Cale breaking in The President’s residence.

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@dan-ish
Cale breaking in The President’s residence.
idk if it was just a callback or if they take place in the same universe but it would be really funny if moondae was learning to live and be loved while soleum was out there in the trenches in the background of debut or die
gsgw 360+ timeline thoughts
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7mo redraw(of my first gsgw fanart!) 😭 original under the cut
SPOILER!! CHAPTER 268
'' I want to be on good terms with them again..."
Someone pls go and get their moms (I was crying too)
Bonus:
Found this on Twitter
And I just had to.
Thoughts on Choi Han
I just read chapter 166 of LCF manhwa, and... I kinda forgot how much I like Choi Han as a character?? Seriously, I think he's severely underappreciated in this fandom sometimes.
And I get why. There are so many complex characters to love: Cale, Alberu, Mary, Rosalyn, Eruhaben, Raon... any of them are interesting and deep enough to write a story entirely focused on them.
But, back to Choi Han.
He had this moment in this chapter, where he contemplates the reason WHY exactly their enemies are trying to kill all the strong people in the world, instead of making them their allies (which, as we can plainly see by Cale's example, is all more rational, effective and ethical). Whale Paseton tells him that it's probably easier to control the world that way, and that it doesn't really matter to understand their motives. Choi Han agrees and decides not to think about it anymore, ominously foreshadowing to the audience that there IS a deeper, darker reason as to why exactly ARM has the modus operandi that they do.
So, there are two reasons why I really love this moment. First, like I just said, it's the foreshadowing that there is something going on behind the scenes of it all; that ARM has other goals other than generic "world domination". You can already see the first seeds of the larger universe of conspiracy that eventually leads to the exposure of the Hunters organization and so on. There is so much more going on under the surface and it's hinted on so early on. That's just good writing.
The second reason why I like this scene so much is how much it shows of Choi Han's character.
First of all; he's such a good guy. No matter how vicious and "crazy" he is, his main concern in this situation is: "Why? Why even do this?" As in, he wonders why would those guys do these terrible things? Why hurt so many people with the power and motivation to stop them, once they unite under one cause? Why not do it like Cale and make allies instead? He knows it makes no sense to do such evil, terrible things, when the consequences are so obvious. It says so much about him that Paseton's answer – that they just want to get rid of the top dogs to BECOME the top dogs – doesn't occur to him immediately. It doesn't make Choi Han dumb; quite the opposite. Because he would never do such dumb things as ARM does. He's too good of a man to ever understand the blind greed that must drive those people to commit atrocities like that.
Secondly, as much as Choi Han "blindly" follows Cale, it's clear he is still using his own head instead of trusting without reason. If Cale was actually the "terrible selfish bastard" he considers himself to be, and was ACTUALLY using Choi Han for his own ends with no regard towards morality... Choi Han would have sussed him out very quickly. Heck, Cale already KNEW as much when they made the Vow of Death: "this guy might trust me for know, but he's the type of person to take charge if things are not the way he disagrees with, so I need to give him SOMETHING to base his trust on".
This kind of introspection shows us that Choi Han is very much worthy of Cale's earlier regard, and why Kim Rok Soo admired him as a protagonist of a fantasy novel. Choi Han is a person who has a strong sense of justice, who would only follow someone he respects. Seeing him analyze this situation and their enemy makes me believe that if he ever found himself on the opposing front for whatever reason – like for example, he was picked up by ARM right after transmigration – he would quickly realize they were the bad guys and betray them, no matter the consequences. Choi Han is not someone to be manipulated easily.
He is in this place, on this battlefield, because he can see the truth this his own eyes, and sees who the real bad guys are here. By trying to understand their point of view, he show that if there WAS something else to ARM and their motives, he would have at least felt bad for them. If there was a compromise and a peaceful resolution, Choi Han would have supported it. The only reason why he's here, happily serving as an agent of chaos and slaughtering human beings with no remorse, is because he KNOWS those people deserve the wrath of everybody else. They had it coming. So much so, it's hard for him to comprehend WHY they dared in the first place.
It's just... I don't even know why, in my eyes it just - makes Choi Han so cool.
Oh i love this and i need to add a bit more!
Our Choi Han IS cool!! He's smart, observant and quick-witted, even Raon calls him the smart choi Han! But, just like Alberu once said, Choi Han is shadowed by Cale's presence that he's dismissed alot, that was when he discovered Alberu in his 'disguise'.
Choi Han held up for MANY years in the FoD alone, something that would make anybody crazy, but he stayed kinda sane, showing how strong minded he is. He's second in command whenever Cale isn't available; putting priorities and reading the situation and variables. He's recognised among the knights and respected all by his own effort (being only strong isn't enough for respect, take old Tonka for example; muscles with no brain, Choi Han has social skills even if he can't act and starts a fight with the Molan duo every other day ಠ◡ಠ).
And he, in tboah, fought for twenty years without losing to someone who's as strong as WS!!! And I have to say this again, our Cale makes their fights look rather easy or sometimes elementary but after all Cale had the leadership experience, the strategy and tactics against both strong people and monsters, and the knowledge from the ancient powers that lead him in hard times, but ogChoi Han had nothing but he still resisted for a long time against a reincarnated ancient villain who is supported by hunters a god and likely the demonic race!! That's an achievement that can't be denied..
The Wind Island trial is cruel in so many ways that sometimes I feel like hitting the Sound of the Wind.
Cale is forced to experience a reality where the new chance at life he was given becomes another failure, another life where all he has left are the memories of the people he failed to protect. Where once again he is alone. The vision within the trial was not just a projection of his fear, but a reflection of the past that continued to haunt him, where everything and everyone he dared to love was lost while he remained behind. His parents, his brothers, his friends, his colleagues—everyone, in both lives, dead. Only polished and embellished stories left behind, the truth of who they were when the world wasn't looking remaining exclusive to him alone, in memories he was unable to forget. The super rock village, the place he once saw as the home they would all live in, became the tomb of the memories his family left behind, each room holding its treasure, just as it had ten thousand years ago with its ancestral powers. And even among these memories, many were related to Cale, gifts he gave his family, small tokens of his love for them. Choi Han's sword, Ron's prosthetic arm, Lock's diary, Mary's bones, Basen and Lily's pen and sword, among others. Cale walked through those all-too-empty hallways, in a house that should never have been so silent, that had become too big, too cold, empty of everything it should have had, checking every door, experiencing the pain of every memory, dragging himself deeper into the well of grief, and reached the last room. It was there that Cale experienced a new pain, a kind of loss he had never had to experience before, centered on the three incomplete piggy banks. He also lost his children. The children he'd taken in and sworn to protect, the ones he'd strived to ensure always had everything they wanted, that they would never be cold, hungry, or afraid again, the children he'd come to love and see as his own... they were gone too. A new, unknown failure that shattered a part of his heart whose existence he hadn't even fully acknowledged yet.
A test where no matter how much Cale struggled, persisted, or tried to change the situation he found himself in, his failure could not be reversed. He was left only to face the consequences of his incompetence in protecting his family.
It was at that point that Cale had to acknowledge that he'd failed to stay away and that he'd come to love all these people too much to bear losing them. A test that forced him, in the cruelest, most twisted way, to acknowledge the truth held in his heart that he'd insisted on denying. The point that made Cale even more determined to protect his family and ignore his own health in the process, because he didn't truly care if he got hurt, only that he couldn't allow the illusion he was experiencing to become reality.
I was thinking about the Endable kingdom arc a while ago, and my brain suddenly decided to throw a prompt at me; what would have happened if Cale, as Naru, had accidentally crossed paths with Sui Khan when he was touring the kingdom with Alver?
We do know for a fact (from this cool post) that Sui Khan is most likely from the Land of Mysteries (Aman kingdom). But it was hinted in the beginning of part 2 that Sui is a noble there (possibly a prince, even), so he could've been going to the Endable kingdom frequently for meetings and stuff, since they were an ally for the Endable kingdom. We also know that he had been in the Endable kingdom when Cale first knew he had been reincarnated in nameless 1.
So, imagine a situation where Naru, while on his way to get an allowance from Fredo, strolling around the residence like a happy kid, halts his happy steps midway to stare at a white haired boy in the other side of the manor hall, who looks, walks, and talks exactly like Lee Soo Hyuk.
(But the thing is, Sui Khan doesn't have his memories as Lee Soo Hyuk back then yet.)
Naru, out of reflex, grabs Sui's hand when they cross paths.
"team leader..?" He subconsciously blurts out, the white hair neatly combed into a side part oddly unfamiliar. It should be black, he thinks, and should be much longer. He looks for a low ponytail, but only finds a rather short mullet falling behind the boy's neck.
"Prince Naru?" Sui replies, confusion and wariness apparent in his voice.
The boy has Lee Soo Hyuk's voice. He is almost everything that Lee Soo Hyuk was.
Almost.
Naru, he repeats, not Rok Soo-ya.
He talks exactly like his team leader, but the familiar warmth isn't there when he calls out his name. Instead, it's uttered with faux-politeness and a hint of fatigue.
From a distance, someone with green hair calls out to the team leader, no, to the foreign noble, and before he could comprehend anything, the boy was gone, pulling his hand away and leaving right after muttering some polite apology.
When he's back to his chambers, where the quarter dark elf in disguise awaits him for their tour around the capital, he feels his vision going blurry and dark.
"Dongsaeng? Did something happen?"
For some reason, the dark elf looks at him with a deep frown on his face. He seemed to be concerned about something Naru couldn't quite understand.
".. why? I'm fine." He replies easily, shrugging, the corners of his lips curling up as he takes out a bag full of gold coins from his pocket. His cheeks felt heavier when he tried to maintain his smile.
"Here, look at the allowance I got-"
"Shut up," his now-personal aid interruptus, before suddenly carrying him up and putting him down on bed.
"Hey, that's disrespectful to your master." Naru joked, or tried to, but his humor was thoroughly ignored by the quarter dark elf and silently pressed a hand against his forehead. The hand that brushed his bangs away off his sticky forehead felt cold and soothing.
"Just sleep now. You're running a fever. "
"Oh" the younger exclaimed in surprise. A fever, he repeated internally. It explains the shaking of his hands and the cold sweat on his face.
All of a sudden, Naru feels the world twisting before him, all energy leaving the already feeble body of the young vampire. From his darkening vision, he could see Alver reaching out to catch his falling body, eyes widened in surprise.
That night, he dreamt of a man with long, black hair, who'd miss no chance to annoy him with small, random talks whenever they ran into each other.
Cale, asleep on the huge, comfortable bed without the kids by his side, felt the most uncomfortable he'd ever felt. It felt like the time he'd woken up in the wind island test, like he could end up alone in this world too at any given moment.
When he woke up, he had already forgotten about the meeting with the white haired foreign noble.
End of brainrot. Lol.
I've read gsgw recently and i have an odd observation (ch208 spoiler ahead!!!)
So… kim soluem has a strange connection with number four through out the series, it keeps coming up that i can't help but notice them like it's done on purpose?
Hi! Can you please tell me the cannon events of ogCale. I want to know about ogCale's life from his childhood till his death.
There are too much misinformation about him in the fandom. I can't decide anymore what is canon and what is fanon about ogCale anymore.
I would also like to hear your head-canons about ogCale's past.
You might want to check out this recent post of mine, concerning what is canon and what isn't about OG Cale's personality. As for the exact events? Let's see... (Big Spoilers Ahead!)
OG Cale was born in year 763 of Felix Calendar (the particulars of the calendar are never elaborated upon), in the main city of the Henituse Territory: Rain City or Weston, depending on translation. While the details of his childhood are never directly stated, it's implied to be a happy upbringing by his parents, until the death of his mother Jour/Drew Thames (Jour was first proposed version of the name and I'm personally partial to it over EAP's "Drew") sometimes around the year 771. Jour got into a carriage accident when coming back from Harris Village, where she split her own plate and hid half of her Anciet Power, the Annual Rings of Life, making it seem like it was the carriage crash was the cause of her death. OG Cale only found out the truth about the even after he made the deal with the God of Death many years later.
Within one year Deruth Henituse, Cale's father, met and married Violan, whose past is mostly unknown aside from the fact that she comes from a merchant family (which raises all sorts of red flags, considering how the Hunters like to disguise themselves as merchants, but it might just be red herring) and that she had a son named Basen/Bassen from an unknown previous relationship (no mention whether she was married or not). Basen is 3 years younger than Cale, so he had to be born in 766, and shares no blood relation with him as his step brother (although Kim Rok Soo!Cale is unaware of this fact for most of the story, as he never was given any details about OG Cale' mother and her death). Deruth and Violand had another child named Lily/Lilly, Cale's half-sister, who was born in 774, 3 years into their marriage, when OG Cale was 11.
We know that in year 771 Basen and Cale had a conversation where OG Cale told him to pretend to be Deruth's biological son. From that point on, he did his best to act like "trash", aka. a spoiled brat, with the explicit goal to be kicked out of the family and pass the heir position to his step brother. In year 778, when OG Cale was 15, he added drinking to his personna and became known as an alcoholic with low alcohol tolerance and terrible, violent temper when drunk. It continued that way until year 783, when 18-year-old OG Cale met Choi Han, on his way to report the Harris Village massacre that occured on March 28th ("third month of the year" to be exact, but we never got any direct confirmation that that months were named differently in this universe, so whatever). "Drunk" OG Cale insulted the dead villagers to Choi Han's face, possibly because he was being "in-character", but canonically also because he hates Harris Village as the place where his mother died. Which lead to OG Cale's brutal beatdown documented in "The Birth of a Hero" series, Volume 1.
Now, let me dive into that for a bit, because there seems to be a huge misunderstanding about the following events among the fandom.
I carefully re-read the beginning of the novel recently (the official translation that is, mostly to see if there were any major differences from what I remembered of EAP's translation), trying to fish out as many details as possible about the TBOAH timeline. One intersting thing about OG Cale's introduction in the books that Kim Rok Soo read is that he did not actually appear just once. He was not a recurring character mind you, nothing particular being mentioned about him or the Henituse family after the first Volume, but it was clearly stated Choi Han "bumped into him a couple of times" before their final confrontation.
The way I see it, the timeline of TBOAH probably like this: Choi Han must have passed a bar where OG Cale was having a huge public tantrum over his wine not tasting good, causing it to be mentioned in TBOAH, which was written from Choi Han's POV. It probably did not count as a meeting though, with Choi Han having no reason to actually enter the bar. But that tantrum caused OG Cale to injure himself with a piece of broken table leg, making KRS!Cale notice that he did not have a scar on his side when he transmigrated; a specific detail which allowed him to place his position in the TBOAH timeline.
We don't know what Choi Han did for the next couple of days; possibly he spent looking for something to eat, a place to rest, or asking for information about where was the man in charge and how he should approach him. Maybe he spent time in the slums, met some homeless kids along the way (the reason why Cale had a specific quote in mind about them when he met On and Hong), got into some fight where he showed his fighting prowess (more on that in a bit), possibly went past the Man Eating Tree, prompting its backstory regardless of the fact that no one got the Indestructible Shield Ancient Power in the TBOAH timeline (at least, not within the first 5 Volumes which Kim Rok Soo had read). Kim Rok Soo never thought about the narration seeming too strange, and he's an observant guy. So it must have felt like natural exposition for the audience. Perhaps Choi Han met Billos/Bilose Flynn as well, prompting his introduction and backstory.
What we know for sure is that OG Cale and Choi Han had their "first meeting" the next day after Choi Han jumped over the wall (missing Hong and twisting his ankle as the result, slowing down his progress on top of physical and emotional exhaustion), while OG Cale was out and drinking. But I think it also makes sense to assume they did not exchange words just yet, as Choi Han was in full depression mode at the time had no reason to be chatty. It's possible OG Cale just threw a casual insult at him, reinforcing Choi Han's terrible impression of him. In other words, they had at least one "meeting" by that point in the timeline, but OG Cale did not get beat up just yet.
In TCF, Deruth also mentioned that "Cale would leave for the capital in five days", causing Cale to think how "OG Cale would get beat up in four days time", delaying the actual confrontation of these two from Choi Han's initial arrival quite lot - about a week, in fact!
Here's what I pieced together: in order for Choi Han to meet the Count he had to find way to get past the guards, without showing an identification or fighting them, which he was actively trying to avoid (his conscience recovered enough for him to remember not to kill innocent people regardless of his rage). So the meeting was no accident: he must have approached OG Cale on purpose, knowing that he was the son of the local Count. He probably asked for help regarding the Harris Village directly to OG Cale in hope that the man would be sympathetic enough to let him meet his father (not a very good plan, but probably the best one he had at the time). We also know it happened on a rainy day, and it did NOT rain when Cale first met Choi Han in TCF, nor the day after when he got the Shield, which took a couple days of buying bread for Cale to acquire (and when he finally did was only foggy, presumably because of On helping, but not raining!). After Cale got his Shield, it was explicitly stated that it rained heavily for a several days in a row; like during Cale's talk with Billos about his father. Once the rain passed, Cale was satisfied with the fact that the deadline for his beating had passed and he successfully avoided that fate.
So... Choi Han must have spent a full week in Rain City before he beat up OG Cale (minimum of 3 days of Cale buying bread, and 4 consecutive rainy days), unlike many fans seem to believe; the generall impression I get is that Choi Han stayed in the city for barely a day or two before moving on.
We also know that Beacrox/Vicross Molan met Choi Han exactly four days earlier in TCF than in TBOAH. Which leads me directly to the bottom of the misunderstanding I mentioned earlier.
In TBOAH, after Choi Han beat up OG Cale, there did not seem to be any legal complications for him; no mention of him paying a fine, since he was homeless and poor he couldn't have afforded it, and no mention of guards trying to arrest him. Either no guards witnessed the confrontation, or they chose not to help OG Cale. I find the second option hard to believe though, since what we have seen in TCF seems to indicate that despite OG Cale's behavior, the Henituse Territory's knights were quite loyal and competent. I think they probabably didn't see nor hear anything BECAUSE of the rain. Someone could make an argument that Beacrox COULD have seen something, but that's highly unlikely; instead, I think Choi Han must have had a fight with someone else, because it was mentioned that Cale wanted Choi Han and Beacrox to bond over Choi Han impressing him with his strength. I don't see how "impressive" it would be to see Choi Han beating up OG Cale, who was completely ordinary in strength... I think that's where the common misunderstanding among the fans lies.
To sum it up: I am fully convinced there was no one around when Choi Han beat up OG Cale. It was raining, OG Cale was too stubborn to admit defeat or to call out for help, and Choi Han was never arrested. I'm 100% certain there was no witnesses, especially not Beacrox.
And beside that, if we sum up days, we reach another crusial conclusion: Choi Han met Beacrox before approaching OG Cale.
It only makes sense from the timeline! When I mentioned earlier that during the week that Choi Han spent in the city, "he possibly got into some fight where he showed his fighting prowess", that is what I meant. Either Choi Han got into a fight with some thugs (which do exist despite the Henituse Territory not having a criminal underground; TBOAH narrative clearly states that OG Cale liked to terrorize thugs instead of bothering innocent people), and Beacrox happened to see it, or they bumped into each other and fought personally. Possibly both.
Choi Han's exact TBOAH activities might not seem all that relevant to the original question regarding OG Cale, here's where we come back to the main point. Namely: Ron and Beacrox leaving OG Cale behind to travel with Choi Han.
Since Ron was such an important figure in OG Cale's life, we can imagine him leaving (wihtout a goodbye or warning, no less) affected him quite a bit. But fans like to make extra drama, and somehow created this narrative where 1) Beacrox sees Choi Han beating up OG Cale and doen't stop him, and 2) Ron leaves OG Cale with the guy that harmed his charge without any care in the world. Which simply does not add up at all! This is the reason why I think that there were no witnesses when Choi Han beat up OG Cale: Ron absolutely would have tried to avenge him!! For his own professional pride if nothing else - he wouldn't have simply left with Choi Han if he knew!!!
Yes, Ron and Beacrox were under the impression that Choi Han was involved with Arm, due to him "having their scent" (more of my exact thoughts on that in this post). So they decided to follow him not because they LIKED him, but because they found him useful. Their comradery developed slowly and gradually after that misunderstanding got resolved and got to trust him more (and Choi Han lightened up a bit after the events in Harris Village). But I'mstill pretty sure they never found out about Choi Ha being the one who beat up the guy they worked for over a decade. The Henituse had always been generous with them, and aside from OG Cale's bratty behavior they really had no reasons to complain. And no matter his protagonist status, Choi Han certainly wasn't "charming" enough to make them forget all of their gratitude out of the blue.
You might be thinking, "but how could they not figure it out"? Well... OG Cale was known for causing trouble. Someone beating him up around the same time that Choi Han was in town? Doesn't mean much. And Deruth wouldn't have let it slide either! If he had any idea what Choi Han had done to his son (remember, he beat him up NEAR DEATH), Deruth would have never sent Hans to help with the proper burial of the villagers! That kind of gesture of good will just doesn't make sense, no matter how tragic the massacre was. OG Cale was clearly found and brought in for healing, Choi Han got the audience he wanted with the Count, OG Cale wasn't around to make any comments on it because he was stuck in bed, and Basen went to the capital for Zed's birthday instead in his older brother's place.
Then the terrorist attack happened, and the rest of 5 Volumes of TBOAH happened, followed by the Henituse Territory invasion by Clopeh Sekka... 20 years of war, erased from the timeline by the transmigration deal with the God of Death... and the rest is history.
So, here's the quick summary of my long, LONG post about what exactly is canon regarding OG Cale:
OG Cale was born in 763 (no exact month of birth confirmed)
His mother died in 771 (when he was 8)
Deruth remarried same year, Violan and 5-year-old Basen becoming Henituses
OG Cale started acting as a spoiled brat to help his step family
He added alcoholism to his personna in 778 (15 years old)
He met Choi Han in 781 a couple of times (18 years old); first time probably sometime 1st of April, and got beat up around 5th-6ths, around 1 week after the massacre of Harris Village on March 28th,
He probably spent the next 2 years trying to get himself kicked out from the family but Deruth nor Violan ever allowed it (because their love was unconditional)
Henituse Territory fell in spring of 783 to the Indomitable Alliance of the northern countries, officially lead by Clopeh Sekka of Paerun Kingdom
He transmigrated around 803 (40 years old), becoming 36-year-old Team Leader Kim Rok Soo
What fans commonly misunderstand and get mixed up:
Choi Han did not beat up OG Cale upon their first meeting
Beacrox did not see OG Cale getting beat up nor stood on idly the sidelines watching
Ron probably never found out Choi Han was the one who beat up his charge either
Neither did Deruth or anyone important someone would have tried to arrest Choi Han or at the very least fine or blacklist him from Rain City, none of which got mentioned in TCF
So Ron and Beacrox did not merrily set off into the sunset with the guy who beat up OG Cale, they left to keep an eye on the suspicious guy who smelled like Arm (Beacrox liked sparring with him but that was just a side bonus)
We do not know whether Basen died or got hurt in the terrorist attack as it was never explained in TBOAH, we just know he had to be there instead of OG Cale
It is implied that all the Henituses aside from OG Cale died during the invasion, but the how any why was never explored so anything about that topic is pure speculation from the fanbase
OG Cale fought in the war later but his exact role was never elaborated on either
I hope you find this helpful! Have a good day everyone 💖
[Bonus: I forgot to adress one last thing: the scene OG Cale witnessed in the final battle. OG Cale saw the White Star grab Choi Han by the arm (not the neck unlike most fanart of that scene!) and say the line about his time being warped. There is no mention whether OG Cale have ever actually met the White Star before that point, and there is no information regarding their relation (which is implied because of how similar they look and how White Star was able to use the Annual Rings of Life, which could be only used by the Thames). So anything about OG Cale's family is still yet to be adressed in canon. OG Cale's unknown relative (possibly uncle because of Jour mentioning her brother) showed up exactly ONCE, and he never even showed his real face. So everything connected to that stuff is still only theories and all.]
Could you please tell me about ogCale's personality? I want to understand him from your perspective.
I would love to! Happy to be of service.
First of all, one important thing to note: a lot of things you might have come across about OG Cale on places like tumblr or AO3? Most of it, it's fan speculation. The character had exactly ONE canon appearance, aside from a few rare flashbacks from other characters' POVs and KRS!Cale's recollections of "The Birth of a Hero" series.
So, I think it's best to break it down one-by-one.
First chapters of the book, we see how people react to the "new" Cale. They specifically notice the things Cale ISN'T doing, such as: throwing bottles (with "terrible aim", which could either be true or staged, but I personally suspect the former), breaking things (which his father always had to replace with new stuff, so OG Cale was actually doing people a service with that), complaining about food (fans made lots of speculation about it, but the exact reasoning for that one is unclear), being rude to servants (probably to make them gossip about what an awful heir OG Cale would make), and terrorizing local gangsters (instead of harassing the poor or beautiful women, like a real trash would). This creates a pretty solid image of what OG Cale was "usually" like.
So, his MO is acting like a spoiled, bratty noble. The drinking only began when he was 15, so he had to act full 7 years without the excuse of being "drunk", so he mostly depended on being rude, rash, and others not asking any probing questions about it. They probably all thought the trauma of losing his mother affected him this way, and did not want to trigger him by mentioning it. After all, according to Cale, "it was basically taboo to talk about the late countess in the house".
But there are other, more subtle hints: how Basen is shocked that Cale smiled about food – meaning he did not smile a lot, at least not happily. He was likely used to wearing an unhappy expression around his family, or maybe being sarcastic. Deruth's expectation that Cale would be unhappy about delicious food, so him being grumpy was also a regular thing. It is also strongly implied that OG Cale also avoided family meals, but participated in them from time to time regardless, due to his father's request (because otherwise Basen would have no expectations of Cale's behavior at meal times; not enough to drop a fork in shock at his smile, at least). In TBOAH, Cale remembers that OG Cale supposedly "only listened to his father, and only liked Ron among his servants and saw him as a father figure". He also avoided interacting with Violan and her children. So we have a clear image of awkward, yet somehow still respectful relationships of OG Cale with exactly 5 people. Yet even those 5 never suspected the extent of OG Cale's mask… they all assumed that he was so hurt by the past, he was lashing out in the present. And to be perfectly fair to them – Cale was just a kid at first, and then a teenager. Occam's Razor reasoning would bring anyone to that conclusion unless they had any evidence to the contrary. Which OG Cale made sure not to leave behind, because he wasn't honest around anyone; not even Ron.
Another thing? Rosalyn remembers hearing gossip about Cale Henituse in the Breck Kingdom – a FOREIGN NOBLE. His antics were so "scandalous" it even reached the ears of foreign royalty! In other words, OG Cale knew how to draw exactly the type of attention he wanted. And yet, no one knew his actual, real personality. Even Alberu Crossman's spy network did not manage to find anything fishy about OG Cale before the transmigration. Nor did the literal undercover assassin by his side... That's how insanely good his acting skills were.
There is little on his personality before, but we see some glimpses. Early on in the series, Ron remembers OG Cale hugging Deruth after Jour's death, in contrast to his later "trashy" behavior (which started when he was eight years old). From this, we can conclude two things: first, OG Cale was compassionate as a child, at least to his own family. Second, his "trashy act" was not how he had always behaved. We have no specific scenes to confirm if he was a sweet kid, or a cheerful kid, or if he used to playful or hyperactive. My own guess that he had always been a bright kid, at least. We will see evidence for OG Cale's intelligence later on, as subtle as it is.
Also quite early on, Eric remembers Cale as his Dongsaeng, and kept writing him letters. When he meets Cale in canon, he thinks that "his hard work was finally paying off". We can conclude two things about this relationship: one, OG Cale tended to ignore Eric. Two, despite mostly ignoring him, he still did not reject his advice outright. So their relationship was at the very least friendly-ish. So OG Cale wasn't "completely awful" to his peers – the ones he respected at least. He was at the VERY least, mildly amicable. Obviously both Neo Tolz and Venion Stan considered Cale a total loser, so he had no friendly relationship with those two.
If I remember correctly, Basen's flashback was mentioned twice, once from his own POV, and once again from his brother's, with more detail. After getting bullied by some relatives of the Henituse family, OG Cale told him to stand proud and declare himself as "Henituse blood ". While Basen doesn't quite understand the reasoning behind it (after all, Cale was 8 and Basen was only 5 at the time), he listens and gradually becomes accepted into the noble social circles as the "apparent heir". So we can conclude two things: OG Cale was observant enough to read a room – both the general vibe and the political sense, which indeed makes him quite clever for his age. And second, and even more important, is the fact that OG Cale was charismatic. It went beyond his acting abilities.
And finally, we get to the part where OG Cale actually speaks himself about the past. He states that "the family wouldn't kick him out no matter how much he acted out". So it was his actual GOAL to get kicked out!! I don't know about you guys, but I suspect OG Cale would have had no problem adjusting and making an honest living if that ever actually happened. Someone with his acting skill and brains? He totally could have changed his name, left the country and live as a commoner. He had "expensive tastes" in clothes in food – or at least he pretended to – but he made do with Kim Rok Soo's life just fine. It really seems to me like he was fully prepared to "throw away the name of Cale Henituse" LONG before the transmigration happened.
I'll quickly go over the implications of his account from the 20-year-long war from the TBOAH timeline; OG Cale survived long enough to live to see the final battle. He was a soldier. He was able to keep KRS's role as a Team Leader without major difficulty. He was a talented fighter, a brilliant strategist, and overall an extremely capable man. Not something you would expect from a dumb kid who spent his entire childhood ignoring his studies and being spoiled rotten by his dad.
So, to quickly sum up all facts about OG Cale:
He was a compassionate kid, at least towards his dad, and we see him still being compassionate and a good dude as adult transmigrated KRS, so that has to be his "real", base personality
He could read the political climate at early age and came up with a clever strategy to elevate his step family's social position
He was brilliant and an incredible actor, able to play with other people's expectations, and knew how to fuel rumors to reach even across borders
He kept his real personality under lock and key so the 5 people he actually liked never suspected how far his acting go, they thought he was lashing out because of his mother's death
He still wasn't a total jerk to his peers even if he ignored Eric's advice
OG Cale had a talent for strategies and fighting despite being "average", like knowing how to miss on purpose and terrorizing gangsters into behaving themselves in the Henituse territory, and becoming a good enough fighter to survive 20 years of war in TBOAH timeline.
Things we absolutely DO NOT KNOW about OG Cale:
His exact childhood personality, or his relationship with his mom. All we know is that they were very close
Whether he ever let his guard down around anyone, or if he acted as trash 24/7 in front of everyone
Whether he actually threw away his studies like everyone assumed, or if he still continued his education in secret
Why exactly he decided that being a spoiled brat wasn't enough and decided to add drinking to it at the age of 15 (maybe becasue it wasn't working and he wanted to be thrown out? That's still only my own speculation though)
Whether OG Cale's immunity to alcohol extended to other poisons as well (but it's a fun headcanon regardless)
Whether he was ACTUALLY unhappy as "trash of the count's family", or if he liked playing his role. Many fans make him out to be this tragic, misunderstood victim, but he might as well has been merely pretending to be unhappy… with all the money and fancy clothes and delicious food and everything. For all we know, he could have been having the time of his life fooling with everybody's expectations – aside from some minor angst over no one realizing the truth. (I've read a couple of fanfics where OG Cale actually has fun acting as an agent of chaos and honestly, I can see that being canon. OG Cale!KRS in the side-story is definitely mischievous, and KRS!Cale loves acting and scamming as well. Still; it's all just speculation with no clear evidence to support it.)
Why he complained about Beacrox's food, there could be plenty of reasons (he could have been jelous of Ron's attention, maybe he did not like Beacrox personally, maybe he just wanted to sell the act more and actually loved the food; who the heck knows)
What rank he had in the army later on (Some people suggest he found an Ancient Power, but I kind of doubt it, while some other fan headcanons make his a Swordmaster, which is NOT impossible seeing as his sister Lily is becoming a very powerful swordsman in canon... but there is no evidence for either. For all we know he could have been a freaking mage lol)
Whether he ever found out about Alberu's identity as a quarter Dark Elf in the TBOAH timeline (we have no idea if he ever got close to know any of Choi Han's allies or even Choi Han himself, he only said he saw him on the battlefield)
I hope this helped!
If i had a nickel for every time a main character was called into a hidden cave that's located in a very dangerous place, through the voice of a dead person, driven by the elements within them, to gain some kind of ancient power that will help them save their land and people, i'd have two nickles...which isn't alot but it's weird that it happened twice!
I always love stories that deal with the guilt and grief after the death of a close one... In both the person themselves and the people around them...Is it a genre? Not really, but I really love it even if it breaks me every time...
sometimes it's self-loathing, from denial till acceptance ...even when it's not your fault you feel like you could have done better.. maybe something would have changed if you weren't careless... But really..how could you have known?
anger, panic and jealousy... Why did it have to be me? One small thing could have changed the course of events!! But then again did you mean for it to happen? No. And that's more of a reason to make you hate yourself.. or is it ?
Sometimes you can't forgive yourself until you see your reflection in someone else's situation, then you'll realize how helpless you actually were, and that maybe..there's no reason to beat yourself over meaningless thoughts that can't change anything anymore...
Just one thing you needed to hear, in the right place at the right time. "It's not your fault". " It's ok to feel at ease now"
Maybe you need to hear it once more "You did everything that you can do, everything that could be done, it's not your fault!"
Honorary mention of THE EdWin moment of breaking the cycle of revenge 😞🤍
Aaaahhh!! They are my free therapy, and the reason i need it at the same time ಥ╭╮ಥ
No chapter this time but I just wanted to share some info and goodies about the series.
The wonderful, wonderful creator Dahong has been getting their comic officially published now!!!
Please follow them on their socials, it’s free and supports the creator even if you can’t speak Korean. They post all of their news/art and occasionally some cat pics. 100/10 worth your time. (@dahongcomic on Instagram and Twitter!!)
If you’re curious:
Volume 1 covers chapters 1-12
Volume 2 covers chapters 13-25
Volume 3 covers chapters 26-40
Volume 4 covers chapters 41-53
Volume 5 covers chapters 54-66
Volume 6 covers chapters 67-78
Volume 7 covers chapters 79-91
Volume 8 covers chapters 92-104
Volume 9 covers chapters 105-119
Volume 10 covers chapters 120-131
As always if you have any reason to want/need to contact me I’m available both here and on discord @ popsyn#1155
Enough words now, enjoy some art and exclusive wallpapers, courtesy of Dahong!