They meant to hurt you with words and bring you down by demeaning you. You became inspired to do something entirely different. -- Anon Guest
Say something long enough, it becomes true. Words like weirdo, freak, idiot, and so forth don't hurt in small doses, but if they are said often enough, by enough people, to one, that one can easily believe they are worthless. It happens so often, but it does not happen to all.
Consider Suz' Mayberry, iconoclast of Elderwine Falls. There, almost everyone is a vinter, knows a vinter, or has a vinter in the family. It's practically a law that if one lives in Elderwine Falls, one has to have a job related to the local wine. She lives in an old tower that used to be part of the landlord's Keep, in times of war. She doesn't grow elderberries, nor pigs nor chickens nor cattle. The land is no good for any of those. It was why, legend said, the long-absent landlord chose it.
Suz' Mayberry likes it there because the land has interesting rocks, and the tower has a good view of the stars. In the day, she studies rocks, and in the night, she studies the stars. The people of Elderwine Falls have all kinds of names for her. Stupid is a favourite, since everyone else has to be smart. Elderwine Falls is known for its Elderberry Wine, and the freshwater falls that give their vintages that extra special sparkle.
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