How the shared ceremony came together
In January 2018 a photograph of a cat holding a paw beside its head circulated on Pikabu. The gesture resembled a military salute. An image of Big Boss from Metal Gear was attached to the picture, and the animal acquired the playful nickname Colonel Kus. A pair took shape in which the military hero of the game gave a random feline pose a solemn meaning.
In March of the same year, a collage with four participants spread especially widely. To the earlier panels were added the streamer Ozon and Ilya Maddison. He was used, among other things, for a farewell to the late actor Billy Herrington. The construction then became a common gesture of respect. It has no reliably established single author: the history of its spread does not allow us to determine who first assembled each version or where all the individual images originally came from.
Four images and one gesture
In the upper left corner sits a striped cat with a paw at its head. To its right is Ozon, with his palm pressed to his temple. In the lower left is Big Boss in uniform and beret, with an eyepatch; his salute looks the most official. The lower right panel is taken up by Maddison in a dark coat with a cigarette, against a background of night lights. He too raises a hand to his head.
This is a montage of different images, not a joint photograph. The panels differ sharply in light, quality and circumstances, but the similar position of the limbs binds them together more strongly than the differences do. The cat’s paw looks like an unintentional imitation, the game soldier like the source of the ceremony, and the familiar internet faces like its participants. Placed side by side, they form a small delegation that needed only one gesture to agree.
Respect without a long speech
The collage is built like a chorus. A single photograph could convey a personal reaction, but four identical actions create the impression that everyone decided to salute at once. That is why the word “everybody” in the title works convincingly, even though only a few heroes appear in the picture. The mixed lineup lets one imagine a whole community: animals, gamers, stream viewers and lovers of online jokes.
The tone shifts with the occasion. In a genuine farewell the collage expresses memory and gratitude. Under a story about a small helpful act, the same solemnity becomes an affectionate hyperbole. A person did something simple, but the author of the reaction rewards it as though it were an important service. The image can be funny in form and serious in its regard for the addressee at the same time.
The format has no obligatory line. The caption merely says who is currently receiving the honor. The panels themselves already perform the action: they do not promise future gratitude, they show it. Because of this, the collage conveniently ends a conversation — after a detailed account comes a brief visual ceremony.
What gets a salute in everyday chat
In a fictional gaming group, one member stays behind after a match to explain awkward controls to a newcomer. The others send the collage with the caption “To the one who didn’t leave after the victory.” The merit lies in patience, and the military salute makes ordinary help look like an award after an important mission.
In a neighbors’ chat, a person reports that they labeled all the found keys to the utility rooms and sorted the bunch. They are answered with four saluting heroes: “A medal for defeating the unknown door.” A specific minor problem becomes a feat. Yet the gratitude is understandable even without the ironic caption — the work really saved others time.
Finally, friends say goodbye to an old shared server where they spent many evenings. Beneath the last message about shutting it down appears the collage without any playful text. The same characters now see off a place with a shared history. The three situations show the range of the reaction: the humor arises from exaggerating the scale, yet the gesture can keep a respectful tone even when the occasion has no funny resolution.
