[ It is awkward to talk about. To think about, when he's stopped putting weight on these things, and so looking back on his younger self (even if it's only by a couple of years) is, honestly, cringe-worthy. And there's the things he did, or didn't do, like: ]

They're nice, but... I never talked to them about it. [ Should he have? He had opportunities, but the idea of taking them was, well--he liked anything else he did around Ragh. And as much as he likes Ragh now, he's never wanted to slip into a conversation about being half-orcs or what it was like growing up as one. Especially, as Gorgug explains, ] --But, I'd found my dad and mom around that time, and, my dad's an orc, but, I... I got over it. I had you guys, so... I had friends that wanted me to hang out with them.

I stopped caring what other people thought about me as much.

[ Being part of the group that beat up the old vice principal does give you some good respect, too, so. He's no longer a freshman, no longer banking on getting friends with his parents' tin flowers, having nothing but hope and desperation to make a difference for him.

He's just who he is, and he's come to accept that better over time. But who he is doesn't have to include being a friendless loser anymore, and so he can handle the other parts about himself that felt wrong or bad growing up.

You get used to it. You put up with it. ]