Y'all, I've shared this story on a couple of different threads, but it's just so brilliantly written that I want to broadcast it.
It's called The Colonization of Confidence, by Robert Kingett (@WeirdWriter), and it is magnificent.
Rarely can a writer sneak up and mug me with the feels, but this story...girl, I literally burst into tears multiple times, some because my heart was broken, and then...because it wasn't.
Not since China Mieville's Iron Council have I felt a story as deeply as I feel this one. Take some time away from *all of this* and immerse yourself for a few minutes in glorious prose.
Apologies to the pocket friend who originally clued me to this author, I've forgotten where I saw it first.
https://sightlessscribbles.com/posts/the-colonization-of-confidence/