lethe here, trying to quarantine my lads brainrot to this corner. ask box open if you want to pick apart my brain
ao3
series:
again, revolution [calebmc, somno, daa caleb in old days]
part 1
hydrargyrum [jiejie/didi role reversal au]
part 1 | part 2
extra 1: somnophilia + dry humping [link]
extra 2: jiejie goes out drinking without caleb, who isn't too happy when she comes home drunk. (i.e. caleb's had enough of being seen as only her younger brother). [link]
annihilation: the consequence of collision [nier automata au]
androids fucking. need i say more. [link]
pacific rim au
the first drift together [link]
the aftermath of drift (i.e. drift hangover) [link]
———
ficlets
sfw:
hanahaki au [link]
hotarubi no mori e au [link]
spoiled kitty cat hybrid mc & dog hybrid caleb, while the owner is away [link]
caleb purposely letting mc get into trouble so that she can learn her lesson and always rely on him. in short, he's a manipulative freak [link]
jiejie/meimei au (f!caleb) [link]
nsfw or suggestive:
that one thought about how caleb likes thigh highs way more than he should [link]
lactation kink where caleb gets his chest sucked, i'm sick i know [link]
mc gets kitty-fied by the cats at meow's cafe. caleb teases her (i.e. feels her up because he's a pervert) [link]
bathroom sex at a wedding [link]
perses + caleb (3p) [link]
catch-22 brothel au [link]
———
post-mortem thoughts on the various cards
clearwind glide (unfinished,,, i'll come back to this one day) [link]
other lis
rafmc: merman rafayel being kept in a bathtub [link]
random thoughts on world underneath: crease (SPOILERS)
just some thoughts i had while reading crease like a madman and overanalyzing like 50 things at once. quite long, so brace yourselves.
part 1. The Daily Circle
the fact that gideon is always trying to clout farm on their version of social media for the DAA is fucking hilarious
i like how this story touches on caleb's cooking skills LOL. and that he did cook for patrick when asked—they're all friends, and it's cute to see this.
the fact that people were just lining up at their doors begging for scraps because they smelled caleb's cooking 😭 dude... caleb you are a danger to the social order
gideon is so quick to be like "okay follow me guys!!" then closing the door on them... and then gnawing the chicken wing that caleb cooked clean... have i mentioned how funny he is... he's so,,, loser guy trying his best but failing every time for me. like tom in tom & jerry to me lol
basically of the trio, gideon is the dumbass, patrick is the voice of reason, caleb is the nonchalant guy that is supposed to be hot but is actually a very deeply disturbed siscon (who's hot). also i bet patrick and caleb like watching the one-man show that is gideon,,, patrick is there to offer advice, but caleb is just there to watch him fall on his face and point and laugh
WHICH EXPLAINS their interactions on the moments post so much. caleb just bullying the hell out of this poor dude. but i mean... he just makes it SO easy... oh gideon you poor schmuck
the fact that caleb uses his dormmates as guinea pigs is just! very good!! presumably to make everything more palatable for meimei too LOL
"do you want the clicks or the credit" and gideon doesn't even hesitate — caleb chuckling at gideon too, this fucker
caleb being so famous in the DAA too like he moves a hand and the world shifts (exaggerating but you get what i mean). gideon playing catchup and trying to get some kind of credit only to be ignored,,, and then get pulled into a guy talking about "us single guys" HAHA
people having the misconception (well, somewhat, i'm sure caleb does mean well too) and caleb just bluntly going "actually i'm mostly thinking about my mei"
gideon is SO online it's crazy. he rlly needs to touch grass
gideon hurling a pillow at caleb only for it to get smacked in turn. caleb being so quiet the entire time the drama is playing out too—i kind of appreciate that, makes it seem like he's really comfortable around the guys.
AND HE GAVE THAT SWORDWIELDINGSCHOLAR GUY A LIKE which both reasserts the importance of his meimei in his life + snubs gideon for how single he is...
the fact that patrick has to fix up gideon's uniform like this guy is SO scatterbrained it's crazy.
no wrinkle on caleb's clothes—calls into mind the title of this WU story, "crease". so when did that crease happen? likely with the explosion -> changed the trajectory of his life, and once creased cannot be un-creased.
i think what's rlly interesting about caleb's character here is how... mmm passive he is? like he's content to just sit there and let things happen and direct things when he needs to but puts no more effort than is needed. very efficient.
again this has confirmed caleb as a very nonchalant guy to me. that's how i'm going to think of him from now on, just a guy without any chalance. not in any rush to get anywhere, always put together. makes it seem like he's really "above it all" doesn't it,,, and then you put him next to mc and then he turns into a fucking mess, that's actually so funny
he's actually quite different in how he acts around gideon & patrick vs mc — which i mean, duh, but it's a lot deeper than that. and the way that he's portrayed in the cards too seem a little more peppy than here, maybe bc he's always seen through mc's eyes, with her next to him.
part 2. DAA heartthrob
ah having gideon POV adds so much flavour to everything, because he's so close to caleb and yet sometimes has no idea what the guy is thinking
DAA being composed of the cream of the crop from aerospace academy—and caleb being even above that. very impressive.
"each person believes they're the bird that can fly the farthest", and i wonder if caleb ever thought about how he could fly the farthest or whether he was just concerned with being able to fly away at all. he doesn't seem like a guy with innate ambition to me, moreso ambition due to circumstance
PG model — he just rlly likes mechas and gundams and all these things huh. the complexity too, he's kind of insane. got a lot of time and patience (and money) on his hand.
i think it's funny that caleb isn't like, the "post everything to ig" kinda guy. instead he's the hobbyist just chilling in his own corner ignoring other people. also i feel like he *knew* he was going to piss off that person by just going "minor issue" but did it anyways. and then to just go "thanks for the threat bump" 😭 mc come get your brother he's kind of a bully??? an internet troll??????? not like in the obvious ragebait one but just by virtue of not giving a fuck
gideon starts crowing to the moon about caleb's achievements as they're his own haha
also the way DAA heartthrob was localized was really funny to me. i don't mind it actually, it’s logical given how they came up with 署草
gideon being the clown character to relieve tension, it just makes sense. 3 things to initiate into DAA: download daily circle for addition, ask about the DAA heartthrob, then hear everyone shit on that crisis guy LOL
caleb touching his necklace too,,, "i need to go home this weekend so of course i can hold up" — HE'S SO HINGED UPON MC, so many of his decisions surround how it'll affect her,,,,
the ending adding just angst on top of everything is... sigh.
part 3. assessment guide
once again, gideon clout farming.
this Charwood instructor is funny af tho if the pink shirt rumour is true
caleb getting a perfect score when getting above 90 is a miracle by itself just makes SENSE
caleb painting his model, once again giving no fucks, while gideon is out here doing his one man show lmfao
then caleb just going and dropping all the exam study guides + the way he went about taking apart the exams — figuring out grading preferences + how to offer the most appealing solutions,,, it's so him. because he reads people so well, it's what he does
the instructor not even being angry over the whole thing tells you everything you need to know— "this boy, no one understands the DAA more clearly!" CALEB REALLY CHARMED THE PANTS OFF OF THIS GUY
overall, funny little short bit. caleb having a manipulative, shrewd personality—reminds me a lot of perses, actually. which i mean,,, cut from the same cloth. politiicans
part 4. drifting away
post-expolosion + post-caleb getting made as colonel
VERY interesting the difference in how DAA vs Fleet operates
The Fleet has no scruples bascially and aim to achieve their own goals, whereas DAA is dedicated to protecting those on the ground while trying to keep their hands clean, so to speak. to have dignity, ethics, etc.
the philosophies that are brought up, the oath they bring up "Face Deepspace with reverence, look back at Earth with the responsibility to protect, and hold reverence for the universe." — reminds me of DAA Caleb vs Colonel Caleb, in how he treats both mc + the people around him
also, the DAA promoting "openness and freedom" vs the Fleet's way of doing things,,, ah, it really is a tragedy where caleb ended up
the last guy's reply: "He has no reverence for Deepspace and no attachment to Earth." — well. i think no longer, probably. caleb's set on his goals and he's never particularly cared about staying on "earth". he just wants survival and safety above all else. this guy's living like he's still caught in explosion
which makes it ironic, the newcomer's comments about how one of them was inspired to join the DAA instead of the Fleet when given the choice.
Caleb turning donw unnecessary social gatherings to go eat dinner at home, i'm 😭 this guy actually did not have a life outside of mc that's fucking crazy, whenever he's got free time he's going around chasing his meimei's skirts like a loyal dog with his wagging tail. patrick and gideon should bully him for being a siscon more
caleb with his flying though... the top of the top, being so skilled that his test flights were something to be watched like it's a big event
both patrick and caleb became instructors!! that's very cute.
patrick reminiscing a bit, wistful yet hopeful — "if he were still here"
gideon's reply to patrick, "if that guy was still here, would [you/we] still be waiting until now"—i think what he's trying to get at with patrick is that,,, there's no need to wait for caleb anymore. "if he were still here—but he's not here anymore, and he won't come back. i'm not too 100% sure how to interpret this line (both the en/cn confuse me) but i get the sense that (given what comes next), it's about acceptance of what's come to pass and relinquishing grief. understanding that they've already set on different paths
at this point i'm assuming patrick knows (hence the "made peace with it" comment)
AND. what i find particularly interesting is gideon's read on caleb — it's very accurate and true to character, given what we know of caleb's "true" nature. not that what he's put on is "entirely" false, but that there's more to the story. and it's only been exacerbated with him taking on the mantle of colonel and acting as though he's at ever's bidding—despite his authority, helpless despite it all
in painful signal, when gideon and caleb were talking, you could already get the sense that caleb was putting on a front while with gideon for mc's sake, bc as soon as she left, their voice changed and the way they spoke to each other changed. much more serious, no joking around now.
"It's as if their previous friendliness and laughter in front of her had been an act of reassurance." and that's what caleb wanted to be for mc, to reassure her that he was still the same, he was still that caleb, the caleb who was loved so wholeheartedly by his sister.
"Caleb still looked the same, yet he somehow felt like a stranger to Gideon." — ahhh,,, and this was how mc felt too! that the caleb who came back looks like caleb, but felt like an entirely different beast. i mean later on she accepted it for what it is, recognizing that despite everything, the love was still there and he was still her caleb, her gege, her support, her most loved person, and beyond even that. but still, in the beginning it was like this. caleb, a stranger wearing her brother's face.
"He had so many words bottled up that he wanted to express, but when the train passed by the sunset, shadows fell on Caleb. In the end, Gideon couldn't say anything." — sunset, shadows, i like this
also remembering that in painful signal, caleb got onto that train to contain the energy fluctuation from the protocore that would have caused mass casualty otherwise
"Gideon has taken one step out of the auditorium, and sunlight falls on him." — it's a new day, and sunlight falls over gideon but maybe not caleb and gideon has to just accept that this is the way thing is.
after all, "the fact that he walked this far with us is the real surprise." — because caleb was always destined for more, perhaps, or because he has goals and dreams other than what the DAA is looking for/can offer him. because caleb does what needs to get done, even before he joined the fleet.
part 5. different horizons
the legacy of the DAA heartthrob lives on haha oh my god they're copying the poses of the models that caleb used to build and post noto the daily circle
once again, gideon diffusing tension using humour. thank you for your clown ways, gideon, we appreciate you. (he's just like me fr)
"At the entrance of the Deepspace Tunnel, the DAA's patrol briefly crosses paths with the Farspace Fleet as they glide through their respective airspaces." — the ephemeral nature of this interaction makes me sad.. i mean of course i don't expect different, but i imagine for someone like gideon, with all these fond memories of caleb, it must be a bitter pill to swallow
"Gideon navigates with his trainer aircraft, his gaze fixed on the warship at the front of the Farspace Fleet where the newly appointed Colonel is." — everything is so different now... newly appointed colonel... and also rn DAA and FF have a bit of a conflict going on too
the three of them used to be so inseparable, such close friends. and now, caleb has been swallowed by the shadows, and pushing forward toward the unknown.
"Now, DAA carries research data toward Earth while the Farspace Fleet pushes deeper into the unknown regions of the Deepspace Tunnel." — and that's one of the differences between DAA caleb vs Colonel caleb isn't it. the attachment to earth. the abidance to the oath to protect and revere. only for caleb it's never been about the "earth" or "other people" it's always been about mc first and foremost, and he's carrying on now, leaving everything else behind in search of a way to protect the person he loves most.
"They pass each other and go their separate ways." — and that's the end of it. brushing past and leaving each other behind.
you know, caleb is able to lay down these parts of his past so easily,,, and then i think about how he can't do the same with mc. rip sorry gideon and patrick it's sister before misters
something interesting of note i remember from previous memories:
in lucid dream, "The profile reveals that Caleb graduated from DAA Aerospace Academy and participated in secret training during his third year. He achieved outstanding results."
and then in serpent's cast, "Recently, Skyhaven offered an extremely challenging assessment that was designed by the Deepspace Aviation Administration. Even professional Deepspace Pilots reportedly struggled with it. Yet a third-year student somehow managed to break the all-time record."
in response to gideon telling caleb about how they're still mourning him, not cleaning out his locker, putting a new uniform with his medals in the honorable pilot's wall, caleb says, "You don't need to torture yourselves. To the DAA, I'm just a—"
then he stops himself.
definitely more to DAA than meets the eye. and maybe DAA's ties to FF is deeper than it seems on the surface — you have the upstanding righteous pilots like gideon/patrick, but maybe ther'es also some secrets happening with the more talented recruits like caleb
>>> also from what little i’ve seen of the DAA group, there’s a sense of camaraderie and trust, vs the cutthroat ruthless environment of the fleet that borderlines cruelty (past that, actually) in how it treats its people. utilitarian, disposable tools.
^i wrote this while musing on what this WU story could potentially include, and i stand by it. i think it makes a nice contrast to the previous story with yvette/liam (and to an extent, viper), in how the fleet does things vs how those of the DAA do things.
ah, what do i think overall... it was an interesting outlook on caleb from the intimate perspective of an outsider, as paradoxical as it sounds. because gideon was so close to caleb, he can read caleb well—and yet he's never known *truly* all there is to know about caleb. whatever he's revealed to gideon and patrick and everyone else is only what he's wanted to reveal. but i think he was happy with them, like how he was happy with mc. there isn't nothing there, the memories meant something.
but now it's time to let them go. caleb has someone he needs to protect, and he's willing to go to any lengths to see her safe. including subjecting himself to the fleet, and all its cruelties. there's a sense of finality to this parting, and maybe it's more closure for gideon and patrick than it is for caleb. after all, caleb has always been so aware of what needs to be done and how to go about seeing it done.
overall, pretty interesting. i do like the elaboration on DAA days and the legacy that caleb's left behind (as though he's truly "dead"). also you can see the progression in mood too, from carefree DAA days to current day, where gideon and patrick's path diverges from caleb's so completely, they only brush past each other without turning back. i would have liked perhaps more insight into caleb's inner thoughts, but given it's not his pov, maybe that's asking for the sun lol
edit:
ALSO PATRICK CALLED GIDEON AS 飞 IN CHINESE that’s such a cute nickname 😭😭😭
just some random musings on the card in a play-by-play commentary sort of way. i'll edit this post as i go along. might summarize thoughts in another post later, but for now, there's only inane rambling:
ah, the remembrance in seeing this... the logistics behind restoring everything to the way it was exactly is just. insane. boy really did go all out to make sure that everything was exactly as it was
i know they just reused the same image in-game but just the mere fact that he canonically did this is... he's crazy
what shows up in my mind when i see this is the idea that when she was younger, mc would just burst into caleb's room without warning no matter what time of the day it was. and that he would always leave the door open,,, because nothing about him should be off limits to her
but also imagine he's there doing his thing in the shower and she just goes "OK CALEB I'M COMING IN!!"???? LMAO
just a notice that caleb lives minimally. i don't think he's the type to have too much sentimental attachments to stuff. i remember there being dialogue in-game before (cafe interaction maybe?) about how he's good with just a phone and keys when he goes out or smth like that.
likely just cherishes whatever mc gives him + what he can take (photos, hair accessories, etc.). books etc on the shelves. anything else is secondary and there if useful. if not, it's unneeded and just unnecessary clutter. i like to think mc helped with the interior deco—and added a houseplant to boot.
(but what is that easel doing there??? i think old attic also had smth like that?)
also credits to a friend for pointing it out but THE SUNROOF. IS COVERED. EVERYTHING ELSE IS SO SIMILAR BUT THE SUNROOF IS GONE. BECAUSE IT'S A POTENTIAL HAZARD FOR HER, HAVING ALREADY SHATTERED ONCE. so of course they fix it after rain's embrace and caleb is insistent on making sure the entire thing is covered even if it looks off + isn't as aesthetically pleasing. what if the curious little apple who has his heart in her unknowing hands gets injured again when he's not there to save her... overprotective gege at work here.
messier than i expected! thought i do feel like part of this is a game for mc when she comes in
it's hard to convey via just text but the cn dub for this is SO funny, his voice goes ?! while somewhat hurried/mumbling.
also i love how mc has no reaction at all to him being half naked, if he only has a towel on. no mention of it, no change in reaction; probably used to it 💀
and since this mentions post-renovation, this is… set after wayward wonderland? i do love the continuity of caleb’s cards—there’s a linear sort of progression to it that’s hard to find for the other lis (at least to me)
STOP THIS ENTIRE SCENE IS SO GOLD, oh my god?!????
first of all, caleb a little bit jokingly complaining about mc being too busy to see him. his voice going into the sort of playful exaggeration is a nice touch too, like in a “can you believe caleb had to take his vacation alone??” way
second, mc immediately replying back with “then you do my job, thank you very much” implying that he can take over while she lazes around, is just!! very good.
AND THE BOMBSHELL REVEAL THAT CALEB TRIED TO HEM HER UNIFORM PANTS WAY BACK WHEN 😭 HE REALLY IS SINGLE MOM CORE. and the way he’s half bragging about it too, “yeah i was the one who hemmed those, remember? it was so easy."
mc clapping back immediately that they were uneven and making him hesitate is also peak comedy to me. that he made her believe josephine was the one who did it (bonus content of josephine having sewing skills too, my god she's really branched out from experimenting on kids).
"was it really that bad?" making him all self-conscious meanwhile she's hiding her face and laughing to herself... that's so fucking cute, oh my god. she just loves throwing him for a loop, and i'm reaping all the rewards.
the best part being that to me, i feel like he probably did do a good job after all and she just never realized (thinking it was gran), but of course she can’t let him know that and be all smug about it, so she comes up with this to rlly knock him off his pedestal
(in my delusions he’s aware of this after thinking about it past the initial reaction, and plays along after to make her happy. always so indulgent)
