Caleb always loves you, no
matter how you are with him.
Cws: (Pseudo—up to interpretation)-Incest, Explicit Content
When you’re a complete and utter brat, you're the cutest thing on the planet. Treating him like he’s your gopher and not the guy who loved to cook breakfast every morning you woke up together. He teases you that you owe him, of course, but answers your impossible demands without question. Look at the most expensive piece of jewelry in the store and demand he get it for you? "Like I'd do that, you brat," he scoffs with an astounded laugh. Yet in the next few days, you find it neatly sorted next to your other expensive trinkets. People wonder, how is he so forgiving to such a brat? Why does he tolerate it? It never bothered him one bit. Bad? That look in your bossy eyes is perfect. Besides, you’re real cute when you're clawing at his back at night, complaining he's too big, too rough, too slow, too deep, too shallow. The sounds you make when he fucks you are so sweet, it's all he needs to wanna spoil his adorable brat rotten. He can never win with you, yet he never quite feels like he's losing.
You're adorable when you tell him he's the best brother in the world. When you absolutely love everything he does and cling to him like a koala. All he wants to hear is you tell him how much you love him, how no one can ever compare to him. He'll carry you around and treat you like royalty, if you ask with those sweet eyes and look at him like he's your whole world. He loves the sparkle of pride in your eye when you say he’s the best, the way you light up the second he walks in the room after an extended absence. It's even cuter when you call him mean and terrible while he's teasing you. "But you said I was the kindest brother yesterday. Was that a lie?" And he's three fingers deep, agonizingly slow and refusing to give you more because you're stupidly cute when you beg for him.
You're adorable when you're shy. He remembers when you used to hide behind him whenever people came up to introduce themselves. He’s grown used to being the one to introduce you both over the years. He never minds nowadays doing the calling, ordering food, being the one to speak up if someone glossed over you. He'll make sure you have a voice, or be your voice. He always loved when you relied on him. Being your anchor is everything he could ask for. It's even better when you try to hide away your face when he's on top of you, cheeks warm and cutely flustered. He coaxes you to look at him while he's buried so deep, gazing into your eyes lovingly, and kisses your shaking lips.
You're adorable when you're chatty and vibrant. He loves seeing you social and in your element. Stands proud behind you when you're even quicker to stand up for yourself or him than he is. That's his pipsqueak. Lighting up the room everywhere you go, he couldn't be prouder. People compare you both, saying how you both light up a room and are so personable. Caleb never gets sick of hearing how you two are alike, revels in knowing people associate you positively together. And at the end of the day when the energy's died down, the one you go home with is him. He loves when you jump into his arms, craving his affection after a long, social outing. And you fall under the sheets, wrapping your thighs around him while he's working off your shirt. Everyone gets your smile and attention, but he’s the only one who gets to see you melt into pleasure.
You're adorable when you're dominant too. When you climb on top of him and decide to take charge, yank his collar and look down at him. You're so sexy, how could he do anything but follow your commands this time? You're the only one who can drag this needy, greedy side out of him where he's happily begging for you. Happily works his mouth on you because you sit on the bed and tell him to get on his knees before you. He'd kiss your thighs while you decide he's only good enough for your foot, and whimper while you work it against his erection. The second you tell him to be a good boy and sit there, his brain malfunctions. The way he wants to follow your instructions feels foggy, trance-like, and he becomes total putty for vou.
No matter what you do, how you act, you'll always be the cutest damn thing on the planet to him. And he wouldn't change you for the world.
Dark Caleb is such a fascinating concept to me as someone who tends to prefer canon personality iteration above all else.
Canon things we do know is his morals are obviously not dependent on what is socially acceptable, but rather, whatever the hell he and MC want. Case in point, he has no qualms kissing MC (15/18) in Imperial Thronesong. He and MC with an established push and pull fighting dynamic, ergo him forcefully kissing an angry MC biting his lip. Oh. And blood siblings. But we knew that.
Because sometimes dark premises feel so close yet just slightly off to me. And it’s a teeter between ‘there is a world this could happen’ and ‘Caleb simply would never because he cares about MC above all else’.
Which yes, canon wise is true. He has lines like “No one is allowed to hurt you — not even me.” And as forceful as he is in main-story, it’s always under the guise of protection. He will hold you down with gravity to clean you wounds. He will pin you down to tell you how he wants to protect you and hide you away safely forever.
Anyway for a dark Caleb as adjacent to canon as possible, you basically have to adjust one thing. Which is: He puts his desires above your own. Yet it can be hard because his entire character IS putting you first. It’s a fundamental clash of who he is, but it’s so close it can be very possible.
And you can have his exact same flavor of canon otherwise. He snaps in bed. Apologizes every second. Soothes. Murmurs how he knows but doesn’t stop. The guilt eats him alive. And after, he takes care of you as always. Warm bath. Breakfast. Apologies. Loves you fiercely. And you can extend this to anything you’d like in scenarios, locking one up, yandere, far more. Because these desires already exist in him. I personally imagine it as guilt combined with how he loves every part of you so much — even when you cry. I have this opinion anyway for canon Caleb but in a pleasure context — dark Caleb would just apply to any hurt he causes too. It’s also worth nothing some of the ‘darkest’ themes you can explore for Caleb, canon Caleb would fold for and do under one condition… MC initiates.
I struggle with dark Caleb because in theory I really do like his concept. And I understand why he’s the one utilized, he is prime material for it. Yet it requires flipping a core part of him, which can be hard to read as ‘him’. I think what it takes for me personally is I need to see his love is genuine and he cares about your needs too — not just what he decides you need. It can’t be “I know you need me to feel better” but rather “I know I’m being selfish and I’m so sorry, I just can’t stop. Just let me be selfish a little more. And I’ll take such good care of you after, you can hit and scratch me all you want. I’ll never stop taking care of you.”
This is to say of course, he can be written gratuitously and not ‘in character’ as it is the point! I just wanted to ramble my thoughts as someone who is like hella canon stickler but still likes the concept, when usually I don’t care for these concepts when it feels ooc for any character.
Only the ranked fits having marks is MESSED UP but…
Sylus’ scratch marks on his back plus the plethora of kisses and hickeys… mc was not shy…
And bites and hickeys on Xavier’s neck especially, I get a feeling that was specifically targeted to his sensitive neck. Also considering he used to shoo MC away from his neck in starter cards, I find it quite sweet even sensitive he’s willing for MC to touch it now.
MC was sweet to Rafayel, no bites, his kiss marks just go low, V line and below where his outfit ends 🤭
Zayne with a bite on his collarbone and kisses on his neck, deserved, Dr. “Say My Name”… <3
Caleb looks like he sports more hickeys than kisses lol, not too off from Indulgent Scheme. Chest and abdomen marks, plus a bite to his shoulder.
I’d really love the opportunity to hear / see MC putting marks on them, they already sound so pretty in the previews.
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I’ve been in the trenches commenting on Twitter and posting on XHS for Valko (+ a bit of Weibo) 😭 this is the stupidest goddamn decision ever omfg I sincerely hope they’re just waiting until after anime expo and release him. I’m pretty sure this is my last straw after the colorism racism and queerphobia I’ve laid witness to with lads devs and fandom for years and going completely unheard at best, ridiculed at most.
Anyway idk I’m in love too much with my boys to quit completely probably,,, but I’ll become f2p bc I cannot care anymore. This coming from a Caleb completionist + loved him the second I met him as a pre-registered day 1 lads player btw ;w;
“I like prey that fights tooth and nail ‘till the end.”
Rough sex with Valko, clawing and wrestling into bed where you both end up with bites and scratches. Squirming and clawing while he pounds deep, and if you manage to escape he’ll chase you down predator prey style gleefully only to pin you face down and go at it harder. He has the time of his life sparring into bed with you. Every single time is feral, and you both walk out looking like you were busy fighting monsters instead of each other.
A chat on Caleb and MC’s gege/meimei, found family, and (not exactly) pseudo-incest.
Hi! I’m insane, a Caleb addict, and here to ramble about why I personally think “my baby sister” hits hard in a good way. This will be a dive into their gege/meimei dynamic, why Caleb differs quite a bit from traditional pseudo-cest kink or trope in otome, and why many find it appealing outside of that!
Note: This was written before his card dropped. I think this holds very true for their canon relationship still, so I want to keep it up as an explanation of if it was potentially translated to English! But this AU is blatant incest. I think this AU expands on the possibilities for CalebMC, how deep their devotion to one another run, and will descend into sin no matter their circumstances that always keep them apart.
This explanation will focus on their original relationship in Chinese, utilizing gege/meimei. I’m an English speaker who has read and compared translated Simplified Chinese Caleb cards to their English counterparts to understand their relationship as best I can via my own interpretation.
‘Gege’ and ‘meimei’ is not as simple as the direct translation to “elder brother/younger sister” when it comes to Caleb and MC. Even in direct usage, it can refer to family and social dynamics with loved ones, partners, friends, and sometimes even as a means of respect.
Caleb and MC are not merely adoptive siblings and nothing more. They were raised together, yes, and they were told to be family. But there is not a single card where Caleb exclusively sees MC as a sibling and vice versa.
Think of ‘gege’ not as brother, but as an intrinsic role. When Josephine took in Caleb and MC, they were told they would be family. Caleb, especially considering their shared past and how he’s had to reintroduce himself to an amnesiac MC, immediately takes on a protective caretaker role. If they’re to be family, he’ll deem himself MC’s gege. A role that implies he’s there to guide, to protect, to take care of her. This is a role that’s a core identity to him — it’s as natural as breathing air. (I adore the affinity quote; “I’m meant to take care of you, forever.” It explains his feelings very well.)
He clings to this. Because it gives him a purpose, a reason to always return no matter how far he flies, and it’s a role that binds MC to him forever. But familial? While he plays the role of a good gege, someone who will always be there for and protect MC, his feelings are far more complicated. It’s shown even from Yearly Nostalgia — a card 7 years in the past — that MC was enamored as well for a long time. The way they treat and view each other is far from sibling-like, so it’s incorrect to say they saw each other as regular siblings beyond childhood.
Friction arose at their reunion when MC would push Caleb away by saying she doesn’t need his protection or coddling. And yet when he asked if she doesn’t need a gege, what role does he have in her life, she’d back down. Simultaneously, MC would use their gege/meimei relationship against him to push him away or test him — such as her “you shouldn’t be like this, you’re clearly my gege, my most important family…” (as opposed to “you can’t just… you’re very important to me. And no one could ever replace you.”) in main story during his final monologue before he snaps. To which his response was MC’s biggest mistake was thinking he’d always play the role of the good gege, and he quit playing this pretend family game a long time ago.
The reason I summarize and highlight this is to explain the depth is not “I’m your brother, but I want to be more.” Rather, “this is what I am to you, it’s my role and my purpose. But I feel more. I have for a long time, you have too, and if you tell me you don’t want me to take care of you as your gege, will you let me be more? Don’t push me away with the very thing that keeps me closest to you.”
Likewise, for MC, gege is safety. Even if she gets irritated with Caleb’s overprotectiveness and wants his trust and to be relied on, she’ll immediately retreat to use ‘gege’ when he pushes too hard, because it’s safe. Comfortable. If he’s her gege, he’s always in her life. Friends can die off. Boyfriends and girlfriends can break up. But your gege — your family is for life, someone bound to her forever. And breaking this found family, taking that risk, is terrifying. No matter how much she’s clearly been enamored for years and years, crossing the line means if it all goes south… can they ever go back? Would he not be in her life anymore?
Even after revealing his feelings in main story, Caleb always pulled back. He never crossed the line MC drew between them. Every near-kiss, he never pushed when MC pulled away. Every milestone was MC making the first move, explicitly or implicitly. He’s patient, and wants to be sure it’s not just him who wants this. Their relationship is about their deeply woven dynamic growing and evolving into something new despite MC’s fear and Caleb’s patience.
Caleb at this stage in canon is very much ‘boyfriend’ and not just ‘gege’ anymore. While he’ll always take on more of a playful, caretaking role, he’s working on relying on MC more, being honest, and letting her stand beside him.
“My baby sister.”
The word choice was very deliberate, and the best they could’ve chosen. Usually, you will see meimei translated as “little sister” or “younger sister”. If Caleb called MC little sister, it would equally cause a shock for English speakers! But it’s ‘safer’.
Little sister is a role. What you are. There’s nothing more to the term than an explanation of your relationship to someone else. If Caleb calls you little sister — while that can be appealing in its own right, it says nothing other than you have a familial dynamic.
“My baby sister”, however, carries a lot more weight. When the term is used for someone who isn’t a child, it’s a term of endearment. It caries the implication that they’ll always be your baby, someone to protect, someone to take care of. They’ll always be precious and cherished. Sometimes it’s used in a purely positive or coddling context. It can also be used in a teasing, condescending way. From lighthearted, to genuinely not seeing them as an equal; as younger and lesser. I personally sense a slight air of teasing from Caleb the same way he often teases MC in canon, but laced with deep love and care (especially paired with the kiss on the head). Along with that air of possessiveness. In terms of their canon gege/meimei relationship, doesn’t this convey the same theme best? One that focuses on what MC means to him, what he is to MC by proxy? How MC is his to take care of and treasure?
Caleb and (not exactly) pseudo-cest.
Now, what you typically find in incest-adjacent tropes are appeal of the forbidden. It’s the taboo, the angst + how complicated it is, the risk of getting caught, and sometimes simply the weight of “brother” and “sister”. Think: ‘siblings aren’t supposed to do this’, ‘this is so wrong but feels so right’, ‘what if someone catches us?’ The consequences are equally external. Public backlash, being shunned, judged, even disowned!
Caleb has almost none of that with MC. No one tells MC and Caleb they can’t be together. There’s never any external consequence or judgement. They fake date openly in college. There’s no hiding or sneaking around… all of their conflict is purely internal, self-imposed roles. The fear of changing a relationship not as friends — but as found family. The person who can’t continue the role he confined himself to first, but knows he ‘selfishly’ wants too much. And the person who is so used to him being a constant in their life, the thought of anything risking that is unfathomable. What if they try and it doesn’t work out? Does their found family fall apart? That’s far worse than never trying at all.
The appeal of meimei or baby sister comes from a lot of things not strictly traditional pseudo-cest. Such as being this person for Caleb to take care of, the precious person in his life he loves unconditionally without question, always. It’s his purpose and you’re his reason. Those roles make it clear and lasting outside of a romantic context. It hits deeper than merely a caretaking boyfriend because gege or brother implies permanence no matter what. When coined with Caleb , it doesn’t inherently mean “we’re related.” It means, from Caleb, “you will always be mine in this way, and mine to care for.”
This isn’t to say there isn’t an appeal to the taboo as well. While there isn’t inherent typical taboo in their dynamic, it certainly can cause a stir of feelings being called “meimei” or “baby sister” (or any language equivalent) that feels “wrong” yet is a guilty pleasure anyway. Especially for primarily English speakers, as “brother” and “sister” inherently carry that taboo since we do not utilize it outside of familial relations.
Originally, I honestly did feel a bit of guilt around enjoying any sibling-coded terms from Caleb. While it was easy to accept gege/meimei as I read more, baby sister hit me with a metal bat. Immediate disbelief, followed by a thrill that made my brain short-circuit. But it’s not the concept of pseudo-cest as is. The thought of Zayne or Sylus, two other characters also with a more “caretaking” dynamic (especially take Sylus’ Catch-22,) as “brother”, is unappealing to me. As is Luke from Tears of Themis, who Caleb strongly resembles. Only Caleb holds this spot.
It’s not because I literally see him as a brother or like the concept of legally being related. But gege or brother is just the best term to describe the complicated relationship he holds, and the way you’re irreplaceable to him. It’s an aspect that’s just a part of Caleb’s story, that enhances the complexity in a way childhood friends just doesn’t encompass.
On a finishing note, enjoy what you like! If you like being called baby sister by Caleb because you enjoy -cest dynamics in general, go for it, I’m not here to judge! But I wanted to focus on what separates Caleb from those tropes, and not let him be reduced to exclusively “adoptive brother” and nothing more. Caleb’s relationship with MC is complex, as is the reason many love him! And to hate on the quote, and especially on anyone who enjoys the phrase, honestly, feels a little unfair when it’s an intrinsic part of his character! While it’s certainly a jump from English translating everything into “childhood friend”, I hope unsure fans will give this Caleb a chance in this new banner! :D [Edit: Now untrue. I would say this card is worth exploring if you’re open to themes of incest! But might be better avoided if blood incest is really upsetting.]
Extra edit: I would change this last part to say that I think using baby sister in a more canon-esque relationship iteration would hit the same as described. Though in this circumstance, it’s a dirtier, more possessive, blatant taboo they play on. Which is valid whether people like, wanna give it a shot, or dislike it!
Idk I have some cool but wayyy older Caleb fics here and on ao3! This AU might make me write a new one…
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