#i lov the convoluted nature of the gang it truly is just. theyre so fucked up n bizzare

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I wanna hear your charmacden high school HCs!!!!!!

IVE GOT SO MANYYYY

but okok lemme lay the sort of backstory foundation here... basically we know dennis was so eager for ppl to like him (and more visibly so than he is when we pick up with the timeline of the show) so I imagine he was even more desperate in HS to be liked (cuz we see him reverting RIGHT back to that in the HS Reunion ep)... i think him n dee probably had like.. zero friends in HS but both Hated that. they did not like having to stick together. i think dee def seemed to have friends in HS like Ingrid, but dee always felt like she was superior to Ingrid n so wasn't really a "friend" lol.

den likely had some idea of who Mac n Charlie were since he mentions remembering the news show they made in 8th grade. I actually have the HC that Dennis was weirdly like Obsessed w Mac n Charlie from a distance for a Loooong time before really trying to make a move to get into their friend group. i think he was intimidated by them based on rumors, cuz we know Mac n Charlie had their Freight Train group.

Dee catches onto this quickly bc Den is so insanely obvious n she teases him for it which spurs den to make up some entire lie abt only wanting to get in with Mac/Charlie's group bc they have connections to the 'cool crowd' n THATS what dennis is actually aiming for (totally. lmao... again. liar)... so this pushes dennis to a breaking point cuz dee is like 'well ur never gonna get in there if u just sit here and stare at them, moron'

so my idea for how Mac n Dennis first meet is basically dennis following Mac home that day after him n dee have that convo thinking he's being 'sneaky' n all trying to build up the nerve to actually talk to Mac. but Mac has that hypervigilance so he catches on that he's being followed n takes this 'shortcut' that he knows well n knows there's a stoop that's easy to trip over if u don't know the route well... so Dennis trips n makes his presence known LOL n before he can get up Mac pulls a pocket knife on him n demands dennis tell him why he's following him. den makes up an excuse abt wanting to buy drugs, but Mac has him empty his pockets n they're empty so he's like 'u know u need money to buy drugs right? ur not getting shit for free from me I know you have the money' n dennis throws some compliments at mac to try n 'defuse' the situation n it works enough that mac just tells dennis to leave him alone n not pull some shit like that again

the next day mac is bragging to charlie n dooley while they're sitting under the bleachers at lunch n thinking he's so cool for running this kid off but charlie is ANRGY n mac doesn't understand why n charlies like 'nono dude u don't understand... he's from the reynolds family, right?' n mac is like 'yeah? so?' n charlies like 'oh my god don't u GET it?? this is the perfect opportunity to sew ourselves in mac!' n mac is like 'oh I guess that's a good point' so charlie has mac go reluctantly apologize to dennis n invite him to hang out w them.. dennis is all smug when dee is glaring at him.

n charlie takes this as an opportunity to just totally humiliate dennis with insisting there's all these 'initiations' in order to get into their friend group (which we know is at least partially true, but charlie gets really excessive with it cuz its funny to him LOL) ranging from shit like dining n dashing to more fucked up like killing crows ('because they're the most annoying kinds of birds dennis, don't you know that?' cuz uh.. charlie bird special interest I guess) n dennis totally cries after having to kill the crows n charlies laughing his ass off meanwhile mac is rlly concerned abt dennis ... this trend continues of charlie making dennis do shit that used to make both him and mac laugh, but instead mac actually feels bad for dennis. that starts really getting on charlie's nerves cuz he has like zero sympathy for dennis n doesn't understand why macs getting soft all of a sudden for dennis reynolds of all ppl too. (he has the sort of frank mentality in Ass Kickers United where he wants to see how far he can push ppl n that's how he has fun, like I bet u for a while he was constantly impressed by/jealous of the fact that dee got someone to eat Horse Shit)

(cuz this is also where i think the charlie/dee dynamic gets interesting too... again I have the HC that it all starts when charlie is over with mac at dennis' house n sees dee lighting things on fire n throwing them into the pool in the backyard. pyromaniac to pyromaniac lollll... n I think overall charlie admires dee's really cruel/dark side. i don't ship ch*rdee but in canon I think they def have a bond that is probably rooted in shit like that n I think its interesting LOL)

i think this is where a lot of mac's internalized homophobia starts to take root cuz charlie makes a lot of patronizing comments abt mac and dennis cuz charlie knows mac like the back of his hand n knows every way to push his buttons n get inside his head. so we then have dennis getting a similar treatment to his chaotic homelife where mac was just beginning to warm up n feel 'safe' but then gets more distant n hostile (and even worse, not knowing why mac's had a sudden change in demeanor) n I think this sets the tone for how even to this day macdennis' dynamic fluctuates... cuz of course at a certain point (esp after going to college) I think dennis is tired of feeling like the 'weak one' who gets shit on (esp after being in the frat house) so he sees all the ways his frat brothers will humiliate guys to prop themselves up n replicates this kind of behavior. however, with mac, as I've stated in other macden posts... there are always some invisible boundaries with mac that even dennis isn't fully aware are there for a long, long time.

we already know charlie/dee manage to find a lot of enjoyment in watching mac n dennis act like total jackasses while charlie n dee are pulling all the strings (Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom) n I think that's been a long-running thing personally...

sorry i guess this turned more into Chardee Macdennis HCs than anything uhhh... i got another ask abt this so I'm gonna include my actual random HCs for HS charmacden in there LOL. i wanted to get all the backstory stuff out first thooo cuz I feel its. important context KJNKJDF