A low-quality image of Kyoko Sakura, a character from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, has become a social media catchphrase. The phrase “My City Now” started as a joke and turned into a general reaction image, a catchphrase, and a social media tag. It is used to signal that someone is alone or intends to take over a space.
The 4chan Beginning
A remake of Puella Magi Madoka Magica first appeared on 4chan on February 11, 2011, and it was made up of five threads that covered the whole story of the show. Fans drew on low-quality clips taken from the original anime and posted messages with deliberate misspellings and grammatical errors, including references to character names and terms from the show. One illustration of Kyoko Sakura bearing the caption “my city now” gained attention on Tumblr, where it frequently circulated as a reaction image removed from its original context.
The Spread Across Platforms
A Tumblr user named tempestrune posted a sign from a restaurant that read “GET BIG SANDWICH YOUR CITY NOW,” accompanied by the “my city now” reaction image. The same image was posted on Reddit by user u/TheCykaNeverStops in reply to Mark Hamill and Luke Skywalker. Another Tumblr user, taptrial2, shared the image in response to liking a bad show and thinking up ways to make it better. Thoodleoo, another Tumblr user, posted the image after learning how the ancient Romans took gods from other cultures and added them to their own pantheon. Reddit user u/EvanTheTrashPanda then asked what the AO3 tag “Fuck Canon My City Now,” meant, and it was explained as a refusal of official canon in favor of personal interpretation.
The Meaning Behind the Tag
The AO3 tag “Fuck Canon My City Now” was explained as a rejection of established canon in favor of the user’s own interpretation.
The phrase has also been used as a general reaction image and social media tag meant to signify that someone is alone or intends to take over a space.
The Timeline of Posts
- February 11th, 2011: The earliest known retelling began on 4chan.
- Unknown date between 2016 and early 2017: Tumblr user tempestrune posted the restaurant sign.
- May 3rd, 2017: Reddit user u/TheCykaNeverStops posted the image in response to Mark Hamill and Luke Skywalker.
- September 3rd, 2018: Tumblr user taptrial2 posted the image in response to liking a bad show.
- Sometime after March 2020: Tumblr user thoodleoo posted the image in response to the ancient Romans.
- April 10th, 2024: Reddit user u/EvanTheTrashPanda asked about the AO3 tag “Fuck Canon My City Now.”
The Key Facts
- Origin: February 11th, 2011, 4chan
- First Tumblr use: Tumblr user tempestrune, unknown date between 2016 and early 2017
- First Reddit use: Reddit user u/TheCykaNeverStops, May 3rd, 2017
- First AO3 tag: Asked about by Reddit user u/EvanTheTrashPanda on April 10th, 2024
- Tags: “Fuck Canon My City Now,” “My City Now”
What We Make of It
Years after it first appeared, a simple meme based on poor anime fan art and worse grammar keeps moving from one forum and platform to another, finding new homes — a sandwich menu, a celebrity post, a bad show, a Roman deity — while holding onto its original meaning all along. The phrase stays a catchphrase, a reaction image, and a social media tag, used by people to show they are alone or mean to take over a space.
Source material: “My City Now,” Know Your Meme.
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