Circa 2012, there was a sort of code going around Tumblr. People wanted a way to start a conversation with someone in real life when they suspected the other person was a Tumblr user. The code was a way to start a conversation that wasn’t too weird or awkward. And it had a specific response to signal the other person was in on the code.
Someone decided it would be this:
You see someone out in public (bookstore, cafe, grocery store) who you think might also be a Tumblr user. You say, “Hey, I like your shoelaces.”
If they respond with, “Thanks, I stole them from the president,” that confirmed they were in on the code.
And then you could geek out about whatever fandoms and hobbies you had in common.
Fast forward to 2022 and…
Life imitates art.