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First and Last and Always
✖ THE END
Ⅰ. THE CITY
CW: potential alcohol use, nudity.
The ferry docks in calm waters/skies the colour of wine. The Ferryman, never a big talker to begin with, seems particularly quiet, and when you disembark he raises one hand in a little wave.
The island’s beach is bone white, the trees and bushes beyond it a lush green and deep teal. The air is the freshest you’ve ever tasted. Everything around you seems to radiate a sense of deep peace.
The path from the beach is clear, made of pale stones that glimmer faintly in the sun. It leads you up a gently sloping path and through a great stone archway overrun with climbing vines laden with tightly closed flowers. Beyond the arch, you can see that there is a shallow valley, the center of which is dominated by a massive stone temple. The temple is surrounded on three sides by a city. Its buildings are made of regular stone and dark, sturdy wood. Plantlife thrives here without feeling as if it is overgrown.
Here there are plenty of places to sleep and bathe and eat - everything is free, and the people who populate the island are by and large welcoming and friendly. To the west of the temple there are natural hot springs you may use. The east side of the city has a sort of lecture space where the island inhabitants gather to debate and talk philosophy or share stories and myths. Many of these you may recognise - there are famous stories from all universes being told. You’re welcome to tell your own. The south side of the city contains a sporting arena, open to the public when there isn’t some sort of competition on. While there isn’t anything modern like a JumboTron screen, there is sports equipment available that is familiar enough to use. The area north of the temple opens up on a thick forest. There are walking paths there, some of which lead up a large hill that affords a spectacular view of the city, the fields just outside of it to the east, and much of the rest of the forest.
During the day everything is bright and pleasant - the pace of life here is a slow one, overall.
At night is when the island really comes alive.
By the light of the stars and moon, all of the flowers growing on the many vines unfurl, revealing rich bioluminescent purples, pinks, and blues. They have a soft, warm scent.
There are parties at night on the island, filled with drinks and dancing. All are welcome. Unlike many of the other islands you have traveled to, there truly doesn’t appear to be any danger here.
Ⅱ. THE TEMPLE
Of course, the city is dominated by the presence of the temple at its center.
The temple is not quite like any you may recognise from history, but somehow reminiscent of many of them at the same time. The huge blocks of stone cut to build the structure are the same faintly pearlescent colour of the walking path that leads to the ferry, giving everything a soft but not unpleasant shimmer. There is no roof, leaving the whole thing open to the sky. The temple is circular, and to get to the center you must walk a labyrinth where the walls are covered once again in flowering vines. If you look closely and brush the leaves aside you will see there are faces carved into the rock. Some are not human, but every last one of them looks at peace.
You can find people walking the labyrinth. Some of them are clearly from the city, and they may or may not acknowledge you - they are absorbed in their own thoughts. More often than not however the people you see in the temple are clad in hooded robes that are either white or black. They’re happy to talk to you, and if asked will explain that people walk the labyrinth as a form of contemplation. “It represents a personal journey,” they will explain. “Walk it during the day and reflect on how you have come to be the person that you are. Walk it at night and you will experience visions of the moments in your journey where something in you changed, for good or for ill.”
The center of the labyrinth is a round clearing. Here the stones are darker and iridescent, with one huge block of it set in the middle of the space. On either side of it is a pillar: one black, one white.
The robed walkers of the temple will divulge the purpose of this place if asked: it is the throne room of the Ancient.
“If you choose to walk the labyrinth at night, no matter what visions may come, when you reach the center the Ancient will be there.” After all this time, this might seem like far too simple a ritual to summon a force that has been watching you for months.
The robed walker has only one other thing to say on the subject: “Well. She’s been waiting for you.”
Ⅲ. THE ANCIENT
If you choose to seek the Ancient, you set off at night into the temple. The pearlescent stones of the temple glow, turning the entire building into a shining vision. The flowering vines growing on the labyrinth walls release their own light and secret perfume, giving the journey a vaguely hallucinatory quality, like it isn’t quite real. You may run into someone you know along the way, so at least the walk isn’t quite so frightening.
The center of the temple has its own mellow light, a dark rainbow of shifting colour. The stars above are still perfectly clear, easy to see with the naked eye.
There is a tapestry strung between the black and white pillar, with what looks like pomegranates embroidered on it in darkly shining thread. Seated on the block of stone in front of this is a woman.
What does she look like? It’s different for everyone. Some people will see her as human, others not. To some she has a face and for others there is nothing there save a disc of radiant light. She could be any race, any colour, possessed of any body. The only constants are that she is extremely tall, and she wears something on her head - a crown, a circlet of stars, a mitre - and carries in one hand a sword and a scroll in the other.
One look and you understand that she knows you.
Or maybe you have zero interest in seeking out the Ancient. Maybe, just maybe, you’re avoiding it. Not that you’re scared or anything. You just don’t see the point. And so you avoid undertaking that final journey, sticking instead to the simple pleasures of the island.
Which is all well and good… for a while.
But there will come a night when you awaken at the entrance to the labyrinth. You have no memory of how you got there, and maybe you turn around and walk right back to where you fell asleep. Do that, and it will happen again. And again. And again. It’s never consistent, but you will be summoned again and again in the dead of night to the labyrinth. Maybe you should just give in… and take someone with you.
The Ancient is not emotional - she radiates a sense of calm, yes, but it isn’t particularly comforting. Her eyes are blank, sightless, but she watches you anyway.
“This is your time of reckoning,” she tells you. “Hold up your wrist.”
The colour of your ScryWatch is clearly revealed. It flickers between whatever the colour was when you started on your journey, and what the last change was. For some of you, this is an improvement. For others…
“What have you learned during your journey, Traveler?” Good question - probably best to answer honestly. This isn’t a being that appreciates attempts at deception.
The Ancient turns her face toward whoever has accompanied you on this journey. “Have they grown?” she demands. Guess she doesn’t trust just one opinion.
When you have pled your case, the Ancient stares at you for a while with her empty gaze. Finally she nods; she seems satisfied in some way, and when she speaks again her voice is serene.
“You have a choice to make, Traveler. You may return to your own world, alone, to the exact time at which you were taken. You will remember nothing of what you have experienced, except perhaps in dreams.
“Or you may choose to go on to somewhere else. I do not know where, or when, or what exactly will happen to you. You may remember everything, you may not. There are no guarantees. It will not be your home, but you will be alive and able to move on. If you travel together there is a great chance you will remain friends or lovers… somehow.
“When you have made your decision, go to the beach and tell the Ferryman where you wish to go: home, or away. He will take you there.”
The Ancient sits back. Your fate, it seems, is in your own hands.
As always.
Let's do it one last time!
CW: potential alcohol use, nudity.
The ferry docks in calm waters/skies the colour of wine. The Ferryman, never a big talker to begin with, seems particularly quiet, and when you disembark he raises one hand in a little wave.
The island’s beach is bone white, the trees and bushes beyond it a lush green and deep teal. The air is the freshest you’ve ever tasted. Everything around you seems to radiate a sense of deep peace.
The path from the beach is clear, made of pale stones that glimmer faintly in the sun. It leads you up a gently sloping path and through a great stone archway overrun with climbing vines laden with tightly closed flowers. Beyond the arch, you can see that there is a shallow valley, the center of which is dominated by a massive stone temple. The temple is surrounded on three sides by a city. Its buildings are made of regular stone and dark, sturdy wood. Plantlife thrives here without feeling as if it is overgrown.
Here there are plenty of places to sleep and bathe and eat - everything is free, and the people who populate the island are by and large welcoming and friendly. To the west of the temple there are natural hot springs you may use. The east side of the city has a sort of lecture space where the island inhabitants gather to debate and talk philosophy or share stories and myths. Many of these you may recognise - there are famous stories from all universes being told. You’re welcome to tell your own. The south side of the city contains a sporting arena, open to the public when there isn’t some sort of competition on. While there isn’t anything modern like a JumboTron screen, there is sports equipment available that is familiar enough to use. The area north of the temple opens up on a thick forest. There are walking paths there, some of which lead up a large hill that affords a spectacular view of the city, the fields just outside of it to the east, and much of the rest of the forest.
During the day everything is bright and pleasant - the pace of life here is a slow one, overall.
At night is when the island really comes alive.
By the light of the stars and moon, all of the flowers growing on the many vines unfurl, revealing rich bioluminescent purples, pinks, and blues. They have a soft, warm scent.
There are parties at night on the island, filled with drinks and dancing. All are welcome. Unlike many of the other islands you have traveled to, there truly doesn’t appear to be any danger here.
Notes:
1. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.
2. You can participate in whatever activities you like with no outside interference, no magic tricks. Any trouble you get into will be entirely of your own making this time.
5. Have fun!
Ⅱ. THE TEMPLE
Of course, the city is dominated by the presence of the temple at its center.
The temple is not quite like any you may recognise from history, but somehow reminiscent of many of them at the same time. The huge blocks of stone cut to build the structure are the same faintly pearlescent colour of the walking path that leads to the ferry, giving everything a soft but not unpleasant shimmer. There is no roof, leaving the whole thing open to the sky. The temple is circular, and to get to the center you must walk a labyrinth where the walls are covered once again in flowering vines. If you look closely and brush the leaves aside you will see there are faces carved into the rock. Some are not human, but every last one of them looks at peace.
You can find people walking the labyrinth. Some of them are clearly from the city, and they may or may not acknowledge you - they are absorbed in their own thoughts. More often than not however the people you see in the temple are clad in hooded robes that are either white or black. They’re happy to talk to you, and if asked will explain that people walk the labyrinth as a form of contemplation. “It represents a personal journey,” they will explain. “Walk it during the day and reflect on how you have come to be the person that you are. Walk it at night and you will experience visions of the moments in your journey where something in you changed, for good or for ill.”
The center of the labyrinth is a round clearing. Here the stones are darker and iridescent, with one huge block of it set in the middle of the space. On either side of it is a pillar: one black, one white.
The robed walkers of the temple will divulge the purpose of this place if asked: it is the throne room of the Ancient.
“If you choose to walk the labyrinth at night, no matter what visions may come, when you reach the center the Ancient will be there.” After all this time, this might seem like far too simple a ritual to summon a force that has been watching you for months.
The robed walker has only one other thing to say on the subject: “Well. She’s been waiting for you.”
Notes:
1. Visions in the labyrinth can be seen by whoever you are with.
Ⅲ. THE ANCIENT
If you choose to seek the Ancient, you set off at night into the temple. The pearlescent stones of the temple glow, turning the entire building into a shining vision. The flowering vines growing on the labyrinth walls release their own light and secret perfume, giving the journey a vaguely hallucinatory quality, like it isn’t quite real. You may run into someone you know along the way, so at least the walk isn’t quite so frightening.
The center of the temple has its own mellow light, a dark rainbow of shifting colour. The stars above are still perfectly clear, easy to see with the naked eye.
There is a tapestry strung between the black and white pillar, with what looks like pomegranates embroidered on it in darkly shining thread. Seated on the block of stone in front of this is a woman.
What does she look like? It’s different for everyone. Some people will see her as human, others not. To some she has a face and for others there is nothing there save a disc of radiant light. She could be any race, any colour, possessed of any body. The only constants are that she is extremely tall, and she wears something on her head - a crown, a circlet of stars, a mitre - and carries in one hand a sword and a scroll in the other.
One look and you understand that she knows you.
Or maybe you have zero interest in seeking out the Ancient. Maybe, just maybe, you’re avoiding it. Not that you’re scared or anything. You just don’t see the point. And so you avoid undertaking that final journey, sticking instead to the simple pleasures of the island.
Which is all well and good… for a while.
But there will come a night when you awaken at the entrance to the labyrinth. You have no memory of how you got there, and maybe you turn around and walk right back to where you fell asleep. Do that, and it will happen again. And again. And again. It’s never consistent, but you will be summoned again and again in the dead of night to the labyrinth. Maybe you should just give in… and take someone with you.
The Ancient is not emotional - she radiates a sense of calm, yes, but it isn’t particularly comforting. Her eyes are blank, sightless, but she watches you anyway.
“This is your time of reckoning,” she tells you. “Hold up your wrist.”The colour of your ScryWatch is clearly revealed. It flickers between whatever the colour was when you started on your journey, and what the last change was. For some of you, this is an improvement. For others…
“What have you learned during your journey, Traveler?” Good question - probably best to answer honestly. This isn’t a being that appreciates attempts at deception.
The Ancient turns her face toward whoever has accompanied you on this journey. “Have they grown?” she demands. Guess she doesn’t trust just one opinion.
When you have pled your case, the Ancient stares at you for a while with her empty gaze. Finally she nods; she seems satisfied in some way, and when she speaks again her voice is serene.
“You have a choice to make, Traveler. You may return to your own world, alone, to the exact time at which you were taken. You will remember nothing of what you have experienced, except perhaps in dreams.
“Or you may choose to go on to somewhere else. I do not know where, or when, or what exactly will happen to you. You may remember everything, you may not. There are no guarantees. It will not be your home, but you will be alive and able to move on. If you travel together there is a great chance you will remain friends or lovers… somehow.
“When you have made your decision, go to the beach and tell the Ferryman where you wish to go: home, or away. He will take you there.”
The Ancient sits back. Your fate, it seems, is in your own hands.
As always.
Notes:
1. Characters are not judged on morals - the purpose of the journey across the Endless Isles was personal development. How you choose to interpret this is entirely up to you.
2. Theoretically you could just keep not walking the labyrinth forever. If that’s the case, your character would stay on the island until they either went through with it or died of old age.
3. The choices given to your character are meant to wrap up the game as neatly as possible. The decision to move through to another world is meant to be a way for you to take your CRAU with you, whether to another game or a PSL or what have you.
4. Your character has plenty of time before they make their choice so that they can say goodbye to people if they wish.
Deadpool | OTA
One night, Deadpool awakens at the entrance to the Temple. He'd seen this coming, really. This island was too pure, too good, too normal. Nothing exciting was going on, no killer clowns or aliens or gangsters. It was the kind of place where he could finally just sit back, relax, and lead a normal life.
But a normal life was never in the cards for Deadpool. Not in any universe, not at any time. Nothing good ever lasted for him. Sometimes he wondered if that was because he always got bored and ruined it for himself, and that was definitely part of it. Still, one would have to be entirely naive of comic books to think that the world didn't also have it out for him. At least in that regard he wasn't that special.
With a shrug, he wandered into the labyrinth. It didn't matter what directions he picked, he knew where he'd end up because it was where he had to end up - in front of the Ancient, the one who'd given him this adventure and the one who'd take it away. He looked up at her, and to him she looked like a shifting visage of everyone he'd ever loved...and lost, because he'd fucked up. She was the perfect image of everything he could have and everything he didn't have because of himself. It was enough to bring him to his knees with emotion, but he stood there without falling, hunched in on himself and miserable. When she tells him to hold up his wrist, he does so. She doesn't react, of course she doesn't, but they both know.
"Nothing," is his answer. "But it's not your fault. I'm just fundamentally unchanging. I just had a good time. But I haven't grown at all. I can't, not and keep selling books. Or not, since I don't currently have an ongoing for some bizarre reason. Seriously, She-Hulk has an ongoing now and I don't? WTF? I love her like a pervy friend, but we both know who carries a book better..."
He could keep rambling off topic, but if there's someone who has arrived with him, she cuts him off by seeking verification on his growth from them. This is probably an unusual, but certainly not unheard of, situation. Usually, people probably think they've grown more than they have. He's someone who is earnestly convinced that he hasn't grown, that he's just as wretched as he has always been, and he may be right. But then, maybe one of his companions on this journey has seen more in him than he's seen in himself.
But probably not.
When the Ancient speaks again, he frowns, sighs, and shakes his head. "Figures. Always with the memory wipes. I don't ever get to remember anything. Fuck me." He peers up at the Ancient, and notes that one of the shifting faces is definitely now Roxy too. "I hope I at least remember you in my AU dreams...you were the best thing I ever did here." Clearly, he isn't speaking to the Ancient, and clearly, the Ancient must know that.
way to make me CRY YOU ASSHOLE XD
Roxy's voice is barely audible over the sound of her heart breaking and she lurches past the Ancient, ignoring her questions about growth because all she cares about is the man in front of her. She stumbles a little and is then clutching at Wade desperately, burrowing her face into his chest, wanting and needing to hear his heart beat.
"Nononononoooo." She repeats weakly, shaking her head over and over.
"This isn't fair! These choices both suck! I don't want to go back home, there's nothing there for me because I'm fucking dead and even if I wasn't it wouldn't be worth it because you're not there!!" She wails, her voice breaking as she finally looks up into Wade's eyes, her own are filled with tears and they run down her cheeks like a never ending river.
"I won't let you go."
Hahaha I should apologize, but I achieved an emotion!! Also, DP is weirdly depressive sometimes...
When she burrows her face in his chest, he reflexively holds her, rubbing her back as if to comfort her for something he himself needed comfort for too. He does intend the comfort, but in his current mood the reflexive motions have kind of a zombie-like feel to them because he's holding what he is about to lose, and that hits hard. But then she says something that catches his attention and gives him pause.
"Wait." He pushes her back at arm's length. "You're dead back home?" Never mind that he isn't there, her being dead is the important point. "You're just going back to being dead? This was your one second chance and it's being taken away from you?"
Wow, that certainly put things in perspective. He was down about losing his friends here and losing her, and she was losing her life in addition to those things.
cw: death, violence, explosions
"Yeah. I figured it out last month...." She says, her voice barely a whisper. "Right before I was brought here I was with my friends, we were trying to fight this organization and they tricked us and...there was a bomb."
It hurts to finally say it all out loud but she makes herself finish, swallowing a hard lump in her throat.
"If I go back I go back to the moment where I die."
The Ancient, silent until this moment finally speaks, "Correct child. You may either return or carry on to other worlds of which I have no control over. The choice is yours."
cw: death, violence, explosions
When the Ancient speaks up, he glances at her with a somewhat wry expression. Of course, the reminder is appreciated. And while he's railed against the Ancient judging him multiple times, he knows he's more just railed against himself, against the knowledge that he knows he can't change even when such a greater being is trying to help him out.
"I think she's trying to tell us to read the syllabus," he quips, "Which means you could come with me. Dunno where I'll end up, as I seem to pop up in the most random places, and I can't guarantee that you won't get utterly fucked over by being in my orbit but...it's gotta be better than dying."
no subject
"You...would want me to come with you?" She asks cautiously, as if she is preparing for him to laugh in her face and tell her that he had been joking. "Really?"
no subject
Hey, that was all one big speech bubble, but it seemed called for, right?
no subject
She squeals happily and jumps onto him, her arms going around his neck and her legs around his waist like a baby koala. She peels off his mask and begins to cover his face in enthusiastic kisses.
"I don't just love having sex with you, you big doofus, I love you!" She exclaims and kisses him hard on the lips.
no subject
He catches her and laughs as she kisses all over his face. Honestly, he won't ever get used to that, because it still seems crazy to him that anyone would want to kiss it but here we are!
"Mmmm..." He starts to speak but then is kissed with gusto. When she pulls back for a breath, he says, "Love me enough to get freaky right here in front of the Ancient One when she can't leave the area?"
Does the Ancient One actually have something of an expression at that? Or is it just the imagination?
no subject
"Oh right, I kind of forgot she was here. Well....she did ask me if you've grown...." She says and grins mischievously, wiggling her hips against him a little.
"Travelers, you have made your choice. May it serve you well." The Ancient One says and hastily vanishes in a burst of white light. It would seem she can leave the area, especially if she's about to watch these two lovestruck fools get busy....
no subject
"Oh DAMMIT!! I'd hoped to traumatize her. I didn't think she could leave. Boooooo. Oh well, we can get busy on her little holy spot right there. She has to come back for the other travelers after all...let's make it sticky"
Is he just a little vindictive still? You know it. Sure, the Ancient gave him a new series of amazing stories, and a new girlfriend, and new friends. But also she judged him at every turn with the wrist thing and he's not about that life. Judgement was implicit to the experience, but that doesn't mean he has to like it. At all. Would Wade ever kill the Ancient if he could? Nah. Judgment was a dick move in his mind, but she'd also done pretty good by him. Let the punishment fit the crime, and in this case the punishment was just evidence of the joy she had brought into his and Roxy's life. Lots and lots and lots and lots of joy. Just fountains of it, squirting everywhere.
END!!! (At the bottom right of the page, just like a comic book)
((OOC: Unless you want to keep going!!! I'm happy to do that too!! But either way, if Roxy ends up somewhere else, please do have your sister convey it to me if you want Deadpool to join! If it's not a strict activity check kinda place, I probably would assuming I have the time to do the game justice. In my head, their multiversal story continues onward as they travel together. :D ))
<3
I will totally get my sister to tell you if I drop Roxy anywhere else or if you ever want to do a multiverse psl kind of thing just let me know and I can throw something up on her log because I love these two together, they're such an unusual but adorable couple.))
no subject
Oni’s been through Judgement exactly once, but once was enough; There’s no mistaking that souls are being weighed here, and it comes as no surprise to her that this is how he feels about it, as she overhears Wade tell the Ancient that he hasn’t changed at all. It’s none of her business… Except that the same being who summoned them all out of their respective worlds and orchestrated their time together looks expectantly at her, as if charging the she-wolf with the task of answering if he’d been truthful or not.
What is she supposed to say? He’s shown the Ancient his Scrywatch, wasn’t that damning enough?
“I’ve known Wade for years,” she offers, quietly. “The old Wade would have blown a hole through the hull of the spaceship, just for funsies. Whatever happened happened, because he can’t die and th’rest of us were all just figments of his imagination anyway,”
She turns her head to look at his masked face. Was he even aware of her presence? Perhaps that was for the best, as he might be tempted to shoot her just to prove to himself that he was still as unhinged as ever. He could be weirdly touchy whenever someone suggested he might have grown as a person. “This Wilson gives a shit. He may not always know what t’do with it… But he tries.”
“This idiot is family,” she pronounces, lifting her chin defiantly in the face of an ageless entity even though she knows the likelihood that Deadpool will open his mouth and say something to make her instantly regret it is… Insanely high.
no subject
Of course he can see her. Whether or not he's supposed to be able to see her is moot - this is a man who stubbornly holds onto his ability to know all the things because knowing all the things makes him feel special. Sure, his healing factor is knock-off Wolverine and his fighting skills are knock-off any mercenary that is supposed to be the bestest ever, but knowing all the things...well, that was his thing.
"I know you aren't a figment of my imagination," he says quietly, actually addressing her real points, "Because my figments don't say things like that. Thanks for calling me family."
There's a pause as he lets that thanks sink in and have it's appropriate moments of seriousness.
"But I'm still going to check out your ass. Just for the record. And I do want to blow a hole in this ship now that you mention it..."
no subject
His thanks is so surprising, so uncharacteristically sincere that she’s rendered momentarily speechless. She can only stare at him, mouth slightly ajar in shock until she pulls it together enough to stammer “Il n’y a pas de quoi…”
There it is. There’s the regret. She looks back at the Ancient, whose appearance is every bit as inconstant as the light flickering over their heads, and asks “Will it put me even deeper in the red if I bean him in the fucking face with my shoe?”
The Ancient doesn’t answer, because no one in their right mind would expect Her to deign to dignify such a ridiculous question with an actual response, but Oni takes it as tacit permission and hurls her left shoe right at his head. He may samurai-slice it with one of his many swords, but it’s the thought that counts.
no subject
You know what? He'll take the shoe to the face. He could pull a quick George W Bush, but nah. He earned that one. That won't stop him from continuing, though. "
"I mean, not in an incestuous way, since we're family. I think of us more like step-family, or married-into-the-family family. So it's okay. No biological laws being broken."
no subject
She wasn’t expecting him to just eat shoe like that. Fortunately she wasn’t trying to take his head off with it but, out of the corner of her eye, she sees the Ancient start to change. The apparition swells, looming even higher than before. Gone are the sword and the scroll. Her eyes grow huge, rounder, while the shimmering cloak and gown turn into downy feathers. Before the transformation is complete, Oni understands… It’s Owl.
Fuck.
“‘Guess this means it’s my turn,” she breathes, bowing her head as the air settles heavily around them.
All the evening noises of chirping bugs and song birds goes ominously quiet as the spirit waits expectantly. Thus far, Oni has avoided looking at her Scrywatch, but now she holds her wrist up for Owl’s inspection. Orange. Disappointment washes over her, but she can’t tell if it’s Owl’s or her own…
“What have you learned during your journey, Strider?”
“Nothing,” she confesses, “There wasn’t time.” It’s true that she was only there for one island, the last leg of the interdimensional trip. Miserably, she adds “But I didn’t try, either. I gave up before I ever started.”
no subject
"I think whenever she's around me, she learns some patience, and a little more about friendship."
The owl's head cuts to him with that preternatural speed that you could attribute to it being the Ancient, but also owls were just like that. Clearly, it hadn't expected him to talk either.
"I mean, I'm just a trainwreck of a person, right? But friendship isn't about that. I mean, obviously, you shouldn't continue terrible friendships, that's not what I'm saying. But there's a difference between terrible friends and good friends that are terrible people, and I think I'm the latter. Because as horrible as I am personally, I always try to do right by Beebs and I've always treated her as a full person that I respect (and objectify constantly, but that's part of me being horrible) and while other "friends" have treated her like garbage, I never have because I love her dearly despite my many horrific flaws and...I think the longer I'm around, the more she learns about that. I mean, she has great other friends, no lie, her pack, but there's always something more to learn about friendship, and something to have to compare to stuff that says it is friendship but isn't. I mean, you saw her call me family. That...that was a first. And it meant a lot."