Caeneus’ positivity is done so well in Kaos and I need to talk about it again. Sorry.
Caeneus is meant to represent the concept of living life for yourself and y’know, to its fullest and all, despite the gods. We get a bit of that with his transition but it’s reflected best in his attitude.
Caeneus isn’t an optimist, he isn’t innocent or naive, he’s sarcastic and dry frequently and his life experiences are nothing short of depressing and brutal. But he stays positive about everything, not because he thinks things will get better because god do they not, he stays positive for himself. Caeneus stays positive because it’s better to enjoy your shitty miserable life despite what it’s trying to put you through than to be miserable all the time. And I love this so so much.
There’s a lot to be said for how him and Riddy are opposites there - had a life where nothing much happened and he died forgotten with barely any positive experiences but still lived his short boring life to the fullest vs had a life full of excitement and adventure that she wasted most of being miserable.
I just think this is a refreshing take on positive characters because the poor man is clearly fighting tooth and nail to remain cheery. Like it’s not quite an act but it’s clearly an active decision he’s making. It’s such an interesting take on a character who represents the idea of living life to its fullest.
(Plus y’know the theme comes full circle with him being able to renew souls. I love him so much you can pry his arc from my cold dead hands).