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"You just gave that whole really long list. Of things wrong with me."

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"Oh, I didn't realize you thought he would only have reasons to be proud of you if you were literally perfect."

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"There doesn't have to not be a list, it's just that that list is really long."

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"How many things would be not a 'really long' list?"

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"Like three? You probably have like three flaws. People still love you."

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"Three, huh. But flaws can be different sizes and different tractabilities. That seems to matter at least as much as how numerous they are."

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"I don't like being around people who think about my flaws a lot. It makes me feel awful and empty."

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"I only think about them when they seem to be getting in your way, because I don't want things to get in your way."

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"Yeah. It doesn't bother me as much when you do it because it seems like you're trying to - show me what I need to get around."

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"Other people might be trying to do that too and just not be very good at it."

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"I don't think they are, though. You like me a lot more than most people like me."

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"That doesn't mean they're not trying to help, it means they're probably not trying as hard. You could still get some information from them about what you could work on."

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"But hearing things that make me bad from people who don't like me really hurts."

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"Yeah, nobody likes that, it's really unpleasant."

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He nods fervently. "It's sort of too bad because if no one likes you there's no one you can get advice about being liked from without it hurting really badly."

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"It's a problem."

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"You should write a book. Or tell me and then I can write it. About how to be liked."

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"...I'm not sure I'd be very good at writing that book."

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"Everyone adores you."

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"I was not particularly adored on my own plane. People usually didn't hate me but I didn't have many friends, or any really close friends, and I had a very ordinary relationship with my parents - so I'm not at all sure this is a skill I have and not just something about how my personality interacts with being here."

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"Maybe it's a skill you have in Valinor, but since everyone who'd be reading the book wants to be liked in Valinor, good enough."

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"It could be a skill I have while being me in Valinor. Teaching other people to be me would be silly. And what I'm trying to walk you through is way too individual to make a good book for general audiences."

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"I couldn't be you," he says after a minute.

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"People in general have to be themselves."

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They're out over the water now. He watches delightedly. "How would I notice the time slipping thing stopping? I want to be able to feel it."

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