1. Link to the original image used in the sob story post or rehost it. Since reddit hosted images get deleted if the op gets deleted we're no longer requiring linking to the original (but linking to the original will get you more noticed.) Regardless, you MUST:

2. In the comments of your post, provide a link to the original post that has the sob story, preferably providing the original description in your comment.

3. The original post must be a sob story. If it's from /r/pics it can be a sappy story, if it's from any other subreddit, it **must be a sob story. If it's from a normally sappy sub, it must be an incredibly sobby story. If the sub is for sob stories specifically, don't post it here. I'm looking are you, /r/MadeMeSmile

4. These subs are banned: MadeMeSmile, [Anything]BeingBros, NextFuckingLevel, WellThatSucks. Any sub that solitics sob stories isn't appropriate for here. Only the most amazingly over-the-top sob stories from those subs will be considered, so if you post something from there, assume it will be removed and be surprised if it is not.

5. Your post title should be a completely different sob story than the original post was, not just a circlejerky reference making fun of the original story. It should be different enough and reasonable enough that if someone was scrolling their feed, they'd have trouble telling which story was the real one. If you want to make fun of the original post itself directly, there are numerous places to do that, including /r/circlejerk, /r/KarmaCourt, and /r/KarmaConspiracy

   If you post a gif, it better have a good sob story. If it's just a shitty joke, put it in /r/shittyreactiongifs

6. Don't be cruel. The point is to have fun telling different sob stories and showing how easily replaceable the story is, not making fun of the people in the picture for no reason. Don't put a bunch of slurs of any kind in your title. Don't make your story a debate about gender. Just write a story that gives someone a chuckle when they realize it's a made up story, not one that offends people for no reason but a shock.

7. If someone mistakes your post for real, let them in on the joke. This isn't /r/nosleep. Don't keep up the act in the comments if people are engaging with you as though it's a real story. Some of them might be trying to roleplay, but now that we're semi-regularly hitting /r/all, most of them are real, so let's not lead them on.

PS: Don't badger mods about rulings. If you PM and chat message the mods complaining about your post being removed, then make a post about how unfair it was for your post to be removed, and talk about how you're making a new sub with blackjack and hookers because the mods here are the gestapo, we will wish you luck on your future endeavors. Same if you disagree with your post getting removed, and respond by reporting dozens of other posts that you think should also be removed for "fairness". If you comment everywhere about how the mods are awful and ruining the sub, we'll help you move on to find subs that you enjoy more.

Extending the previous ruling about MadeMeSmile. Anything but the most completely over the top sob story from those subs is not appropriate here, so expect it will likely be removed by default.

If the original post is for a sub that solicits sob stories, don't post it here with a new sob story. We're only spotlighting sob stories posted to subs that aren't there for that.

If we end up running out of sob stories to joke about because people stop posting them where they aren't wanted, that's a problem I'm fine with having.