Waterguy12 is the Reddit username of a user who kicked off a two-week r/me_irl tagging saga in July 2017 by asking the subreddit to tag him on good memes while he was without WiFi. The bit snowballed into a mock war with an account called FireGuy12 and got a smaller sequel in June 2019.
Origin
On July 29th, 2017, Waterguy12 posted to r/me_irl announcing he was heading somewhere without WiFi until August 14th and jokingly asked people to tag him on good memes so he wouldn't miss out[1]. Within six days the post picked up over 9,000 upvotes and users started dropping "u/waterguy12" in the comments of nearly every submission[1]. By August 5th the tagging had gotten so out of hand that Redditor martinber123 wrote an r/OutOfTheLoop thread titled "Why is everyone tagging u/waterguy12 in every comment"[2].
- Platform: Reddit (r/me_irl)
- Creator: Waterguy12 (Reddit user)
- Date: 2017
Overview
Waterguy12 is the Reddit username of a user who accidentally spawned one of r/me_irl's most-remembered sagas in the summer of 2017[1]. Before leaving for two weeks without internet, he asked the subreddit to tag him in any good memes so he wouldn't miss out[1]. The tag flood that followed pulled in a rival account called FireGuy12 and turned into a mock war fought with water and fire emojis[3].
The bit is remembered less for a single image and more as a community in-jokes event, where users spun up dozens of accounts following a "SomethingGuy12" naming pattern to pick sides in the fake fight[3]. A second departure in June 2019 kicked off a smaller sequel round of the same tagging bit[1].
How It Spread
On August 4th, 2017, an account called FireGuy12 appeared on r/me_irl and threatened to set the sub ablaze unless users upvoted him, pulling in over 11,000 upvotes overnight[3]. Copycat accounts using the "SomethingGuy12" naming pattern flooded in and users picked sides. When Waterguy12 finally returned on August 14th, his re-entry post about reading responses on a train pulled in roughly 59,000 votes in six hours and left him with 3,200+ notifications that kept glitching[1].
He then redirected the r/waterguy12 subreddit to raid r/fireguy12 with images of water, hauling in another 33,000 upvotes[4]. FireGuy12 begged for a truce "for their old friend Fernando" and Waterguy12 agreed, ending the fight[1]. On June 28th, 2019, Waterguy12 announced a second trip from June 30th to July 15th, gathering 52,600+ upvotes in three days and prompting a wave of nostalgic me_irl posts tagging his username across older meme threads[1].
How to Use
The convention is to reply to a strong meme on r/me_irl by tagging /u/waterguy12 in the comments, often paired with water emojis or a jab at FireGuy12[1]. Newer versions of the joke typically frame the tag as 'saving' a meme for someone who is offline, then get answered by other users tagging back with the SomethingGuy12 format[3].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Waterguy12?
Waterguy12 is the Reddit username of a user whose 2017 request to be tagged in good memes while offline snowballed into a mock war with an account called FireGuy12 on r/me_irl[3].
Where did Waterguy12 come from?
He first posted the request on r/me_irl on July 29th, 2017, and the tagging blew up so fast that r/OutOfTheLoop had a 'why is everyone tagging u/waterguy12' thread by August 5th[2].
What does Waterguy12 mean?
On r/me_irl, tagging u/waterguy12 became shorthand for flagging a meme worth saving for someone offline, and later got used as a general in-joke long after the original trip ended[1].
How do you use Waterguy12?
Reply to a good r/me_irl post by tagging /u/waterguy12, often with water emojis, mimicking the 2017 pattern that filled his inbox with 3,200+ notifications on his return[1].
Is Waterguy12 still popular?
Waterguy12 briefly came back with a second departure post in June 2019 that pulled 52,600+ upvotes in three days, but the 2017 saga is what the meme is best known for[1].
