Dash Spider / This Isn't Sightreadable

About

Dash Spider, also known as This Isn't Sightreadable, is a Losslike meme that emerged from the subreddit /r/geometrydash. After YouTuber GD Colon criticized a section of the "Dash" level in Geometry Dash 2.2 for being introduced too suddenly, fans of the game began making memes referencing the layout of the level, not unlike memes such as Loss and Amogus. In early 2024, Dash Spider became a meme in the style of pattern recognition (in other words, cleverly concealing it either as or in various unrelated objects) where the humor is generated from the audience spotting the reference to said level. This meme is also reminiscent of earlier iterations of pattern recognition memes in the Geometry Dash community, such as Devil Vortex Saws or Limbo Keys.

Origin

On December 24th, 2022, YouTuber GD Colon posted a YouTube^[2] video discussing how the game Geometry Dash introduces and teaches the game's mechanics to its players. Toward the end of the video, the YouTuber discusses what he calls "That Spider Part" in the then-upcoming Geometry Dash 2.2 game. His primary complaint with the level is how suddenly and inexplicably it shows how you can move "sideways and up the walls," and calls the section unsightreadable (seen below).

Geometry Dash 2.2 was released on December 19th, 2023, with GD Colon posting another review^[1] of the game on January 22nd, 2024. He shows various players being surprised and defeated by the Dash Spider section of the game (seen below). The video gathered over 480,000 views and 27,000 likes in two days.

The layout of the Dash Spider level is comprised of a row of spikey blocks, two platforms and a lava pit covered by a ceiling (shown below).

GD Colon posted one of the earliest Dash Spider memes on /r/geomtrydash^[12] on November 24th, 2023, using the Digging For Diamonds template and gathering over 3,000 upvotes in two months (seen below).

!

Spread

In late January 2024, Redditors on /r/geomtrydash began posting videos that introduced the Dash Spider level as a jumpscare, with well-known levels transitioning into the spider segment in the December 2.2 release. This meme may have been inspired by an earlier trend on /r/geometrydash that used the "Congregation" demon level as a jumpscare, as seen in a January 5th, 2024, post by /u/NikplaysgamesYT.^[3]

The earliest notable meme using the Dash Spider level was posted to /r/geometrydash^[4] by /u/jail_abyss on January 23rd, gathering over 4,000 upvotes in two days (seen below).

The meme quickly spread from /r/geometrydash to other gaming subreddits over the following days, including /r/btd6 and /r/Terraria, as well as non-gaming subreddits like /r/mathmemes,^[7] /r/trolleyproblem ^[8] and /r/LycorisRecoil. ^[9]

Posts about Dash Spider typically have titles that complain about a level being "too confusing" or "not sightreadable," as seen in a post in /r/terraria^[6] by /u/MadenSuyu1, which gathered over 3,000 upvotes in two days (seen below, left), and a post by /u/ThunderCube3888 in /r/Undertale,^[13] which used the term "sightreadable" and gathered over 2,000 upvotes in two days (seen below, right).

A January 23rd, 2024, post on /r/btd6^[5] by /u/ TheTrueIcicle referenced Dash Spider as well, with a caption that read, "Guys, I think this gameplay is a bit unfair for newer players…." The post gathered over 3,000 upvotes in two days (seen below, left). Also on January 23rd, Redditor^[14] /u/Muntacaas posted a Dash Spider meme to /r/bindingofisaac, gathering over 1,000 upvotes in two days (seen below, right).

On the evening of January 23rd, 2024, Redditor u/Thegermandoge compiled a list of Dash Spider memes that were posted outside of /r/geometrydash showing how rapidly the meme spread.^[10]

GD Colon acknowledged the Dash Spider memes and posted a video compilation to /r/geometrydash^[11] on January 24th, gathering over 6,000 upvotes in a day (seen below).

Various Examples

External References