#raon is confused

[crazydaymycrazyway]

Cale: Do you have a type?

Alberu: Long red hair, red eyes, shorter than me, smart, dumb, has a lot of friends, oldest in their family but doesn't want to be the heir, can control elements, a good actor, understands me the most, wear boots and likes likes simple clothing

Cale: Wow, that's quite specific. Is it someone I know?

Alberu: Did I mention dumb?

Cale: Yeah?

Alberu: Just checking

Later that night

Cale: Oh my God, His Highness has a crush on Miss Rosalyn!

Raon: ????

[tooselfaware]

Dreamt of Cale flying Peter Pan-style in circles. He was singing "Living La Vida Loca". The rest of the dream was hazy. But I remember Raon was there and at some point Alberu called. So Raon had to show his dad going crazy, flying around. The kittens were throwing lemons at him, and Ron was throwing teacups. Wtf???

[sadlynotthevoid]

The other day I had this weird dream where, in a timeline where the Soo's, somehow and for some reason, stopped the plaza terror incident— pretty much with no casualties. And then, like a week later or so, the king or Alberu (or any royalty, not sure who) gathered the nobles and other people related to the matter on the palace.

Here's when things start to... happen, I guess?

Turns out, between the people there was a really angry noblewoman who went straight to the king to ask for divorce of her husband. Not really sure what the guy did, but he was also there and he was kind of a jerk, so... Fair.

Zed, for this time in the right, tried to explain that 'yes, he can get them divorced, but right now was not the time for it'.

—It didn't worked.

The woman was really mad and indignated and the jerk of the husband wasn't helping. Obviously, the situation escalated.

The discussion turned into yells, which turned into them throwing things and a random woman (seriously, who was this? a mistress, maybe?) joining the jerk. Food was launched, Antonio Gyerre almost got a fork at the eye and, by the end of all this, Choi Han had a chicken wing on his hair (that was Choi JungSoo, actually).

After they got them separated, the jerk ended up being held by the guards for some reason (I think he threw a knife, but I'm not sure. It could had been Raon). The woman stomped off the room, being followed by a distressed maid holding a baby.

Five minutes later, Cale Henituse entered through the door, looking really confused. He glanced at all the people covered in food, at the man being picked like a naughty cat by the guards and at the spoon tangled in the king's beard. He tilted his head.

"What happened here."

And, instead of answering him, Bassen asked, "hyung-nim, what are you carrying there?"

Slowly, Cale moved the bunch in which he had his coat wrappled in his arms. He pulled off a piece of fabric a bit, showing a pair of litte hands to Bassen.

"—!!"

"Some crazy woman threw this baby at me at the hallway. Literally."

----

Then I woke up and now I don't know what happened later with og!Cale and his accidentally acquired baby. I mean, besides that he kept her, obviously.

[mytragedyperson]

Thoughts I had while reading TCF chapter 12

Deputy butler hans was one of the first people to be victimised by Cale, idc. My man is just living in confusion at this point, and every time he tries to clarify, he gets nothing exept maybe more confusion.

Cale may not seem like trash anymore but he does seem 10x more insane and unhinged than before I’d say. Love that for him.

Hans is a really good judge of character actually. He’s the first to realise Cale is/could be dangerous. Good for him.

Love that Hans seeming ruder is actually just him calling Cale out for his bullshit. You go Hans. You’re like the one person who isn’t just an enabler and occasionally thinks to ask Cale what he’s actually doing. Sorry, I may have a bias for deputy butler Hans which is only made worse by the fact that, IMO, he isn’t talked about enough. Also, really he’s just more comfortable which we love to see. It’s just too bad that now he’s going to be living a life of confusion and obliviousness, but as long as he’s happy, that’s fine.

Honestly Cale being like really? This guy is the most reliable deputy butler we have? Well, I guess I’m taking him to the capital as well. Deruth is torn between being relieved that someone who reports to him is there to keep and eye on things and being upset because his favourite deputy butler is gone. This only gets worse when Cale decides to extend his trip. Also, I feel like Hans slowly starts leaving things out of his reports. Like he’s thinking “do I tell him the young master smuggled two people into the capital? Hmm. You know what, I don’t think I will.”

Ok so I saw something recently that was talking about Dragon people and how he hoards people and the trip to the capital is proof. He brings everyone he has some sort of bond or relationship with, and along the way collects a few more. He may not be a full dragon but I feel like he’s an honorary dragon at this point. Like there’s been an adoption process, but there’s a slight disagreement over who adopted who. Cale likes to think that, because it’s his group, he adopted the dragons as family members, and most of the dragons are happy to let him think that, because they find it cute, but really, let’s face it, they’ve adopted Cale. Yes, even Raon. Eventually, they settle on, we adopted each other. But my point was part of the reason Cale attracts Dragons, is because he’s already so similar to them, and he doesn’t try to control them, that I’ve seen. If they want to join him for a plan, or something, he’ll make it work, but he’s never forced Raon or Eruhaben to do anything from what I can remember. I might be wrong though. And because of this he’s an honorary Dragon and his hoard is people, and Ancient Powers, etc. honestly he just likes hoarding things in general, wealth, resources, information, people, secrets – his and other people’s.

But Cale is so precious. He says he wants Ron away from him, but if he doesn’t see him in a while, he always remembers to ask about him. Do you think he realises Ron is already part of his small hoard? Like, he clearly doesn’t but that just makes it cuter.

I love that we can figure out the relationship between Ron, Choi Han and Beacrox just form the couple scenes they’re in. like, we don’t see every interaction they have, but from the interactions we do see, we can, not only tell that things aren’t quite as smooth sailing as Cale hopes, but also infer what their other interactions that we don’t see are like. and then it cuts to Cale lik I’m so glad they’re getting along as expected. In some ways it reminds me of the this is fine meme. You know, the one where the house is on fire and they’re just like this is fine. Only Cale actually does think this is fine, and actually is oblivious to the house burning down.

And he’s so happy that his people are getting along, but sure, it’s because “this is just like the novel”. Sure, hun, we’ll let you believe that. As long as you’re happy, we’re happy. And so is Hans

And once again Hans is confused. Every time he tells Cale something he thinks is a good thing, it’s somehow not. Someone give this man a raise, he deserves it.

Look at Hans, so happy to be complimented, completely unaware that he’s just sealed his fate by confirming he knows 3 basic martial arts. Somehow, I feel like he won’t be that put out about it, not as much as he would’ve been on day one

Also the fact that Hans has just casually been holding the kittens this entire conversation. That sounds adorable. I love that. Also, am I just forgetting or have we not gotten a description of Hans’ appearance. I only ask because I want to be able to visualise him in scenes better.

Ok so I looked it up and oh my god, he looks so cute.

Honestly, The Fragrance of Tea with Poetry sounds so relaxing.

Also, Billos is part of the hoard, but you didn’t hear that from me because he doesn’t realise it yet and Cale is in denial.

Honestly I love Billos’s approach. It’s not I’m going to make them acknowledge me because I’m their son, it’s I’m going to make them acknowledge me as their son because I’m more important/better than them. You go Billos, I’m rooting for you.

Also I want to be clear, on my first read through, I only got to about chapter 150 -160, somewhere around there, Clopeh had only just been mentioned/introduced, but I took a break and then, when I came back, I couldn’t remember a thing that was going on, so if I say something I’ve heard about this story, that happens after that point, and it’s wrong, that’s why. My knowledge of it is coming from one reaction fic, set after all these events, starting at chapter 1. So it’s probably right, but I don’t know

Anyway, that being said, Cale not liking people who don’t fight for what theirs makes so much sense with both what I’ve heard of him as Kim Rok Soo, but also in general. He doesn’t realise it but he’s constantly fighting for what’s his, his people. I think that’s why him and Billos get along so well. They’re kinda similar in that they’re both ready and willing to fight for what’s theirs and if they can make a profit off it, even better.

God, Cale is so accepting. He doesn’t care whether you’re human or another race. Can you help him? Great. If it doesn’t get in the way of how useful a person is, he doesn’t care. And, honestly, even if it does, he doesn’t necessarily dislike them. He only dislikes things that get in the way of his slacker life, and that’s so real of him.

The real reason Cale isn’t around Billos that much is because Billos can see right through him and tell when he’s just pretending to be annoyed. That must be Cale’s worst nightmare. Wdym he can’t just pretend to be annoyed to hide how he really feels? Oh my god, Cage and Taylor do this too, can tell he’s actually a kind person. It makes so much sense. Everyone he tries to push away can see right through him, that’s why it doesn’t work, but that’s also why he tries in the first place. I was gonna say I know he wasn’t trying here but I stand by this, and I still do, because this is what Cale does, tries to push away those who see him as a good person, maybe in an attempt to protect them so they don’t get hurt. If something bad has happened to everyone he’s cared about, he wouldn’t want to care, but you can’t just stop yourself from caring, and Cale is a very caring person, so he does the next best thing, he pretends, tries to convince himself and everyone else that he doesn’t care and he’s just using people, and he’s managed to convince himself, but everyone else sees him for the caring person he really is. Maybe he’s not even lying when he calls himself selfish, maybe in his head caring about others and letting them stay around him is selfish because it could lead to something bad happening to them.

I’m sorry, even Billos, who, as far as we know, had no conversations with OG Cale and if he did they were limited, has noticed that Cale has changed. The saddest part of this story is realising the reason Cale typically doesn’t do much to act like trash is because he already thinks he is trash, so considers everything he does trashy or selfish or some otherwise negative. Someone give Cale hug.

Cale: possibly accidentally convincing Billos he’s tired of being trash

Ron, overhearing: what a precious puppy young master, so cute.

Cale’s thoughts: I’m still going to do whatever I want. I’m still trash

No one knows what Cale is thinking, including Cale.

Imagine living in a world where you can ask someone if they’ve always been a tarshy young master, and it’s not even an insult. Imagine being so earnest, so genuine, that you can ask someone this as a genuine, honest question, with no insult or judgement intended.

Love how everyone can just kinda tell he prefers honesty and genuine questions and getting straight to the point and just being generally blunt instead of tiptoeing around the subject and being polite just because he’s a noble. For someone who keeps his cards close to his chest, he’s somehow also an open book to anyone who talks to him for more than five seconds, unless he doesn’t like them. Also love how even little details like this make sense and are fairly consistent. Later on we learn Violan is blunt because she grew up around merchants and stuff, and Billos is the illegitimate son of the leader of the merchant guild, and also probably spends a fair bit of time around other merchants, so it makes sense that he’d also be very blunt, because that’s just how merchants are.

And as we all know Cale is very good at figuring out ways to make money, and some of these are very creative and outside the box.

Cale might just be the perfect reversal of Deruth’s thought of there are times when the body is stronger than his mind. Like, yes, this is true, sometimes you need brawn to win battles, and that contributes to winning the war. But physical strength alone cannot win the war, and the physically strong people aren’t usually all brawn, and even the ones that are have someone smart standing next to them offering their assistance. And it’s intelligence, tactics, knowledge, that truly win a war. That and charisma, and that is what Cale has, That’s why he is the perfect leader and commander. He may not be the strongest physically, but he makes up for that in Charisma and intelligence, and more than that, he treats the people around him as equals, and he doesn’t put them in situations more dangerous than he’s willing to face himself, so he also has the morale, respect and support of his people. Sometimes the body is stronger than the mind, but Cale and his group are the perfect example of how intelligence and knowledge are really what matters.

How does one act like trash at 8 years old? Most “trashy” behaviour you can do at that age would seem bratty at wors. Also I’m sorry, but the idea of little 8 year old OG Cale, sitting there, trying to figure out how to convincingly act trashy is adorable and really funny to me. Like, him sat, with a serious expression on his face, or trying to act like trash and no one really taking it entirely serious at first.

Also I feel like, to some extent, Cale has some level of respect for OG Cale and is a little impressed and amazed by him, and I like that. Honestly, I need the fic where most of the stuff is the same, like Kim Rok Soo still goes to that world, but instead of replacing Cale, the GoD figures out a way to just send KRS there and OG Cale is still Cale, so KRS basically does everything the same, only he also befriends OG Cale. And everyone else in his crew is a little annoyed at OG Cale, except Cale who is just kind of amused by his trashy act which he sees through in 5 seconds. He also still prevents OG Cale from getting beat up by Choi Han, and just kinda drags Cale around as he goes on his adventure, and eventually Cale grows on the others and they all just end up being amused and endeared to him. The Henituse family is confused, but KRS seems to bring out a better, happier side of Cale so they’re fine with it. This features a lot of KRS teasing Cale, and later everyone else teasing him. So everything is the same only KRS and OG Cale both exist in the TBOAH world. So, if you have a fic rec, please provide. I’m sorry but you can’t tell me that KRS wouldn’t take one look at 18 year old Cale Henituse, pretending to be trash and just adopt him, because when I say Cale is a dragon, I mean KRS Cale. OG Cale would be adopted so fast.

I feel like that’s such a good message. The whole it’s okay to throw away something you’ve spent a lot of time doing. If it’s not bringing you joy anymore, or you just feel like a change is in order, go for it. My mum has mentioned a couple times going back to university or something but won’t because she sees herself as too old, and that’s bullshit. If there’s something you want to do, or a change you want to make, and it’s not going to hurt anyone, you should do it. And, even if it does hurt people, as long as it’s not illegal and it makes you happy, you should do it. It’s your life.

No wonder everyone believed him, he sounds so passionate about it.

He’s just so respectful. He acknowledges that they have different goals, but is still so supportive about it ugh.

Wait, is Cale one of the first people to believe Billos can achieve his goals, to encourage his ambitions. Maybe his uncle did but I wouldn’t imagine anyone else really does. And he wonders why he can’t get rid of people, when he’s one of the first people to believe in them, to encourage them, to support them. I feel like Alberu because he’s driving me crazy. He seems so relieved that someone believes in him, so happy.

On a different note, I remembered the scene of Cale going to kitchen 2 and casually collecting people as he went so he had like 4 people following him, and that is both a crazy powerful image to me but also just the perfect way to summarise this story. Him just going places and casually collecting people on his way until he has like, entire kingdoms and territories following him, and I think that’s so powerful of him.

He really thought Billos would still follow Choi Han instead of him after not even a proper interaction, when he’d just given Billos the encouragement he needed. Cale is a clown,

Also I’m not being funny, Billos has literally no reason to follow Choi Han. I know we don’t know what happened in the books, but here Billos knows nothing about him, except he was with Cale. He doesn’t even know how strong he is as far as we know. The interaction in the capital, I imagine, happens after the terror attack, when Choi Han manages to save some of the people, but that doesn’t happen the same way. And that is what Cale blissfully ignores/doesn’t realise.

Cale, what did you expect. To Ron, it seems like you were having a real heart-to-heart. Of course, he assumed you know him.  And then your answer is phrased like a question, as if you’re unsure if you’re close with him. How can someone so smart be so oblivious to how the things they say or do come across? I’m not even sure if Ron believes him or not. There’s every chance he thinks Cale is just embarrassed to admit it for whatever reason.

Yep, and now Choi Han thinks everything he’s heard about how trashy you are are rumours. Oh well, this is the consequences of your actions, I’d say this is a fairly good consequence all things considered. Choi Han probably feel more positive towards him than he would if the rumors were proven correct.

Yes, yes, Cale giving Ron lemon tea is funny, it’s good revenge for the lemon torture. But how did he know Ron didn’t like lemon tea? Was it in the books or just a lucky guess? Either way Cale is a little shit and we love him for it.

fun fact: i wrote this on word first and it partially took up like 5 pages. also have the photo of Hans I found as a treat.

[stardust-moth]

looking at some takes on characters or relationships or scenes in which things happen between them and just thinking,

How in the hell are people interpreting it this way??? But then i step back and realize that the story or character in question is fundamentally and extraordinarily different from the average person's life experience and I go,

ah,

you guys just... don't have a deep enough understanding of trauma responses...

[ayasenisan1713]

Raon: What…? My grandpa actually liked me?? Then why did he behave like that?

Wrath: It’s obvious, he’s trying to use you.

Raon: Shut up.

[forgetme-eternally-blissfully]

Cale isnt a cuddler.

He never had toys to fall asleep with, he couldn’t snuggle up to his parents after the accident and he certainly couldn’t with his uncle, and he was, most often, barely comfortable when he slept anyway.

So when the apocalypse arrived, he was the perfect person when it came to sleeping.

He didn’t move around, he didn’t snore, and he had already gotten used to falling asleep on shitty surfaces!

Jung Soo described it as eery, with the way that Rok Soo would get into a position to fall asleep and then he would stay that way for the rest of the night. His chest barely rose and fell, and on more than one occasion Soo Hyuk had woken him up because they were afraid he wasn’t breathing. Thankfully he has always been a light sleeper, so just moving around nearby would be enough to startle him awake.

They tried having a buddy system where they would sleep next to Rok Soo, “for his safety” but he would refuse and find some private place to cram himself into to sleep, scaring them even more. They tried to trick him multiple times, but Rok Soo never fell for it.

He allowed it one time.

It was a cold night, and Jung Soo was too tired from fighting monsters that they couldn’t get back to their company before nightfall.

Jung Soo had been barely coherent, grasping onto Rok Soo as he had been temporarily blinded by a poison grade 2 monster.

He refused to let go of Rok Soo, and so he gave in. He laid on the ground, curled up to Jung Soo, and pretended to be asleep.

He used his record ability intermittently throughout the entire night. It got cold enough to snow, and so Rok Soo had to be the fire for the time.

He never told Jung Soo he stayed up to keep him warm.

But that doesn’t matter.

Because now he’s Cale Henituse. He’s trash. He can sleep anywhere and at any time, but he demands a bed because he can. He demands comfort and warmth and safety. He always wants to fall asleep with a full stomach.

The others know this.

Except he can fall asleep easily when he hasn’t eaten. He can barely be counted as safe, ever, because of the White Star. He complains about the cold but they know he sometimes forgets to ask for a jacket.

The strangest story, however.

The oddest story?

Cale sleep walked.

Once.

Raon watched him get out of bed, and followed him to a nondescript corner of their newest house, where he laid down and stopped moving.

Raon woke him up immediately, and Cale was very disoriented and confused, but Raon didn’t care about the sleep walking. He cared about the stillness. Cale had looked as if he was hiding from a monster and could barely lift his chest to breathe softly.

Raon demanded to sleep next to Cale from then on, because he was worried Cale would get himself hurt.

Cale reluctantly gave in. He thinks about Soo Hyuk and Jung Soo, and thinks they’d be proud of him for opening up.

He casts that thought away.

(December 30, 2022)

[letcaleslack]

Sooo ...

Kim Rok Soo was buff, right? A real expert at excercising. Knew all the best tricks, stretching excercises and post workout routines.

But as Cale he keeps quiet about it. Doesn't breath a word of it. His friends don't need the advice, they're plenty strong.

Now imagine: What if one day he came across a poor fellow making a big exercising mistake. The kind where the harm they're doing to their muscles is greater than any good they'd get from the excercise.

And Cale can't keep quiet. He tells them what they're doing wrong and how to do it right.

And the fellow is just standing there with huge question marks and thinking "What does that walking stick know about excercising? He looks a light breeze could knock him over. Young master never lifted anything heavier than a teacup in his life." Cue nasty comment a la "How dare you?! Young mistress is wrong and shouldn't talk about things she doesn't know. I'm obVioUsly right". Cue Raon obliterating him. Cue Cale obliterating his remains.

Or if the fellow knows who Cale is: "Commander Cale, famous for his disgust for exercising, is giving me advice???!" Just total confusion. Like "Young master silver shield knows that you need to stretch after exercising?". Completely disbelieving. Then: "He probably learned in an effort to help his companions. He is so kInD/GRaCioUS/HeROiC. To force himself to learn about something he hates for the sake of his friends/the Country/the CONtinent/the WORLD." ... And the hero worship for Cale grows along with a new rumour being born.

[blueteller]

The Stages of Choi Han

So I decided to think over and analyze the progress of the relationship between Cale and Choi Han.

While we do occasionally get some Choi Han's POV, most of the story is still from either Cale's or general point of view, so we don't see his exact step-by-step thought process on what his views were regarding Cale.

So, here's my thoughts on what was going on inside Choi Han's head as the story went:

Stage 1: Confusion

Choi Han must have been pretty confused when he first met Cale. Still in major turmoil after the Harris Village massacre, here comes this drunk rich guy along, who offers him food and shelter for the night. Why? Random act of kindness? Something else? And things remain confusing the next day as well. Choi Han gets to wash up and rest a bit after his traumatic experience, giving him better clarity of thought, but definitely no better understanding of Cale, who apparently doesn't even want Choi Han to pay him back. Not to mention this creepy strong assassin butler he has and his son the chef... I picture Choi Han having three big bold question marks in his head at this point.

Stage 2: Respect

Things change after the interview. While Cale and the people surrounding him are confusing, the way he speaks to Choi Han make two things clear: one, Cale is a smart man. Two, Cale has a lot going on, but it doesn't seem to be anything sinister. The general vibe Cale is giving off at this moment is "possibly sketchy, yet mysterious and wise". He strikes right into the core of Choi Han's insecurity and helps him gather his resolve: he wants to avenge Harris Village, but he also wishes to protect. At this point, Choi Han switches from confusion to intrigue.

Stage 3: Loyalty

Cale has no idea when it happens, but it is clear: after they rescue Raon, Choi Han is definitely having thoughts about staying with Cale for good. Not only did Cale prove to him that he was a good person by helping a young creature escape a terrible fate for seemingly no reason... Cale also showcased just how thoughtful and competent he is. He is not only smart and knowledgeable, he is also a skilled leader. Even if Choi Han still has any left-over doubts, his question of "what will you do if the Dragon decides to follow you, Cale-nim?" makes it apparent; he's 100% talking about himself. At this point, he'd definitely be willing to follow Cale on a permanent basis as his knight.

Stage 4: Trust

So Choi Han already respects Cale, and has begun cultivating loyalty towards him during the trip to the capital. After they part ways, Choi Han follows Cale's instructions about finding Rosalyn and Lock. During this time unexpected issues arise, but Cale's information remained consistently useful and accurate. Choi Han also meets the "Secret Organization" again, confirming that following path set by Cale allowed him to find out more about Arm than he could manage by himself. He quickly grows attached to Rosalyn and Lock, faster than in "The Birth of a Hero", because through Cale's endorsement he isn't nearly as distrusting. And when Lock seems sick, Choi Han's first instinct is to go straight to Cale for help. And that trust gets rewarded. Then it becomes reinforced once again by the Vow of Death. Cale got upgraded from "sketchy but wise" to "definitely a good person with a lot of secrets".

Stage 5: Protectiveness

Choi Han was definitely protective before, but it got cranked up to 11 after the Plaza Terror Incident. Cale reinforces all previous impressions of respect, loyalty and trust through handling the attack almost flawlessly - except at the very end, Cale gets hurt for the very first time. Choi Han is furious. He threatens the guards to let him pass, showing how his number one priority is officially, Cale himself. His quest to avenge Harris Village still matters, of course, but Cale already swore an oath that he would help Choi Han with it (at least that's what Choi Han believes), so that's a non-issue. From now on, Choi Han's first, second and third priority is keeping Cale safe.

Stage 6: Familiarity

After the plaza, Choi Han heads off with Rosalyn and Lock to the Breck Kingdom. But while the bonds of friendship grow stronger between them, Choi Han still has every intention of returning straight to Cale after they're done. Cale isn't just a priority; he's home, the place Choi Han feels safest at. The way Cale treats him when the trio comes back proves to Choi Han that the feeling was not unfounded; in his absence, Cale helped rebuild Harris and made it home for Lock's siblings. As the next few months of "general relaxation" pass, Choi Han only settles more in his conviction. Everything he has now is thanks to Cale, who is a good person, trustworthy leader, and a good friend overall. Choi Han's feelings are no longer distant respect of an employee, and now he sees Cale as his new family.

Stage 7: Conviction

This stage is a little tricky. While Choi Han's feeling don't quite change through the next 2 years, they definitely grow in strength and intensity. Multiple instances of Cale getting hurt, as well as Choi Han witnessing the true extent of his recklessness, make him devote himself entirely to Cale and his cause. While fighting Clopeh, Choi Han expresses his determination to "create path for the real legend". Because Cale isn't just family: Cale is special. He is someone worthy of highest admiration in Choi Han's eyes. It's not fanatical obsession, not like Clopeh's later on, but something deep and profound that grows stronger with every single battle. The ultimate proof of it is Choi Han changing his attribute while Cale watches from the sidelines. Choi Han's goal itself now, is Cale's success. That is his conviction.

Stage 8: Understanding

Choi Han finally finds out the truth about Cale's transmigration thanks to the memories from Choi Jung Soo, sent by the God of Death. And while none of it fundamentally changes what Choi Han believes about Cale... it does give him a bit of a broader perspective on who Cale really is. Before, there was a lot of mystery regarding the extent of his knowledge, but Choi Han was fine with being kept in the dark. Now, enlightened about some of the mysteries surrounding Cale... Choi Han's conviction to help Cale succeed becomes stronger. Cale isn't just a person he chose to follow; they're actually countrymen, connected by his nephew. It deepens the bond they have, and from then on, Choi Han feels less like a follower of Cale, and more of a peer. They're truly friends, going on this journey side by side.

So there you go. The 8 stages of Choi Han's friendship with Cale.

Confusion

Respect

Loyalty

Trust

Protectiveness

Familiarity

Conviction

Understanding

I really love how their relationship plays out. Cale has many great relationships in the series, but there's something truly special about these two. No matter their differences or misunderstandings, they can relate to each other like no one else can. The mutual care and respect they have for one another is heartwarming. After all they lost, now they have someone who they can trust with their back. A real ride-or-die type of deal.

[weirdsht]

Hihihi hello!!! Hope ur doing well 🫶🏻

Cale n the co with someone who likes to give quick, gentle kisses? It can be platonic as well (sorry i kiss everything i like)—the kids, rosalyn, cage, hannah, their pillows, n many more. Like imagine kissing the kids' foreheads more than just few seconds and so sweetly bc they love their adorable little faces with big doe eyes so much-- I'm gonna cry so bad bro. I live for happiness w my unreal beloveds 🫂

Hershey’s - LoTCF & Gn! Reader

notes: I think 4+1 fics are becoming my go-to...

tags: gender neutral reader, sickfic at the end, fluff, kisses, platonic

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are currently closed but my ask are still open (read navi)

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When you first worked with Cale everyone was immediately introduced to your… peculiar habit.

Kiss!

[Name] kissed Cale’s hand as a greeting.

“It’ll be my pleasure to work with you young master.”

“Is this how you greet everyone?”

Cale asked but he didn’t look uncomfortable. Unlike when Clopeh compliments him. Because unlike that lunatic, the young master could feel the respect in that peck.

“When it seems appropriate. I’ll refrain from doing it if you are uncomfortable.”

Yup, [Name] is a hundred times better than Clopeh. They can’t even be compared.

“No, it’s fine. I was just curious.”

“As long as the young master doesn’t mind then.”

+~+~+~+~+~+

It was a rare day when everyone was taking a day off. No one was training or anything. They have all collectively decided to laze around.

“[Name] tells us a bedtime story!”

Raon demands as he and the kittens lie down on Cale’s bed. The owner was rolling around the marble floors somewhere else.

“But it’s still midday? Why would you want a bedtime story now?”

[Name] tilts their head in confusion at the kid’s demand.

“Cale told us that anytime is a good time to sleep nya!”

Hong reasoned as he tapped his paw on the bed for emphasis.

“Fair enough. I’ll get a fairy tale book then.”

Two stories in and the children already looked drowsy. All of them are ready to take a nap. [Name] closed the book they were reading and leaned down to kiss each of the children’s foreheads.

“Sleep well, kids.”

After that, they demand [name] to tell them a bedtime story every night.

…it certainly wasn’t because the kiss felt nice.

…not at all.

+~+~+~+~+~+

“Thanks for training with me Choi Han!”

[Name] thanked the swordmaster. Only the two of them are in the plaza. Everyone else had already finished for the day but [name] asked Choi Han for extra training.

“No problem.”

Choi Han replies as he hands his friend a bottle of water to drink.

Together they sat in silence. Only the sound of the water being drank and the towel wiping their sweat could be heard.

“Come one, let’s go. We have to shower before Beacrox kicks our asses.”

[Name] chuckled as they offered their hand for Choi Han to grab. The black-haired man also laughs as he imagines the chef’s angry face.

Once they reached the door to [name]’s room they got on their tiptoe.

Kiss!

Then kissed Choi Han’s cheeks.

“Thanks again, Choi Han! I’ll treat you to something nice next time!”

With that, they enter their room leaving the poor man outside with a very red face.

“First time?”

Rosalyn laughs as she passes by the swordmaster.

Choi Han knows that it’s just the way [name] shows affection.

But still, he can’t help but feel embarrassed.

+~+~+~+~+~+

Sniff. Sniff.

On sniffed as she held back her tears. 

Why the tears one might ask?

She accidentally scraped her knee while running around in the Forest of Darkness. The sting from the wound hurts so bad that it makes her tear up.

“Oh no baby come here. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

[Name] picks the silver kitten up so they can clean the wound. Once they entered the room On was placed on the bed so they could get the first aid kit.

In no time, the kitten’s knee is all bandaged up.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No. Thank you [name].”

[Name] smiled brightly as they received On’s gratitude. They then leaned down and kissed the silver kitten’s bandaged knee.

“To make it heal faster.”

“Then… every time one of us gets hurt we can go to you to kiss it all better?”

On paws [name]’s face. They are now on their way back to meet up with everyone.

“Of course! But that right is exclusive for children. The grown-ups can handle themself.”

[Name] winks at On and both of them giggle as they walk.

Deep inside, On thinks she shouldn’t tell the rest of the kids about this privilege.

She feels like they would deliberately hurt themselves just to get a kiss.

+~+~+~+~+~+

[Name] was sick with a fever. They have been delirious and fading in and out of consciousness for 2 days now.

There’s not much they remember but they did retain the memory of a bunch of people kissing them.

Kiss!

“Get well soon.”

Rosalyn kissed the crown of their head as she wished them well.

Kiss!

“It’s hard seeing my sparring partner sick like this. Get better soon so we can spar.”

Choi Han kissed their hand with a promise of spar.

Kiss!

“I know you said it’s exclusive for children but maybe it’ll work on you too.”

On pats their head as she kissed their forehead.

Kiss!

“Get well soon [Name]! Because you're sick I’ll read you a bedtime story instead!”

Raon kissed their cheek before he started reading a children’s storybook.

…[name] genuinely doesn’t know anymore if their red face is from their fever or their kisses.

[slackerlifewhere]

random thought #2

About Arm (don't take this post seriously)

[Mild SPOILER??? Can this be considered a spoiler? I'll just put this here to be sure. I guess I should also warn you that this post is stupid.]

Another random thought I had today that no one probably cares about but I find it funny anyways so here I go:

Without any context, the name "Arm" is absolutely confusing and hilarious.

Like if Cale is a normal person who has a bad sense of humor (like me) and saw Ron lose an arm, he'll probably be like, "They must really like arms, huh? Get it? Because their name is 'Arm'?" And Ron would proceed to give him different kinds of lemon treats, food, and drink for a month just for revenge.

But putting my bad sense of humor aside, I don't know why they thought of naming a secret organization "Arm" and think it's going to be intimidating. Like I know Cale is also bad at naming things (aside from Raon, that name is beautiful) but wtf White Star? I know you're old but at least give your organization a better name. It's like they just want to use different parts of the body as their name because they don't have creativity.

I guess he does have a point for uniqueness because I doubt anyone made an organization and called it Leg or Foot or Head so he's the first one to do it! Good for him.

It also says a lot about how utterly bored he is with his immortality if he doesn't even care about the bad name (unless he actually likes the name).

When I first read the novel, I couldn't take the name too seriously. I saw it and immediately laughed. And when Cale used it for his "Real Arm" agenda, I almost died because it's so funny without any context because one of Ron's arm is fake.

But remember, the author also has a bad sense of humor for using the name "Bob" several times in the story so I think I can get away with this.

I suck, I know.

I'm sorry. Please ignore this post. This is just me sharing a post nobody should see but I did it anyway. Good day! I hope I didn't ruin your day with this stupid post.

[crazydaymycrazyway]

Alberu, having dinner with Cale

Raon: Cookie prince, how's food?

Alberu: It's great, Raon-nim. Send compliments to the chef

Raon: Okay

Raon, teleporting to the kitchen: You look cool when you hold your long sword

Beacrox: ...alright

[sadlynotthevoid]

So, you know how when an author is writing og!Cale and they want to give him a power, sometimes they give him fantasy spirit stuff? Well, I want elementals to have the usual 'spirit king per attribute' that you usually find in fantasy mangas, but make the water spirit king an axolotl and let og!Cale befriend them.

And when I say Axolotl Water Spirit King I mean 'non-parlant little flying axolotl' that can turn into a 'giantic, water-looking-like, could swallow a pirate ship, still non-parlant axolotl' a la Ponyo.

Just, Imagine og!Cale who was just minding his business and finds a little dorky amphibian that got trapped in a net. And the little dorky one smiles at him. He has no choice but to help it.

The little one likes him. They become friends :D!!

So, turns out his animal friend can fly. Cool.

His new friend decided to follow him— Wait, where is he going?

...Oh.

So, his little friend is not so little anymore.

Ey, don't— spit it out! Spit the bad woman out!

And he doesn't like his relatives.

[murasaki-cha]

Tcf part 2 chapter 255

Maren next to Raon stopped at the sound of Raon's heavy breathing and carefully patted his front paw. "Huh?" When Raon looked at her in confusion, Dragon Maren turned away from his gaze and muttered. “Because the blue wolf protects him, your father will be okay.” Raon paused. “Ooh, the human is not my father.”

"Oh really?" This time, Maren scratched her cheek and spoke with a puzzled look on her face. “I thought he was your dad.” “Uh, humans are humans, and I, I’m a dragon?” “Why is that a problem?” “It’s… not a problem!” "Yes?"

I JUST STARTED THE CHAPTER AND I NEED TO BE SENT TO THE ER STAT MY HEAR IS FAILING ME-

[valdeswan]

Choi Han: What’s the hardest part of a vegetable to eat?

Choi Han: The wheelchair

*Cale choking in the back with a very confused Raon asking what that means*

[we-stan-cale]

I have enjoyed some of the TCF reaction fics, but I feel like there's a major problem.

Namely, that it's really hard for fic writers to stay motivated for over 700+ chapters, so it feels like they all start off strong for the beginning (especially rescuing Raon) and then peter out. We never get to the really good stuff.

Never reach that flashback when Cale reads the letter from the GoD, or see reactions to Choi Han rushing over to see Kim Rok Soo after getting Choi Jung Soo's records. Never have them see the Sealed God's test, and really... Post-apocalyptic Korea horrified Alberu, for good reason. Not that it's explicitly stated, but when is it ever? He had quite the reaction when he was trying to decide what to tell everyone else.

I've had some thoughts on how I would do it, but fair warning - I'm not much of a writer, and will probably never write it. All my respect for the ones that regularly write fanfic because I have like - less than a handful? Maybe, maybe, if I haven't moved on after finishing this reread, I'll try writing it myself.

The other thing is that I've been reading part 2 - only as far as eatapplepies has translated as I find mtl more confusing than helpful - and I'm really liking the Heavenly Demon. He seems to have fallen for our Cale pretty hard, and I'm interested in seeing how that goes.

So I have been playing around with ideas.

First - Dodam is trying to find 'that terrible bastard', and is dragging around his Choi Han.

He reaches Korea. Og!Cale as KRS, specifically. He has his own attribute, one to help him track down Cale, so he can pull up visions/memories related to that.

He pulls up the dream meeting between Cale and KRS.

There are a few team 1 members present, particularly Kim Minh Ah. Cue a bit of chaos, some 'aha' moments, and the long and the short of it is Dodam is going to pull up some of just what they're team leader is up to. (And if Dodam can figure out exactly which world or dimension to to next, and OG! Cale gets the bittersweet ability to see how his deal with the God of Death prevented the destruction he'd lived through, well... That's fine too)

During that brief moment, the Henituse noticed some strange mana fluctuations and managed to get Rosalyn there. She's basically able to tap into the feed and see and hear what's going on.

And divine intervention (like perhaps a god of love) extends the feed to the Heavenly Demon.

What would follow would be an abbreviated version of the key points. Sure, it loses some of the flavor... But we don't actually need, say, the amusing anecdote where an elf mistook Cale for a dragon.

Anyways, the more I thought about it the more I thought about how team 1 would react.

Because the minute they see those monster statues you know they'll all be going 'what the fuck?!?'

They will probably also nod knowingly at some of Cale's more shocking plans. Like hey, there he goes agreeing to help the Mogoru Empire put out the fire he started with the Whipper kingdom.

Nod, nod

Just like he did when they were dealing with that one corrupt guild

And if they ever get as far as seeing the Heavenly Demon, I'm sure one team member will be like 'Is.. is he flirting with Team Leader-nim?!?'

Cue stories where Team Leader Kim Rok Soo avoided a honeypot - except now they're thinking maybe he was just too dense to notice?