So a few days ago Kakaopage released this small interview with Cale on twitter. And I'm bringing it to you (prepare tissues some of these answers hit hard lemme tell you)

Q1: happy memories vs 1 billion

Cale: Happy memories. I have no choice but to choose this.

Q2: If you were to go to a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

Cale: Ron, Beacrox, Raon. Actually, just Ron is fine.

Q3. Being forgotten by everyone vs losing my memory of everyone

Cale: To be forgotten by everyone. Of course the former. It is possible to be a slacker in seclusion.

Q4: What do you think is your biggest strength?

Cale: Face. I'm handsome, after all.

Headcanon that krs had a reflex of getting in a fight stance when he's surprised. So now, as Cale, he instead activates his ancient powers. Like if he's taking a nap and something startles him, he will subconsciously activate the shield (or maybe throw a rock).

Now imagine this scenario-

Cale was taking a short nap on the couch after a battle took place. Since he was exhausted, he didn't hear Ron, Alberu, Choi Han, Rosalyn and the children entering the tent.

Ignoring the time everyone took to look at the adorable young master's sleeping face, Ron went to wake him up.

And Cale, startled, raised up his right hand, moved further back on the couch, and activated the shield. He himself looked stunned at what he just did.

Then the realisation of horror came and he realised he had pushed Ron off by the shield. Ron just stood there dead in his tracks and his face devoid of any benign smile.

The others looked the same, even the kids had shocked and dull faces. Cale got scared and started apologising frantically to them.

"Cale-nim, was it a nightmare?" Choi Han asked solemnly.

"Huh? No, no it wasn't anything of the sort! It's just a reflex..." Troubled, he decided to just blame the ancient powers.

"Its just something the ancient powers do for sneak attacks."

'yeah, its not my fault'

Cale nodded internally, satisfied by his answer, unaware of the misunderstandings forming.

Now imagine the misunderstandings-

"The young master is so traumatised by the war that he didn't recognise his own friends!"

"The young master can't even sleep in peace! He's always on guard for sneak attacks, even amongst his family..."

"What a terrible fate for someone so kind...he can't even find some peace..."

Many shed tears at how exhausted their young master looked, and how his shoulders slumped down from the responsibilities he carried.

Meanwhile, Cale's shoulder were slumped because of a certain young dragon as he walked lazily across the corridor, unaware of the horrors he would face the coming days.

Therapy session

Cale: I just wanna be a slacker you know? I been through enough shit in my last life I think I deserve some rest. But like bitches keep causing problems and someone’s gotta fix it.

The World Tree: The Gods can be pricks child. I feel sorry for you.

Everyone (watching Cale talk to a tree): ???

I just love how arm went from annihilating Cale Henituse to being content if they're able to trick him, lmao he traumatised them bad😭

Tcf a summary by me

What if Cale had a habit of wandering to high balconies or roof tops and just sitting there whenever he was stressed/sad?

See it this way: Kim Rok Soo had the habit of roaming around destroyed buildings and finding a high spot and just sitting there? Perhaps he liked seeing the horizon. Or maybe he wanted to see how far the destroyed area stretched to. Or maybe he thought of it as his responsibility to look out for anyone injured, who may still be looking for help. Either way, it brought him peace, some sort of serenity and quietness.

So anyways, as Cale, after the conflicts with White Star started, his habit involuntarily reappeared. He would frequently go on roof tops, sometimes a tall tree or just sit upon the balustrade of his balcony. His feet hanging, his heart quiet and his gaze fixated on nothingness.

And now imagine someone, maybe Raon or Ron, catching him sitting on the edge of the balcony with a blank face. Then the panic, the chaos, and maybe Cale lost his footing because of the startling shout, and he fell down before balancing himself mid-air thanks to the wind ap.

Now imagine him trying to explain that it was just on a whim, that he has no intentions of hurting himself, but the children keep on sobbing and his family hang their heads down with despairing eyes, and now Cale feels helpless.

And maybe he feels a pang of guilt, because sometimes, just sometimes, he had a fleeting thought, a nonsensical urge to jump off, not to hurt himself, like he hated pain more than anything, and of course, living was the best, but there was the curiosity to see how it would feel, first the amazement, then the numbness, and finally the quietness of his Records.

It's only a thought, he convinced himself. But that didn't stop his habit, the worrying gazes of his family and their watchful eyes on Cale, and the relentless explanations that would follow, with Cale always failing to convince them that he is fine.

Cale being genuinely kind and wanting what is best for himself and for the people he cherishes as friends, family and loved ones, but I want him to unleash hell on those that are his enemies. Let him hunt them down callously, sending hounds after them for they are not worthy of being a dragon's prey- and let them witness their last moments alive by promising to hand deliver their remains to their families.

In the end, he doesn't even keep that promise of his. They shouldn't have dared to trust him.

I love the idea of Cale getting flirted with and it just absolutely flying over his head. Regardless of whether he's aroace, aro, ace or neither, at his core Cale is OBLIVIOUS to how people view him.

It gets even better if his protective family knows EXACTLY what's going on, and are determined to keep everyone away.

Some visiting noble at a gala spends a few hours chatting him up, and the whole time, Cale thinks they're just trying to use him to get to his friends. Either by making a good impression by being friendly, or he's trying to manipulate Cale into giving away secrets. Jokes on him, Cale would never reveal their secrets and plans so easily, and definitely not for free! Meanwhile, Choi Han, Alberu and Eruhaben are just glaring this man down, and keep interrupting their conversation when they can. Alberu makes sure he isn't invited back.

Some lady tries to trap Cale in a scandal but Roslyn just pops up and demands to know how she could ever even think the Young Master wants her when Roslyn is right there. Cale of course thinks this means the young lady is trying to replace Roslyn as Owner of the Magic Tower, and sends her off before she can get another word in. He worked way too hard to get Roslyn her tower and position, no way is he going to let some random person steal it. The next day rumours float around that Cale will only consider eligible young ladies who are extremely proficient in magic. The Roan Kingdom's number of mages grows exponentially in a few months.

As Cale grows older, more people approach him expressing a desire to "have his children". The first time Cale hears this, he grabs Raon, On and Hong and books it out of there before these kidnappers can make their move. How prepared were they to take the kids if they had the guts to tell him to his face?! The kids aren't allowed out of sight for a week, and enjoy the extra pampering, even as the others hunt down anyone who might consider blatantly propositioning Cale.

Cale gets tired of people approaching him with their weird questions and asks Raon to keep a permanent shield around him so that no one can get too close unless allowed. To the public and many of his family, however, this just looks like Cale is so worried and stressed that he's had to keep his shield up just to have some peace. The people band together to defend their hero, and soon no one approaches Cale unless he approaches them first. Children are given a free pass, but anyone else who tries is quickly intercepted by random passerbys. Cale believes people are nervous, intimidated, or have finally stopped considering him to be a major hero.

One of my favourite brain rotting tcf ideas is Cale having some tremor disorder. Basically, he has hands that randomly tremble without any reason.

It may be genetic to him, or he developed it as Cale because of not eating his meals properly and inevitably developing some vitamin deficiency.

Now comes the best part.

Imagine Cale, perhaps in some really gruesome battle, with blood of enemies and allies mixed around him. Imagine his family seeing Cale's stoic face, wondering how a person so young can be so brave, and then they see his hands shaking under his raven coat, even as they're curled tightly into a fist.

Imagine Cale looking at Jour's portrait, admiring her beauty and her alike face with his own. But then his family sees him, his gaze fixated on his mother's image and his hands trembling slightly.

Imagine him, standing at the forefront of some battle with his shields raised, with his hands trembling uncontrollably, even though he is not straining himself. The people protected under him can only tear up at his selflessness.

Imagine Cale after attacking the enemies with a wave of firebolts, but his hands again started shaking badly, even if he has them covered under his sleeves. His family misunderstands that as Cale hiding his pain.

Imagine Cale, resting on a couch after some battle, and when Raon, On and Hong excitedly climb upon his lap, he only smiles slightly and pats them with his trembling hands. The kids then worriedly inform Ron of this and Cale recieves sweet lemon tea for a whole week.

Imagine Cale talking about territory matters with Alberu, and Alberu is once again amazed by his dongsaeng's witty and almost experienced approaches to problems like war. But then he sees Cale's hands shaking while holding the tea cup, and he realises how absolutely not normal it is to not be nervous in such a situation. (Alberu later pledges to himself to give Cale the slacker life he always wished for.)

Just imagine Cale in any situation with trembling hands and it literally creates the most hilarious misunderstandings with some really wonderful angst.

THE BOBS

The number of times "Bob" is said:

Alberu wins!! As expected of the one and only sun

But Cale loses...

---------------------------------------

+11 in the narration

+20 in the narration

+9 in the narration

+38 in the narration

+31 in the narration

I remember that krs/cale au where he eats whatever and everyone's like NOOOOOOO

Im just imagining him tagging along when they go grocery shopping and stuff (maybe the kids wanted to go to the market w Hans and vicross and Ron)

And I'm imagining that the henituse estate has a few guard dogs or smth so they get treats for them right

And it's the equivalent of the original milk bones

And maybe he's just there waiting w the groceries in the carriage BC he's tired or whatever

And everything else is like raw meats and seasonings and stuff .. leaving only the biscuits

They come back to him like half way thru the box and they're just SCREAMING

SPIT IT OIT THROW IT UP , YOUNG MASTER WHAY THE FUCK , THOSE ARE DOG BISCUITS

and Cale's just covering his mouth, trying to chew faster or smth like how when you find a kid or a dog w smth they're not supposed to have

And they're like HOW COULD YOU EAT THAT

And he's like , they just taste like stale saltine crackers.

I'm thinking about milk bone treats 🥰

This just further solidifies Ron's view of him as a puppy ,,

Is there a fic where krs is brought into Cale's body solely for the purpose of defeating WS and after it's all over, his body starts shutting down or he gets really sick?

I'm just picturing a huge celebration that goes on for a week or smth and Cale trying to hide his symptoms..

The ancient powers are just YELLING at him because there's nothing they can do and he's being so stupid not telling anyone

Cale.. losing the ancient powers one at a time :(

They try to hold on as long as they can to stay with him, but they just.. cease to exist.

The thought of that makes me so sad like

Imagine how lonely it must be if hes had them as company for so long?? And then there's nothing... No bickering, no cheers...

They each just... Have a chat w him before leaving...

Like okay I get that you gotta die or smth for them to leave or be passed on but like , lemme be delusional for a hot sec

Cale... Telling people of their stories... So they wouldn't be forgotten... Or him being the last person who remembers them as who they are because everyone just assumed they were JUST ancient powers ...

They know legends, but they don't know.. them.

Either he dies or them leaving him saves him

Posting here as well BC , I can't stop thinking about it , low-key combo of like that terminally ill one and record ?? I thought I had a post abt it from earlier, but I couldn't find it so

But I really want to write a fic where record has this hidden ability where he could choose to take memories of himself with him, but only if he's dying.

I think Ill write it next because it's been haunting me for like. Two days straight .

But.. just, the vibes of Mr. Forgettable - David kushner ... And he just watches as the world forgets about him. Maybe he becomes invisible to them as he approaches death.

But..

Just think about it.

He loses the people he's acquainted with first. Maybe he visits the whales on his own to check and they just eye him with disgust, their hatred for humans returning to their eyes. They don't welcome him like they used to.

He loses more and more people as he marches towards his death. He's sick, and there's nothing that could save him when his body is literally shutting down. The cry baby can only do so much.

So he does what he does best. Sacrifice himself.

He thinks that stealing away the memories of himself would help them. Shoving the thoughts of him into the deep corners of their mind to be outshined by joyful memories with eachother (without him).

He knows that the day would come where the people he's grown to love would come, too. But it still comes too soon for him.

They don't recognize him anymore.

His name is just on the tip of their tongues, but their minds shove it away, pushing it back into the shadowy corners of their brain to be forgotten.

Cale still sticks around though. No matter how much it hurts him to watch as they forget him, he uses it as some sick way to check that it's working.

One day he approaches the kids while they're out in town, giving them a somber yet warm smile. He only give him wary looks in return.

"do you need something, mister?"

"...no, sorry, I mistook you as someone I knew."

They leave him standing in the street, but not without turning back to look at him. There's a small, fragile part of him that hopes that their eyes would flash with recognition... But they never do.

But like anyways, I'd think it's only temporary, and after he dies, their memories return to them.... they have to deal with the grief of losing him AND knowing how they treated him like a stranger in his last fleeting days.

I'm gonna do it. After I update my stuff , it's happening.

I can't... Not do it... My brain isnt letting this go..

Reasons

“You are no hero Cale Henituse, you have ways to protect yourself and your so-called family from me without facing me. So why?” The White Star looked deep into Cale’s eyes, which gave off some devilish, angered glow. “Why are you trying to kill me yourself, why go so far?”

Cale didn’t react at first, It was their last chat before The White Star would disappear forever. No one would hear them, they were alone. On the one hand, he doesn't think telling him would help in any way shape, or form.

But on the other hand, it would be nice to get it off his chest. That way he could make sure he never has to think about it again.

He opens his mouth and starts talking slowly.

“Because you ruined me.” The words felt disgusting. “You ruined my life before we were even in the same world. You took my family and friends away from me.” Cale remembers. He remembers how one foolish and evil man’s curse has affected his life. How many of his loved ones it had taken away from him. “One by one. Until I had nobody, no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I’ve done. I was always alone.” He could see that The White Star couldn’t understand him, but it didn’t matter. He had no reason to explain anything more to the man in front of him.

“You did this to me, all of it..”

you ever think about how cale's love language is to praise? and you might be thinking that's insane bc it's so unlike him and IT IS !! bc he seems like such an emotionally constipated person that would never be able to admit how much he cares for a person except to show it through his actions but ...

rereading parts of the novel and noting everytime he calls out to a specific character, — which i personally think is another love language of his, exclusive and specific attention, — and tells them "good job, you did well, you did great, well done."

because maybe that's how he received love the most as kim roksoo, maybe its because lee soohyuk and choi jungsoo would constantly praise him, and call his name, devote their attention to him, make him feel seen and known, and most important of all, loved.

he parrots these actions unconsciously, because he doesn't understand all too well what it means to love; or perhaps he's scared of loving and losing again, much like he has many times before in the past. and yet, the only thing that gave him solace was being acknowledged that no matter what, he did well. he is strong. he is free.

and what he wants more than anything is for his family, his friends, his closest and most treasured people, his loved ones, his home, to know the same.

"Raon, you did well. Ohn, Hong, you did well."

"Choi Han, good job. Your highness, you shine brightest."

"Ron, Beacrox, Hilsman, —"

"Mary, you are strong and mighty!"

"Cale, you did well." Maybe Eruhaben would tell him, and maybe, he'd smile in the comfort emanating from those words.