A TikTok creator’s story about trying to make friends at youth group has racked up hundreds of thousands of views, after she admitted grabbing what she thought were batons from under a quiet girl’s chair at church. The creator, who posts as @ivymarieplay, captioned the video “Real story unfortunately.”
She explains in the clip, as first reported by The Daily Dot, that she used to attend a megachurch in the Valley with a huge youth group. Being the extrovert of her circle, she says she made a habit of taking quiet newcomers under her wing. However, one new girl would not look at her, even while she was speaking directly to her.
The creator says she eventually ran out of things to say and noticed what looked like a pair of batons under the girl’s chair. She asked how long the girl had been using them, and the girl asked what she meant. She then grabbed the objects and started waving them around, until the girl leaned in and quietly told her she was blind.
Viewers say they never saw that church story’s ending coming
According to the TikToker, the girl never returned to the church after that day. The reveal left many viewers stunned, with the most liked comment pointing to “the foreshadowing” in her earlier remark that the girl could not even look at her. Another said their new favorite line was her admission that she held back on something because she “didn’t want to have to repent.”
A good share of the comments came from self-described introverts, many of whom took the story in stride. “As an introvert, thank you for your service,” one wrote, while another thanked her for continuing to reach out to quiet people no matter what others say. Others reassured her that her “heart was in the right place.”
Some viewers latched onto the setting itself, as the creator described a megachurch where people zip-lined onto the stage. One commenter joked that she was only there for the zip line, while another shared his own church mix-up, saying he once welcomed the lead singer of Switchfoot as though he were a first-time visitor.
A smaller group was less amused, as they felt the girl’s silence was a clear signal to give her space. However, that pushback stayed mostly gentle, with one viewer asking why she kept trying and telling her to leave the girl alone, and another admitting they would not have gone back to the church either.
Other commenters pointed out that the objects were a guide cane, and one suggested church leaders should have told the youth group about the girl’s situation beforehand. A few joked that the creator still had to stop herself from calling it a baton by the end of the story, as the word had clearly stuck with her.
Stories about well-meaning mix-ups involving blindness tend to travel fast online, as seen when a man’s blind friend couldn’t read a Braille sign he picked up at a thrift store. The TikToker has shared other storytelling videos on her page, though this church story remains among her most viewed.
The creator has not said whether she ever crossed paths with the girl again, and it remains to be seen whether she shares more stories from her youth group days.
Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the girl’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from @ivymarieplay’s TikTok video.
Published: Oct 29, 2026 05:45 am