Rickard looked down. "I'm not sure I know how to be anything else, even given time. I've been this person for as long as I can remember."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“You can learn,” Pratik said encouragingly. “You’re never going to be brand-new and not remember anything. But. Well. You’ll learn. Learn who you really are, not who someone else wants you to be.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Isn't this who I am, though?" Rickard asked, distressed. "At this point in my life I am who I am."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“I disagree,” Pratik said gently. “This is who you are now. Who knows who you’ll be in a year?”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Pratik." He stopped and turned to him. "Your experiences shape you, do they not? My future experiences may certainly do that, but at my core I will never be any more than what I have been allowed to be. I was practically born into slavery; how can I ever have known anything but that?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Pratik stopped and considered him for a moment. “… you’re right, to an extent. But that doesn’t mean you’re a lost cause. You just have to figure out who you are and who you want to be, and practice being that. Fake it til you make it. Things get easier as you practice them.”
He thought for a moment. Gods. Here was the vulnerability he’d referred to. Somehow it seemed harder to offer it to Rickard. It was one thing to show softness to a half-grown girl who needed to view you like that; it was another thing entirely to show that side of yourself to another grown man. But. Well. Rickard needed it as much as Ky, didn’t he?
“I didn’t used to be like this, you know? Being a cocky asshole was a learned persona — but now it fits. When I was a kid I was anxious barely spoke at all, outside of trying to justify myself or protest a beating. I had to decide I wanted to have a voice and started forcing myself to speak up even when I didn’t want to. Practiced being confident. And now… I am what I am. The asshole that refuses to shut up or sit down. I turned myself into someone I like.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Rickard nodded, but he still seemed skeptical. "You wear it well," he said finally. "I don't think you're an asshole."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“Heh, thanks.” Pratik smirked crookedly. “I definitely am one, sometimes. But I feel like I’m judicious enough to be justified in it. I’m only — I try to — only be mean to people who deserve it. Bully the bullies. Knock them down a peg or… more.” He shrugged. “I don’t want a pedestal for myself, but I sure wanna knock abusive men off theirs.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
He nodded. "They certainly need to be. I wish I had the courage to do it as well."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“Mm… there need to be soothers, too,” Pratik said thoughtfully. “Men like me have to exist because men like Tarr do. But men like you are who make life worth living.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
That left Rickard quiet for quite awhile. When he spoke again it was very softly. "It means a lot to hear something like that." He glanced at Pratik. "You're one of the kindest friends I could ever have asked for."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Pratik smiled gently. “It’s an honor to be counted amongst your friends. You’re a good man, Rickard. And I’m gonna keep telling you that until you believe it for yourself. Because it’s true.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"You'll be telling me for a long time, then, but I appreciate it very much."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Pratik smiled and dipped his head, then kept walking.
(Bruh I made custom stickers for my coworkers and they’re hysterical)
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Rickard walked side by side with him. "What shall we do in the library?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
