#like. you get it

[cloneximio-877]

day 13: friend

characters: Wemmbu, Egg

edit: miscalculated number of words. it's only around 1000 actually

When Egg joined the server, he immediately joined Wemmbu's civilization. No, not- he joined Wemmbu's civilization even before he joined the server. He got here to help Wemmbu, to keep him company, to be on his side. To follow his, Wemmbu's, goals and dreams. And follow he did.

He followed Wemmbu when there was no one else to do so. He followed Wemmbu when no one else would even want to see him. He followed him, knowing perfectly well: his friend isn't liked by other people, isn't welcomed by other people. And - he couldn't let go of him, even if following him meant abandoning everything else. He wouldn't, because his friend meant the world to him, and he wanted someone to be here for him, to not let him be completely alone, not let him be completely unloved and rejected.

And - he would be here. When Wemmbu refuses to cooperate with anyone else, refuses to try being in peace with others and doing what's morally correct, he would still be here - arguing, telling him he is wrong, but letting him know - he would never be left alone, no matter which path he takes, no matter how many enemies he makes, no matter how desperate situation is.

And - he's treated like Wemmbu's weakness, getting captured and held hostage again and again, getting almost murdered in front of Wemmbu to make it hurt. And Egg sees how desperate Wemmbu is to save him - no matter the cost, no matter the consequences. Devotion in exchange for devotion. Because that's how friends are, right?

And - Egg slowly changes from being with Wemmbu all the time, following his ways even when he doesn't agree with them: becomes more tolerable to cruelty, less bothered about others, less caring about outside world and it's wants when it takes and takes and takes from him and Wemmbu. And - he holds on their goals, so tight that nothing could rip him off them, so tight the fabric itself starts to rip in his dead grip.

And - Wemmbu changes too, he notices, and he hates this change. He thinks about Wemmbu giving in to other people's wishes, about trying to stop bloodshed, stop killing, retiring from fighting, trying to solve problems through negotiation, in a peaceful way - all after Egg changed himself so much to let Wemmbu stay exactly the way he was. Destroyed and reshaped himself and his views.

There's- there's something in it rubbing him the wrong way. Frustrating him to no end. And it hurt him to see Wemmbu give up his wants and needs in the past - sacrifice them for something, someone he deemed more important. And it hurts him now - to see Wemmbu give up all he stayed strong on before, and it just being a part of what he is now.

So - when Wemmbu makes a goal, Egg holds on it with all he has, launching right into it, throwing everything else away. And this "new civilization" thing goes good, it's good, it's still standing and growing and living, and Egg makes sure in stays this way.

What he doesn't account for is the fact that he becomes that thing he hated so much in the process - another PrinceZam lookalike, another dictator, another person who got power in his hands and let it hit in his head. And he distances from Wemmbu, and makes him work for him, commands like an attack dog and calls it being efficient, giving the work to people suited for it the most.

But - he's still Wemmbu's weakness. And after all of their sacrifices for each other, after being hurt for staying together and hurting each other and themselves for being together, they are once again stripped of everything they had, left wounded and vulnerable and only having each other while being against the entire world.

(Of course Wemmbu leaves everything behind and gives everything he has and gives up only to keep Egg safe. Of course he would. And - Egg knows he shouldn't, and hates that he does it, again and again, gets hurt by others because of his loyalty, but- what can he say, the one that turned his loyalty for him against him.)

They stay together. They still stick to each other, even if it's not the same, even if it never will be the same. And Wemmbu still gives him protection and comfort of someone stronger than him being here, and Egg still tries to be here for him too, to lean into supporting role he wears like his second skin. And they are still friends. And they still have each other.

And Wemmbu leans on him after Rejoice dies, gets as close as before, probably even closer; they sleep with their beds moved together, again, and Egg holds him in his hands, and he hides his face and doesn't let him see what's going through his head. Egg doesn't get it - why does he get so attached to others when it only hurts him again and again and again? It changes Wemmbu, both meeting Rejoice and losing Rejoice, a lot, in so many ways: his fighting style, his mindset, his actions and decisions. Wemmbu gets closer and exchanges their armour as they're getting closer to danger, and Egg feels protected, cared for, but he doesn't like how it's at Wemmbu's expense. And he doesn't like how Wemmbu's plans require him to stay away, in safety, while Wemmbu's risking his life for no reason at all, while he's being extremely insufficient, while he's rejecting the obvious answer and choosing what's worse for him.

(Egg never learns about how quick Wemmbu's pulse goes, how fast and scared is his heart beating. How high he is on adrenaline drive, how his hands are trembling a bit as he's bleeding and taking injury after injury, slashes painful and deep and much more damaging with his thin armour. How he almost dies multiple times and doesn't even stop, and doesn't even care about it, and there's something that feels good about it.)

And Egg confronts him about it, and all Wemmbu does is ignore him or laugh it off, and this careless laughter long since became too easy for him to hide behind. And Egg tells him - go back. And Egg gives him armour, apples, resources, all stuff that Wemmbu would reject from him now if he didn't literally put them into his hands.

And- he presses Wemmbu into fighting with Flame, the way he would win, because at this point it feels like Wemmbu's goals are more important for him than for Wemmbu himself.

[mabepearls]

idk if i'm fully willing to commit to the essay i will ultimately spew based on this prompt, but i think the main thing that makes cynari so interesting to me is how purposefully and fundamentally intertwined the two of them are

[podcastwizard]

my most toxic trait is i fucking love work gossip. i play neutral not to be the bigger person or take the high road but to hear slander and hearsay from every side. two coworkers complained about each other to me in the same afternoon and i nearly blacked out from the rush

[ahotknife]

the thing is that childhood doesn't just end when you turn 18 or when you turn 21. it's going to end dozens of times over. your childhood pet will die. actors you loved in movies you watched as a kid will die. your grandparents will die, and then your parents will die. it's going to end dozens and dozens of times and all you can do is let it. all you can do is stand in the middle of the grocery store and stare at freezers full of microwave pizza because you've suddenly been seized by the memory of what it felt like to have a pizza party on the last day of school before summer break. which is another ending in and of itself

[ispyspookymansion]

post this long cat.

[mewvore]

Sometimes you need to read something twice to get it. You might need to watch a movie three times to understand it. You might have to have that album on repeat for a week until the lyrics make any sense. You're allowed to engage with it and can keep engaging with it until it means something to you. People will see a painting at a museum and laugh about not getting what the big deal is but like you can come back, you can see it at another time, and maybe that next time it'll be different for you. I'm of the belief the "media literacy crisis" would solve itself if more people just sat down and did it again. Watched, read, played, listened, etc like I don't think people are getting more ignorant necessarily I just think we're not glorifying personally replaying things nearly as much as we should be.

[dredsina]

Ive said this before but swear the biggest skill to learn as an adult is how to resist high-pressure sales tactics. You do NOT have to answer questions with anything other than "Sorry I'm not interested." No matter how nice they are or no matter how many follow up questions they ask or even how agitated they get when you stand your ground. Just keep saying I'm not interested. Don't answer their questions. Don't give them an opening to try to push back on your reasons. Be a fucking brick wall of I'm not interested.

[beholdthemem]

My fellow bitches under 5'5. Whatever the money, do not take a job working at a middle school. A fellow adult tried to put me in detention last month and would NOT give up until I showed her my badge proving Yes, The School Hired Me To Work Here. It's not meant for people our height.

[brokenclockgears]

while the cameras are turned away

[captainjonnitkessler]

>Join a union

>Hear people constantly complaining that the current union leadership is super corrupt, it's all just the same ten guys making all the decisions in secret and nobody else in the union ever gets to know what's going on

>Go to the monthly union meetings that are completely open to all 1200 union members

>The only attendees are the same ten guys every month, giving detailed reports about everything that's going on

[boasamishipper]

unpopular opinion but i think a ship that's not canon but both halves are canonically insane about each other is infinitely better than a ship that's canon and boring

[tawnysoup]

Found my fav Slay the Princess route recently. Dragon my beloved. Your horrifying beak mouth was an impossible-to-refuse lip syncing challenge 💖

Shoutouts to @blacktabbygames for making such a cool game!

[aaronstveit]

SUNSET AFTER 7PM NEVER KILL YOURSELF

[privatejoker]

if you have OCD that moralistic post it not about you. keep scrolling. i love you

[overcaffeinated-aro]

ok not to be that guy but like. labor rights and working class rights can coexist with 24h services and late amenities. its certainly hard to do so without worker exploitation in this political and social environment, it’s not a conflict likely to resolve overnight. but 24h services are important and especially valuable to those of us that are disabled or are on a different circadian rhythm. in fact more professional, health, and government services should be available or at least possible to work on asynchronously (if applicable) during late or odd hours, while workers also get sufficient pay for their labor and proper consistent scheduling. this would be much easier on the workers with night schedules if the entire professional world didn’t grind to a halt at 5pmEST