#Essentially the Mind's Eye
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There are many reasons I appreciate the Red Rising series. At first, I enjoyed it because it cured my boredom. Then, I was thankful for it because when some people got too loud, I could elect to read a fantastic book instead of throwing rocks.
And then there's everything else, really. There's wayyyy too much to spell out coherently. Jumping between one reason, and then having some god give me a divine boon in the form of yet ANOTHER reason why RR is the most underrated gem I've ever come across.
But right now, after finishing Lightbringer (literally today on the way home from a lecture) the thing I appreciate most about RR is its narrative on strength? And how absolutely soul touching it is?
Like. Pre-Book 1 and during book 1 is just survival mode. You've gone semi-emotionally numb with the strain of just. Getting Through The Bad Times. Darrow has somehow survived the mines, and it took so much out of him that I don't think even he really realised. And then Eo. And then the revelation. So now he lives and pushes through with rage - like a helldiver. It's all he has, along with a goal, so it's gotta be enough. There's no other way.
And then Books 2-3 are, through insurmountable setbacks, even through outgrowing your original goal, which fueled his spite entirely, he rises. He can no longer just be angry, even if its still in grasp, even if it's his oldest friend. He has other things he's discovered - his own abilities, a support network. The mantra 'Stay Strong or Die' continues. And even if it is aided by things other than single-mindedness, it is upheld. Darrow is the strongest he's ever been end of Book 3. He chose option 1. He can take on the world, and then another, and then another, and then all of them at once. It was hard but he stayed strong, so he will be strong.
And then the second part of the series. Um. Well. It does not go well for him exactly. You see, he has been in the mindset of survival for so long- as long as he can remember, really. He believes its natural for him. Its not, its learned, but it hasn't really had a chance to distinguish himself. He severely underestimates exactly how much prolonged service of his mantra takes from him - but at this point, can he even create another one? It's all that's gotten him to this point (not necessarily true), it's his oldest crutch. When in stressful situations, we do not rise to the occasion nor to our ideals, but rather we fall upon our base training. And anger is at his core.
You can see things slowly loosen themselves around him - the Vox, Mercury (Jesus, everything that happened with Mercury). Stay Strong or Die is unravelling at the seams. What do you do when your basic, core tennate, the thing which kept you from falling, the pillar on which you balance to spin various dishes, wobbles?
Darrow comes crashing down, and for once, anger isn't what leaps forward to catch him. In fact, nothing catches him. Instead, he lays, and is blanketed by tiredness. He stays there awhile.
He's not Strong.
He's not strong.
Hesnotstronghesnotstronghesnotstronghesnot
There are two options. If he's not the first, the second one follows, no?
No.
By pure fucking luck, happenstance, or whatever benevolent God saw the absolute shitstorm that was going on with Darrow, clutched their pearls in shock, and with trepidation waved whatever blessing they could Darrow's way, Darrow does not die when he is not strong.
Because that blessing, what used to come second to him whenever his rage bullied itself into the forefront, stays when his rage leaves just as fast as it came.
Eo. Sevro. Virginia. Electra. Orion. Cassius. Ragnar. Alexandar.
Pax.
His strength leaves him, but it is replaced with something else.
Death begets death begets death.
Love begets love begets love.
Begets strength.
#Red rising#Light spoilers?#Red rising saga#Yes I know I'm projecting and rambling#Sometimes it be like this tho#I relate to characters purely based off of their rage because it is the only emotional response I cannot simply choose to shut off#When it does not suit me#And my personal mantra of Stay Strong or Die fits early Darrow quite well.#Also sidenote#Love the fact that Darrow creates#Or borrows from Path to the Vale#Essentially the Mind's Eye#Seriously tho if we don't get some spin off after this series of the Path to the Vale.
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FAMINE: That's one deep, dark nothing you've got there, Dean.
[youtube with closed captions]
dean and his father. dean and his family. dean and how bad it is.
(via @closetoyou1970)
#spn#vid#mind the warnings on this one for real#woe! fruit of my rewatch be upon ye.#pallas calls this my 'deangirl coming out vid' which honestly. true. but those who paid attention know i've always been a deangirl.#also. after this no more deanwinchester rilo kiley amvs I Pwomise#anyway. i'm not gonna give a full commentary here but a big reason why i chose this song is that the narrator#is essentially dismissing her own problems and instead watching the problems of someone else#and i kind of wanted to play with that theme. this is the parallels show so let's do some parallels. lots of things happen to characters#that are Like Dean somehow. either in personality or circumstance. that we know or can infer happen to him. but we don't see it bc it's#not sayable. not speakable. so like for an easy one. we see meg being tortured in caged heat. she also talks about apprenticing under#alastair just like dean. so i show her being tortured [in a way that is sexualized and demon-specific] and reacting how she does#because i invite the audience to imagine or interpret that this has also happened to dean at some point. we just don't see it#so there are many dean parallels in this video. some obvious. some subtle but textual. some products of my twisted mind. but that's the way#i am using them to make my argument.#oh also: dean voice sam's eyes going black is JUST like when he used to fight with dad and wouldn't listen to me when i told him not to.#i guess also the point is that because it's unsayable. dean can't say it. dean can't even acknowledge it. and so it bleeds through#into everything in his life#that's why it's important that the song narrator doesn't take her own problems seriously. dean doesn't either.
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#Three Things to Keep in Mind if You Encounter Reptile Jeff#Reptile Jeff#tips#tricks#life hacks#helpful hints#advice#TW eyes#TW eyeballs#essentially harmless
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The Power of the Star
#mario movie#mario movie spoilers#mario and luigi#super mario bros#super mario bros movie spoilers#epilepsy warning#flashing lights warning#(if you know of any other good tags i should use along those lines let me know! looking at these even strains my eyes after a while lol)#(also yes these look a little fuzzy but THIS SCENE IS ESSENTIALLY A GIF NIGHTMARE (TOO MANY COLORS). this is the best i could do!)#cherrysip edits#with all of that out of the way MAN OH MAN#this whole sequence is [chef's kiss]#love that when things clear mario and luigi are both staring at bowser over their shoulders#love the effect of the road cracking from the impact of bowser's kick but they don't even blink#LOVE that the two are basically mind-melded on a WHOLE NEW LEVEL now where just a look is enough to move in perfect unison#and love bowser's suprised pikachu face :O :O :O :O#i will do the whole scene in a few parts eventually :) it's WAY too much for one gifset haha
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Becket (1964)
- But what will God say if I attack his church? After all, they're His bishops.
- We must manage the church.
#becket#the wrist (in lap) squeeze and henry’s heart-eyes 🙃#the irony of becket encouraging henry to do exactly what becket will end up resisting with all his might in just a few days#the seductiveness of essentially suggesting ‘WE can do whatever we want—God won’t mind (because I say so).’#the fact that henry is almost naked and just had sex 5 minutes earlier and probably smells like it#who said that#im just saying if I were to write smut for this movie (and I’m not) it would be based on this scene#becket 1964#filmedit#richard burton#peter o’toole#things i made#sorry I recolored this after posting AND even after reblogging with bonus gifs so now there are just two different versions#I started thinking it was too yellowy and washed out#probably too pink now. whatever. reblog whichever you prefer if you’re so inclined
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i know astrology is fake but i'm not too keen on how a lot of people on this website seem to be clowning on it as a hobby a bit too hard. i swear the woman who thinks it's neat how she and her friends with the same sun sign are all similar isn't trying to say that you are who you are born as and there is nothing you can do to change it. it's a hobby. an interest. what happened to finding meaning and joy in the small things. does it affect you if someone enjoys tarot reading or crystals. does it make you upset someone has interests that they enjoy.
#im not saying astrology/tarot/crystals/etc. get clowned on so much bc theyre hobbies mostly enjoyed by women But....#i saw a post about some astrology study and made the mistake of opening the notes on that bad boy#not fun. and that reminded me of that old post that was basically like ''liking astrology is transphobic''#anyways idk maybe its just that my bestie is very much a ''crystal girl'' but like. stuff like that are such neat hobbies#she makes some cute little jars with pretty rocks and they make her feel better bc if you believe in something you can make it happen#when it comes to small things#like yeah if you pick up a stone that's like ''this can help you be more open with your emotions'' and you are like ''oh hell yea!''#ofc that will be on your mind and the item will be a constant reminder and actually help you with your goals#and its like. ok what really stuck with me was when i was talking with my bff and i was like ''i think all this stuff is interesting but i#feel bad bc i am superstitious and believe in some signs like lucky numbers but i know that logically its just. if i pick a lucky number of#i pay extra attention to it but i want to believe its lucky but i know how human brains work in that aspect''#and she was just like. ''so? those things dont have to exclude each other'' and it clicked#if i have a little tigers eye with me it does not make me feel more grounded magically#but if i decide (or believe) it's grounding then it will b bc it's a reminder for me to calm down#and stuff#like. ah idk how to put my thoughts into words#but i just think its unfair that a few rotten apples have ruined the perception of fun hobbies for a lot#not every astrology enjoyer is trying to sell you mlm essential oils or genuinely believe peoples entire lives are dictated upon the stars#or something#idk i just feel like these things are v misunderstood even tho im not personally like super into them myself#but ppl super mean about that stuff arent invited to look at my medieval themed fortune telling cards#idkk im sleepy and cant articulate my points someone else say this but better#leevi talks#im just saying. i dont think its bioessentialism to decide to believe you personally have a season for growth when the stars are in a#certain position or whatever
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sometimes looking at like Self Help Strategies lists for the symptoms I'm having is always just like:
thing that I already do
thing I have tried 10 times
thing I already do
thing that I don't have the money to do
thing I already do
thing I've been doing since I was 10yrs old to no avail
thing that is impossible given my situation
thing that doesn't apply to me
thing that I already do
thing I have already tried
hrmm, oh wait, maybe finally- OH, yeah.. okay. thing that I already do but it was just phrased slightly differently
thing I have already done
#I think maybe productivity tips help less if the reason you're unproductive is partially like.. physcial health and other extenral things#out of your control. rather than just like having trouble paying attention or spending too much time on tiktok or whatever#all the strategic to do lists in the world are not going to somehow prevent me from waking up with a debilitating migraine or whatever#or having external stressors or lacking resources and connections or other Productivity Essentials etc.#especially many tips involve stuff like 'cut off from social media' since thats the modern day time waster for so many poeple#and it's like.. lol.. i can hardly even maintain a blog even thuogh i actively WANT TO DO SO. 'shut off your smart phone!' already#done babey i fucking hate smart phones i shall never use an app unless i am forced to. 'delete tiktok' yep. already covered. tiktok and#all of those thinsg are my enemies. 'save money by cancelling some of your services' cool. already ahead of you.#who the fuck is out here paying for like 10 different subscription services. pirated videos uploaded to google drive and youtube to mp3#my beloved. etc. etc. and so on. 'socialize less' .........LOL.. if only you knew.. mr.writer of the article. i can barely muster#talking to friends more than once a month and even less if I'm actively sick (often occurence) etc. etc. ... hewoo#I think maybe instead of generic productivity tips I need more like.. how to refocus and be productive anyway even if you have a headache#or are nauseous or etc. Not that those are always things to ignore. and of course you should let your body rest and etc. But plenty of peop#e have mild physical symptoms and just work through them. Ithink something about the way my body/mind is SOO hyper attuned to all#sensory information just makes it like... constantly 'GRR well I cant focus on WRITING right now because my lef#t ear feels weird and my socks are too itchy and my back has a strange pressure and I'm vaguely warm and my eye feels some ssort of#way it doesnt normally feel and I'm hyperaware of my breathing and also nauseous for no reason' and like half of those things I#think '''normal''' people wouldnt even notice or at least would be able to just live through. but for me it's like.. nealry impossible to i#gnore and soooo distracting always. like 'wahh.. nooo we can't draw or get anything done.. my legs feel slightly heavy or something!!'#like............. ok......... who cares. thats not even a PAIN sensation it's just something weird. but it's just like.. NO. constant#mental alerts about the 'heaviness' of your legs be upon ye. Though Imean like.. yes.. 70% of the time I am in genuine pain#or having some sort of actual ailment with trackable physical symptoms. but sometimes it's just like... we could totally be working right#now and ignoring this silly thing but my brain is fixated on it for no reason uncontrollably. etc. etc. I guess it's the same way that like#most people can go to a grocery store without the whole experience being so overwhelming and so much stuff going on at once#that they have to rest afterwards but like.. in my own HOME doing NOTHING i feel like I should be able to not get overwhelmed lol. ANYWAY#Rolling my bastard little rock up a dumbass hill and so on and so forth
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The comically sappy urge to randomly reach out to him and ask to fall asleep on call again cos even tho that stuff scares me it's soothing when it's with him
Idk I used to have a very specific way of seeing things until he pranced along omfg..HE MADE ME LIKE CHRISTMAS he already knows I kinda like Christmas but I liked it even more after last Christmas. I was making a gingerbread house and he INSISTED on seeing it but I wanted it to be just right and at that time I wos with my mum and she bought SOME SHITTY BRAND AND IT ALL FELL APART SO I THREW IT OUT AND HE STILL WONT LET IT GO?? He also used to make daily hot chocolates and he'd show me like. That's now a holiday I look forward to. Wtf. It's also foreign for me to like certain things about myself but he makes me genuinely like myself and love myself onfg. I sent him a picture of the day I got my bass and I was holding it AND ACCORDING TO HIM HE FOUND IT CUTE HOW I "Stood there like I wasn't trying to look proud but I definetly was" HOW DO YOU TELL THAT FROM A PICTURE I NEED HIM DEAD. I was proud though that bass is my life
Idk we've had our ups and downs and I can tell it's all true love cos we always come back with a strong I love you.
Shakes my head..only thing is im not actually dating him, not rn anyway cos my mental health is wavered with where I'm living so now I have to wait for college and really jump in and woo him. I'm gonna adjust to college, figure out some life stuff then try and ask him out TWHEHEH 😝‼️ He'll say yes cos we're both in love so I'm just...heh...that good..
#IK THATS A PERSONAL RAMBLE#personal asf#but he's on my mind again#He makes me kick my feet#Theres even hints of him in my art#honestly#hes my muse#He's the prettiest man I've ever laid eyes on#Essentially and if he was a dork like me hed get it but hes my personal Dorian Gray#and im his Basil#Longing and pining forbidden gay love#If I could I'd capture his beauty on a canvas as magnificent as the Mona Lisa#Heeee's myyy MOOMIN#And my 2D#and whatever else fictional couple I said we were before#there was a time I was up around 5 am just sending fictional couples and going#“can this be us. please”#The mum and dad from Ponyo was one#Im the dad..hes the magnificent mum#how did I even score him#hes so sweet and perfect and IM RAMBLING AH.#LIKE ALL MY FRIENDS LOVE HIM#MY FAMILY LIKES HIM TOO!!#And my cousin likes him so I KNOW hes a keeper#My little brother fucks with him too a bit
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Btw btw. Summoner heads out there. Consider
The Humble Opalite...........................
#summoner oc#moe used to have an opalite necklace as part of its design! to match mine i wear irl#but the thing about drawing a chara over and over again is eventually you break them down to their bare essentials.#moe's outfit is already so complex even just that one element causes the design to feel Too Messy#esp in where your eyes are supposed to be drawn. esp in how the necklace would dangle and swing around#the golden chain/halo is way more focal to moe's entire design philosophy and is a subtle thing that draws the eyes#but doesn't get in the way! even when wearing the robe/ESP w the bowtie!! which is tied loosely#like!!! i think i've done a good job at spacing it out and also making the chain non-intrusive#RAMBLING THOUGH. i did reuse the opalite esq design for its staff which reads like an orb#and may be one??? straight up??? either way i had opalites in mind when designing it#bc of the significance to me (epic stim object i've cherished for years) and the resemblance to orbs in game!#moe's design feels p set (save for like special occasions i guess LMFAO) so it would be cool!!!#to see if anyone else can make use of this!!!
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I do think Stroud cheapens his narratives by giving both series I've read a secret big bad from the marginalized/mistreated group who's been manipulating the human big bad. I'd assume it was because the child heroes can't kill humans but his child heroes kill quite a few humans so idk. A matter of scale perhaps. I am envisioning a children's fantasy series that ends with a 15 year old government employee shooting the prime minister and I'm enjoying it greatly but I can see why theoretical publishers might not approve.
#nathaniel is too much of a bootlicker to shoot the prime minister. tragically#tbt is the bigger offender in my eyes because the finale is essentially#'our heroes suppress an enslaved revolt' which. let's take a step back for a second#but I also think it weakens the quite effective critique of capitalism to imply marissa's being at least semi-mind controlled#let her have walked into the evil bodyjacking ceo thing with both eyes wide open. it's ok#anyway now I'm thinking back to that asoue fanart that's like#book 14: the glorious gun#mgmlb#lockwood and co#the bartimaeus trilogy
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sigma should have a fancy Siamese cat that he spoils
bonus pics (not a Siamese cause I can't find a Siamese wearing jewelry), sigma would have them wear a fancy collar
#it follows him everywhere#they can essentially read each other's minds#they side eye people together#it sits next to him on his desk or at a table and looks all regal and in charge (cause she is)#it has its own everything from bed to personal vip bathroom#but it always sleeps in Sigma's arms#they go out in dates together#she's leash trained but prefers to be carried around in a bag when Sigma goes out with her#she's picky#has never worked a day in her life#aristocats style#bsd#bsd sigma#sigma#sigma bsd#bungo stray dogs
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Do you think Home and Bardaby would end up- if not friends than at least allies eventually in your fantasy au? I think it would be a real shame if Wally's best friend & his patron couldn't find some common ground. Maybe they could both keep an eye on Wally for each other? I know Home is literally Always There with him, but there are some human(puppet?) issues that an elder god just wouldn't really get. idk, I just think it's a bit of a shame that they don't get along, since Barnaby's the only other person besides Wally to actually interact with home in the original ARG.
oh no yeah! they do Eventually! it just takes a while and some work. Home in this au is pretty protective of Wally for Reasons, and it takes a lot to make them go "hey, you're chill. i like you". unfortunately Barn is also protective (not nearly to Home's extent but yk) so they naturally clash where they should get along
i have the full process In My Mind but essentially: Home, if given express permission, can "possess" Wally (put in quotes bc technically Wally is already possessed by them). this happens either when Wally wants a fucking break / is overwhelmed and wants Home to take the wheel (Wally's consciousness is kinda 'turned off' - it falls into a deep sleep!), or if Home does Wally a favor - they trade the favor for a set amount of possession time. because Home would like to have a body & make the decisions from time to time <3
during one of these "Home has the wheel" periods, i imagine that some shit goes down that forces Barnaby & Home to work together w/o a mediator. and during this time they're trying to get through this while keeping Wally's body relatively unharmed - Barnaby experiences a nice disconnect of "this is Wally but its also not Wally & its also a being i don't like very much bc its a dick-". but through the power for Forced Interaction, they realize that yeah, they have common ground, but they're also not too bad :]. catch Wally taking the wheel and being perplexed at how Barnaby is all "hey say hi to Home for me!" or asking for Home's opinion on things.
#ofc everyone else is startled by the change bc they weren't around with barn & home#while they were on their buddy bonding adventure <3#its tough for home to connect both bc Yea they're an ancient being very out of touch with everything#but also home Cannot Speak! in any form! in house form they speak in onomatopoeia as in canon!#in full unrestrained form they make scary monster noises & house noises! in wally form they cant make noise at all!#bc when possessed wally's face gets entirely blacked out (except for the eyes) and essentially turns into a mini void </3#and no one understands the ancient lost language of ~morse code~#so there's a huge communication barrier! plentiful misunderstandings & misinterpretations!#also a plus of banraby getting attached - now there's Two people to worry about all packaged up in One!#oh and i imagine barn is allowed to join wally for his 'painting for house home' sessions going forward#rambles from the bog#wh fantasy au#also! technically none of them are puppets in this au except for Kind Of wally#their fleece/felt is fur/fluff/fuzz!#their stuffing is replaced with blood & guts & bone!#cut them & they bleed yk yk!#they got them Fluids!#that sounded better in my head. i lied no it didnt#& sure yeah why the fuck not they have retractable teeth#in my mind there's different classes - like howdy is an insectoid - eddie/frank/wally/sally/julie are all humanoids#barnaby is an... uh... animoids?? does that work??#poppy is an avian <3#& then monsters are yk. Monsters. animals are animals. etc#anyway i imagine that wally is Very pleased when his bestie & his patron start clicking#he gets so happy whenever barn asks after home <3
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#meeting the sociologist/philosopher who flew in from barcelona and got basically no sleep just 2 be on time to our date soon#im wearing the earrings the ex situationship person chose for me. they have 3 sharp metal bits hanging down from them. it feels#cold like a knife and also they make noise whenever i take a step which acts a little like a friend and also a beating. dont forget who cho#for you. do you miss her? do you miss her? when you see his face will you miss her?#im going to look someone else in their eyes today#im going to study with my friend today and tomorrow#i had a call w a friend yesterday . he taught me logic metatheory intensively and he also said this whole experience has been painful for#him and the rest of my friends bc its like watching someone nearly drink cyanide over and over#it made things a bit clearer#he said its like watching a lion get declawed and that i was essentially unrecognisable. something happened to his friend#and he wanted his friend back#so im going to go back.#he said he doesnt mind dying alone. he asked why hes doing philosophy and i said pure love and he said thats true#im supposed to be in love w abstractions more than ppl#and im supposed to be in love w my friends before any romantic partner#ok going up tottenham ct escelators is a religious experience recently bc every time i will either make eye contact w the most beautiful#person ever or be reminded of the way they held me on the way down here or how i held them on the way up#anyway lets go
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this is the third morning I've waken up completely soaked in sweat, pale as a sheet, and not knowing who or where tf I am. don't read intense war literature before bed folks
#i slept like shit too i was still awake at 5 AM trying my darndest to not start bawling my eyes out about koskela#this story really gets under your skin huh. reading the last third of the book is essentially torture#the mind-numbing anguish and devastation keeps rolling in page after page after page#I'm in constant physical pain from reading some of these scenes but I guess I need this at this specific point in my life#unknown soldier#tuntematon sotilas
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Yes. You were. Because 40+ years of lore has made it abundantly clear that you cannot just Tinker Bell your way into having magic superpowers.
Child, when I was studying the Lore, there were three movies. And maybe some books. You sit down and speak respectfully to your elders.
#Splinter of the Mind's Eye was Relevant Text CHILD#the book where Luke and Leia had a sexy mud fight was essential reading#yeah I said that#you burn that image into your brain and you COMPREHEND what we dealt with#not that I dealt with that until high school or middle school#and not that I understood the implications of Sexy Mud Fights#THE POINT IS#my star wars lore was untainted#and pure#and thus...I still trust the interpretations of my eight-year-old brain#over many of today's so-called Canon Sources#I had an encyclopedia except it wasn't even an encyclopedia#it was an ESSENTIAL GUIDE#I thought Luke died#but it turned out it was just Luuke#his clone
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Love the idea of Kaeya having a kid that looks damn near entirely like his partner save maybe their eyes
#☆ ┆ ( .ooc. );#//Bro just staring at his kid with narrowed eyes like ‘I birthed you you lil shit; how could you betray me this way-‘#//Nah; he’d actually be thrilled#//Would be so happy he’s got a lil miniature running amok jdhdb. Would think it’s absolutely Adorable#//Wouldnt have minded if then Alberich genes woulda shined through a bit more; but he’s cool with it#//At least no one can contest their parentage (tho he might be worried abt this if he’s NOT actually in current relationship w the other)#//(bc the last thing he wants is to make them feel obligated to stick around)#//The kid looking less like him has an added bonus of not making him have a Crisis over seeing his ‘younger self’ essentially#//Thats the biggest reason; he’d prolly cry if the kid resembled him too much; thinking he jinxed them#//Anywho; silly things now. he doesn’t rlly mind what sort of personality his kiddo might have; he’ll love them greatly#//Except if the kiddo turns out to inherit his recklessness; then he’s STRESSING#//Itd be so funny if his kid were the rowdy type; he’d be apologizing to Addie for all the trouble he and Luc gave her hdhdb#hc; kaeya#//Eh; for certain things ere jdbdb
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