Right after entering liminal

[wolvering]

By the Crone's saggy, dessicated paps! Those mangy, fly-struck, thrush-footed, worm-begot sons of dungheaps! To Gifnu's deepest hells with you, Trumps. You--

[The tirade continues with more creative swearing and cursing, even slipping into different languages a time or two, for a solid minute more. But eventually Pod runs out of steam, and there's a moment of silence before she addresses the network with more calm.]

So do these Trumps mock everyone with their overlays or am I just that unlucky?

Comments

[wolvering]

I'm just frustrated.

[And bound to have nightmares for a while, although she stops herself from thinking that particular thought at anybody. She hopes.]

It feels like they're laughing at me specifically, and I don't like it. It's almost worse than the questions at home.

[pseudologist]

I'd say you get used to it, but that lie's too much for anyone to believe.

If you need someone to shout at, let me know. I've heard it occasionally helps.

[wolvering]

And if it were easier to believe it wouldn't be much comfort.

I don't want to shout, I just... I wish I knew why they'd pick at those specific things. What can they gain by insinuating that I--

[The thought ends there, quite abruptly.]

[pseudologist]

There are a few theories. The most charitable is that they're trying to get us to face our own fears and weaknesses.

[There's a brief pause.]

Insinuating that you're what?

[Even with the limits of his livestreamed voice, concern comes across clearly.]

[wolvering]

[Oh dear. Well she's told a couple people already, and Richard's known all along and not said anything, so... Pod takes a couple breaths to prepare.]

You saw how they treated Saya in Higura because she was a bastard. They weren't cruel there.

All of my overlays have been bastards, but these last two... Saya looked exactly like Kelneth's most famous queen, and Nivea was a noble put into a priesthood to avoid shame on her family. Or turn shame to honor? I'm not really sure.

Anyway, it's like the Trumps are implying that I really am the bastard of a Kelnethi royal. People always ask, but I can't answer because I don't know, and if they find out I'm a bastard--! Being a Beast Healer in the service of the Great Stag protects me now, but it doesn't stop the looks, or the thoughts behind them.

[pseudologist]

Is that--

I know it's hard to believe after suffering the judgement of fools your entire life, but whether you are or not, it doesn't matter here. You have your strengths and your weaknesses, just like the rest of us.

[wolvering]

People don’t bother looking past the surface to see them, most times. It’s… different here, but it’s hard to stop worrying, even if I am pretty sure I don’t really need to.