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Weirkey 10 is out so I made the logical choice and started reading Weirkey 1 again
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This will keep me busy for a week or three
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In hindsight, with knowledge of future books
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Theo is definitely an asshole
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But even at his most misanthropic in book one
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It’s glaringly obvious that he doesn’t really believe his whole schtick about being ruthless and ignoring others
moontouched
he's trying hard to be an asshole
moontouched
rather than it coming 'naturally'
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He’s all like “I can’t afford wasting time on friendship, I need to put all my energy into advancing my own power while never trusting anyone!”
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“Now, I’m going to help everyone around me because for some reason I can’t focus on my own problems while they’re struggling.”
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“I’m so ruthless.”
moontouched
sees an actually ruthless asshole "well i have to fuck that guy up"
moontouched
"because i'm so ruthless obviously"
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Magnafor is such a tool
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Though honestly I get where he’s coming from
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After being killed twice and booted back to Earth, he is understandably paranoid
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But he took the wrong lessons from it
moontouched
yeah he just was like "oh i've got to do it super fast and blitz through everything to get back up to speed so i can defend myself!!"
moontouched
and then he got eaten
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Theo’s policy of keeping a low profile is the right one
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But also only effective because he’s starting with a vast knowledge advantage
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So he can stick to smartly choosing small prizes that are worth more for his specific blueprint
Love Snake Kaja
Honestly Theo not being the asshole he thinks he is was obvious to me on a first reading.
moontouched
he was trying so hard to be an asshole and then he just
moontouched
Couldn't do it
moontouched
like literally the first time someone expressed ANY difficulty coping with things AT ALL in a way he could conceivably help he literally was like FINE I'LL HELP YOU
Love Snake Kaja
Speaking of I haven't remotely finished what's out of thisseries
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I love Nauda
I love Nauda
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And Theo
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All three of them
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The whole message of book 1 is very clear
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That friends and allies are worth more than simple material rewards
Princess Emily
I love that, too, because it's so against the norm for cultivation-adjacent stories
Princess Emily
(That said, Wight also does it in his books, but that's also why I like those tbf, so.)
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Especially with how cultivation works in soulcrafting
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Where you need such specific materials to advance
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A group working together can make use of resources SO much more efficiently