"So my great-great aunt wrote this retelling, which is why it's the only copy in the world. It was a sort of consolation to herself since she didn't like the way the other stories ended. The original story is a cheesy romance, as are most of the other retellings. But her rendition is very complex--it's about a Count and a Countess of the same territory who are ordered by their Lord to marry--but that would mean only one family in that territory would have the power given to the Countship, and the laws back then said that power would go to Count Ivan, not Countess Esther. They both hatch opposing plots--it's a very enemies to lovers sort of story, but my great-great aunt changed some things like the ending, how they fell in love, what that love meant to each of them. She made it better."
"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
“That sounds charming,” Ky said with a smile. “Definitely sounds like it’s worth a read.” Even if it was cheating a bit to claim the only in the world. It was… but it hardly seemed like it was in high demand or particularly valuable as anything other than a family heirloom.
"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]
"I'm sure Gaius has far more obscure books in his library though," she said modestly.
"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
“Doesn’t make yours any less good,” Ky said. “Doesn’t have to be a competition.”’
"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]
"Oh, it isn't." Constance smiled quickly. "I bear no ill will towards Gaius or his 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
“Of course.” Ky nodded quickly, mirroring the smile, though hers was anxious. “I didn’t mean to be suggesting that, apologies. Just… that I’m sure yours is also admirable in its own right is all.”
"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]
She dipped her head. "It's certainly worth seeing, in my opinion. Any library is."
"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
“Yes ma’am,” Ky agreed with a nod. “They’re wonderful things… when filled with good books, anyhow.”
"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]
"I have yet to find a library that doesn't have at least a few good books. What libraries have you been to?"
"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
“Just personal collections of clients.” Ky shrugged. “Usually not more than a couple hundred books tops, though… except I saw the collection when we went to visit the Grand Reputations. I wasn’t allowed to touch anything though so I have no idea what they had… didn’t really know how to read Moon Speech at that point anyway tho. Yet. I learned that trip.”
"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]
"It's an interesting language." She nodded thoughtfully. "Very different from Upper Tongue, to be sure. More...lilty."
"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
“Yes ma’am,” Ky agreed with a nod. “I struggled with it. I’m glad it wasn’t the first I tried to pick up; that would have been needlessly discouraging.”
"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]
She nodded in agreement. "How did you find learning Upper Tongue?"
"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
“It wasn’t so bad,” Ky said. “I’m sure my pronunciation probably isn’t fantastic and there are some sounds I struggle with, but it’s the one I’ve learned most recently. The past several have gotten progressively easier to learn. Lots of similarities when you look for them so it’s not terribly hard to pick up.”
"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 sound fine so far," she said. "Rolling the r is a lot of trouble for plenty of people; other than that you speak excelllently."
"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
Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow. Education is neither Eastern or Western; it is human. — Malala
