and my friends to hang out with him.Now,He's one of my best friends.

This troper, after struggling for a long time over a crush, discovered the CanNotSpitItOut Troper Tales page.

Back in 2006, my grandma died. I managed to hold off on crying until after the funeral, but I was still visibly upset. Unfortunately, my parents and brother are AllTakeAndNoGive, conversation-wise, so talking to them about how I felt was out of the question. So, I went to speak with a friend of mine (I'll call him "Jack" for anonymity purposes). When I told Jack what happened, he didn't say a word; he just leaned over and hugged me like a long-lost relative. Unlike some people I know, he didn't worry about what other people might think about seeing this; that act of friendship cemented his fire-forged status in my heart.

One of this troper's closest friends abruptly confessed to him about her obsessive-compulsive tendencies, having recently been diagnosed with mild OCD. The two of us started talking about how our friends didn't understand how consuming it was to suffer from it, and how aiming for top grades wasnt enough to self-diagnose OCD, spending the next hours admitting our real horror stories, about uneven lines, and disgusting writing that gnawed away at us every night. While certainly not the worst cases of OCD, both of us now have someone who truly understands the illogical pain of it all. It's not a lot, but for anyone and everyone, even this self-loathing troper can believe that You are Not Alone

you, you right there.. you just finished reading this page, right? and you think, no one's read this whole thing, it's way too long... guess again. You are not Alone.

When I was in middle school, I was bullied relentlessly. It got to the point where the teachers just wouldn't try and do anything about it anymore. But I made it through and I looked forward to school every day. Why? I had a close circle of friends that would always support me. I always felt happy when I was around them. Even after I moved, I still stay in contact with them.

Proving this is basically my life mission, and suicide prevention.