A heartwarming story unfolded recently on TikTok, when a Michigan man documented his experience spontaneously asking a group of LARPers if he could be friends with them and join in the fun sometime. For the unaware, LARPing is an abbreviation of Live Action Role-Playing, which typically involves participants physically portraying medieval-style battles, replete with costumes, props, and weapons for combat. The cool thing? Well, not only did he join in the fun, but he also made some genuine friends to boot.
The wholesome interaction is split into three different videos, with the first focusing on the Michigan man’s nervous trepidations before taking the bull by the horns and asking the group of LARPers if he can be friends with them. The first clip is accompanied with the caption, ““Can i be friends with yal” is crazy!” and takes place in a public park, though the guy at the heart of the footage is feeling a little shy, and is sat in his car watching on and talking through his emotions by himself.
“These n*ggers got swords and shields. They’ve figured out life.” he explains. “I actually wanna go over there. I wanna go over there and hang out with them so bad. Grown men, though. They don’t give a f*ck about nothing, okay? They is chilling in their own world. Mind you, it’s a whole baseball game going on behind them. They don’t care. I wanna be in that friend group. Hey, you guys wanna link up with swords and shields and play Dungeons and Dragons at — I don’t know — let’s say 7 o’clock on a god damn Friday? F*ck, yes! Yes. As a matter of fact…”
At this point, the man plucks up some courage and exclaims loudly through his car window, “Hey, excuse me! Excuse me. Can I be friends with y’all? I wanna do that too. I wanna get a whole sword and shield, my boy. Y’all look like you’re enjoying life. I wanna be that damn happy. I might come talk to y’all in a minute. I promise you I’m coming over there.” While it’s hard to make out what the LARPing group is saying to the man, as the audio doesn’t pick it up very clearly, it sounds like the group are happy for the man to join in. “Absolutely! 7 o’clock on Friday? Yes! Hell, yeah!“
Presumably, the next video takes place at the aforementioned agreed meeting time, as it centers on the Michigan man joining in on the LARPing fun with the group. “Yep, about that time. I’m about to go LARP with my new friends. Oh, man. This is about to be lit.” says the man excitedly before turning the camera to show his face, which is admittedly a little nervous. “Alright, not gonna lie. I’m super nervous, but I never let my nerves get to me. Inner child activate! Inner f*cking child ACTIVATE!”
He then steps out of his vehicle, and can be seen walking towards the group of LARPers, before declaring proudly, “I’m here for the LARPing!” with a genuine smile on his face. In the background, the music from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean can be heard. The footage then cuts to a group of LARPers who are in full medieval attire, armed with swords, pikes, and shields. The Michigan man gives a little bit of commentary as he watches the action unfold up close.
Finally, the third video sees the man taking part in a faux battle with the same group of LARPers. Our Michigan man can be seen sporting his signature black hoodie, camo cargo pants, and a red sword, as he wades into the action swinging his sword, defending himself from blows from other assailants, and simply having the time of his life as he spars with the others with fervor. With all the smiles on everyone’s faces, it’s clear that the LARPers are having a great time with their new addition.
With the videos continuing to garner attention online, social media users flooded the comments section to weigh in on the wholesome footage. On TikTok, one user wrote, “Larping folks are typically pretty friendly. They are happy living their lives and don’t judge others.” while another penned, “I love the moment you realized you had free will and EXERCISED IT“. A third commenter added, “People make fun of nerds in high school but they have the MOST fun as adults!” while a fourth expressed, “this is why the patriarchal concept of masculinity is so toxic. These guys are IT. Freely expressing who they are confidently and joyously. I love it. May everyone find this level of freedom.“
While the viral clip snowballs across the internet, it serves as a timely reminder of the importance of kindness, friendship, and community in a time when division seems to be at an all-time high.
