HOLD ON-

tcf spoilers (ch 333+)

re-reading White Star's debut in 333 and what came after, and i am once again reminded of how terrifying he was as an antagonist before he became the fandom's silly little meme

some other bits and foreshadowing i forgot/missed and find interesting

WS is proficient enough as a mage to be able to send messages telepathically

...and he used that skill to pester Cale with one-way messages lmao

WS and Cale both felt a sense of kinship the moment they locked eyes, which they both chalked up to their similarities in abilities and appearance (but it's probably more because of KRS' soul recognizing its original body)

Eruhaben says WS looks 20 (and 200+ chapters later Cale himself says he looks to be in his early 20s. If og!Cale is older than KRS, does that mean it took KRS a few years before he got kicked out of his body by WS and settled into Earth 1? Or is it the time difference between the two worlds?)

WS just affectionately addressing Cale while spouting terrible things

Random TCF Shower Thoughts Time:

do you think Cale would K.O. if he used Instant and Record at the same time?

How bad would Cale's records act up if he was trapped under some rubble somewhere for days during part 2, far from his family?

(longer idea inspired by us questioning Cale's third ability below)

Give me Cale with some sort of Survivor ability. Where Kim Rok Soo lives because he literally can't die. Where whenever he's on the edge of death, when his heart is about to stop, Survivor kicks in and goes above and beyond his limits to keep him from dying, be it by fighting or running away. Where during a battle Cale is fatally injured and his body stills for one second before immediately getting back up, forcing broken bones back into place and wiping blood from his face and gunning it towards the enemy like doom incarnate.

His family is screaming because "gods dammit Cale-nim/Unlucky bastard/Cale-nya/Human/Young Master/Dongsaeng you're bleeding out!!! you've done enough, stop fighting!!!" And something feels so Wrong about this and they don't like it one bit. But they can't place what's wrong until after the battle once they've forced Cale to lay down and realize he hasn't said a word and has been diligently listening to their demands that he rest and let them handle the rest.

His eyes are blank, not like when he uses Record, no it's worse somehow. There's nothing behind his eyes at all-Survivor is active and in control, not Cale. Cale's down for the count, deep deep down somewhere recovering because that attack did more damage than anybody realized and he's not waking up anytime soon.

Give me everyone losing their minds over this with worry and fear because there is Something walking around that looks like their beloved red head, Something that mechanically eats apple pie and drinks lemon tea but doesn't pet the kittens and give them a scammer smile. Give me the kids rambling about their days in his lap. Give me Alberu offering Cale golden plaque after golden plaque. Give me Choi Han quietly whispering to Cale in Korean while he guards him day after day. Give me everyone doing everything they can think of to get his attention and wake him up, only for Survivor to ignore it all.

Survivor is there to ensure Cale's physical wellbeing-to help him survive, not to help him live (because yes there is a difference)

Kris...?

Without eye highlights...

Spoilers for Cales past and a ss of a few paragraphs of chapter 695

Cale hates when people sacrifice themselves. He hates when they push themselves too hard, especially for him.

Because that’s what happened with Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo, isn’t it?

Cale was supposed to die. They sacrificed themselves for him, and he lived, and now he gets visibly upset when people try to do things that are similar.

What does he think about when he sees people work themselves till they faint? It’s stupid. Not just because it’s not healthy, but because it’s sacrificial. He hates martyrs. He hates it when they’re his friends.

Cale has a weird complex, right? Sacrificing himself left and right, fainting, but not allowing anyone else to do the same? Hypocrite, right?

(Chapter 695)

This is weird, isn’t it? This complete lack of awareness is concerning! It’s almost as if he’s oblivious to the fact that he does the same thing all of the time!

To everyone else, yes, this situation with the crown Prince fainting after using all of his mana is a perfect parallel to Cale using his ancient powers too much and going into a coma.

But Cale doesn’t see his actions in the same light! He really isn’t trying to sacrifice himself 90% of the time! The collateral damage (fainting, bleeding, pain) is usually not part of his prediction, and if it is, it’s more than he expected.

His intentions and thoughts are always about keeping his friends safe, and he’s okay with coughing up a bit of blood to do that! Just a bit, maybe enough that it will look scary but it won’t hurt him in the long run and that’s okay.

If he faints? It wasn’t planned, so it’s not really sacrifice. Maybe a little but he’s selfish enough already, it’s the least he can do, honestly.

When Cale puts himself in danger it’s for selfish reasons. Self-declared selfishness, but that’s how he sees it.

Cale doesn’t sacrifice himself. Everything he does is because he chose to! He chose to. If it doesn’t hurt too bad, he doesn’t consider it as doing much at all. The level of pain he experiences in every situation is his way of determining how much he’s ‘accomplished against his will’ (sacrificed).

Not only that but there are circumstances he must be in to even consider it of consequence to other people. If it doesn’t happen while someone’s in danger, it doesn’t really matter, does it? He doesn’t understand why someone would be asking about his well-being. He doesn’t plan to let anything that happens affect his plans, so there’s no reason for them to worry.

If he’s not on a battlefield, all of the effort he puts in?

(ancient powers) (strengthening his friends) (being in pain and pushing through it) (planning and strategizing) (so, so much more)

It doesn’t count. He is familiar with meticulously and extensively optimizing his time, because as KRS, monsters attack indiscriminately. Being prepared and working hard to be strong is nothing when compared to the battle soon to come, therefore, it doesn’t count as “work.” It’s what is expected. It is the basic standard for what is required to survive.

Where everyone sees Cale working nonstop for weeks and months and years, it’s a normal weekend for him. Those days outside of battle don’t count. He worked like that for 15 years, so much stress is easy for him.

But- why doesn’t he recognize that he pushes himself until he faints? There’s a threshold that he passes where he faints, but he still keeps crossing it?

Well, because he’s the protagonist and- often, our only source of information for what happens in this world- narratively, he tends to stay awake and only faints when the battle is coming to a close, or has just closed. If the battle ends, his presence isn’t of vital importance, so it’s fine if he was unconscious for a little bit. Other times it’s involuntary and a result of his body’s terrible condition or outside forces.

He doesn’t recognize his fainting as sacrificial because as long as the battle ends on a good note and he’s still able to think and plan relatively soon after he wakes up, he hasn’t sacrificed much other than time. He also has Vitality of the Heart, which lets him feel rejuvenated after a ‘nap.’

You see, Cale Henituse is interesting. He doesn’t know how to distinguish being selfish and selfless because being selfless is, in itself, an act of selfishness. When Cale (from the perspective of his friends) ruins his health and runs from battle to battle without resting or thinking about his friends concern— it’s pretty selfish of him.

While everyone else considers him selfless, he thinks of himself as doing the “obvious” amount of work and being selfish too. That much work is expected of him, so it isn’t selfless. It’s all for his own gain, because when everything is over, he’ll be the one going away to slack off in a forest. Ha!He’s seven steps ahead of everyone (and on the verge of collapse).

How trashy.

So to answer the question? Cale doesn’t notice his own sacrifices because he feels that:

1) his intentions remain solely selfish, so fainting and coughing up blood is just something he needs to do to get closer towards his goal.

2) anything that occurs outside of battle does not count as sacrifice because it does not affect how his plans will pan out, and everything he does is just a normal amount of work for him.

3) fainting is not on his list of to-dos, it happens without his consent- constantly- and it is very annoying because it’s an unpredictable variable, but thankfully it happens when the battle is almost over/already over so it’s not really fainting. It’s like taking a nap! Involuntarily, but at least it’s sort of convenient.

4) being overly selfless is selfish, and selfish = bad, so Cale is a Bad Person and Complete Trash. Look at Cale, selfishly wanting his friends and his homeland to be safe so that he can retire. Bastard!

So, turns out his inability to realize the irony of his statements is because of the traumatizing 16 years of mental conditioning where pushing himself over the edge is normal and expected, spurred on by his socially isolated past that led to a lack of empathy and emotional awareness, and his two closest friends sacrificing themselves for him after his ability couldn’t predict the situation accurately enough.

Wow, it was the trauma all along…

€<><><><><>o

{>>>O=

^^^ my attempts at fish

Anyway, here is a compilation of my favorite Cale moments :D find it under the cut :3 they’re angsty :v spoilers ofc

Chapter 258 ^

Chapter 259 ^

Chapter 303 ^

Chapter 420 ^

Chapter 560 ^

Chapter 584 ^

Chapter 656 ^

HOW TO START WRITING ORIGINAL FICTION AFTER BEING A FANFIC WRITER

hello hello, it's me again!

i've been a fanfic writer for a long time! i started writing on wattpad when i was about 12 years old and continued writing there for a few years, switching from one fandom to another. but deep down, i really wanted to start writing my own novel, with everything created by me. at first, it was quite challenging, and i had to do lots of research, like everyone else. but eventually, i figured it out, and now i love writing original fiction!

if you're a long-time fanfic writer who's ready to dip their toes into the world of original fiction, you're in the right place. while it can be quite intimidating to move away from the familiar worlds and characters you love, writing original fiction can be an incredibly rewarding experience. here are a few tips to get you started:

start with what you know just because you're writing original fiction doesn't mean you have to start from scratch. draw inspiration from your favorite genres, characters, and settings to create something new and unique.

create your own characters this is your chance to explore new personalities and relationships that won't ever come to life unless you decide to! take the time to really develop your characters and give them distinct voices and motivations. [check this out: build a character (masterpost)]

focus on world-building unlike fanfic, where the world and its rules are already established, in original fiction, you have to build everything from the ground up. take the time to create a rich, detailed world that your readers can get lost in.

embrace the freedom fanfic can be restrictive, as you're bound by the expectations of the fandom. with original fiction, you have the freedom to tell any story you want. take advantage of that freedom and let your imagination run wild. [check this out: free Notion template for writers]

don't be afraid to make mistakes writing original fiction is a learning process, and you're bound to make mistakes along the way. embrace those mistakes as learning opportunities and keep pushing forward. [check this out: useful resources & tips for writers]

i hope this was useful! if you have any questions, feel free to dm me or send an anon message! <3 have a nice day

related posts:

how to start writing original fiction

character development : a collection of resources

DSMP streams divided in months

these don't include every stream (not just cause they're wips) since some don't have a date. meaning those could not be added in these month playlists, but they are in these two. for some others i could try and guess

if you know the right dates, let me know

2020

april

may

june

july - [LORE]

august - [LORE]

september - [LORE]

october - [LORE]

november - [LORE]

december - [LORE]

2021

january - [LORE]

february - [LORE]

march - [LORE]

april - [LORE]

may - [LORE]

june - [LORE]

july - [LORE] (lore playlist doesn't exist yet)

august - [LORE]

september - [LORE]

october - [LORE] (no lore playlist yet)

november - [LORE]

december - [LORE]

2022

january - [LORE]

february - [LORE]

march - [LORE]

april - [LORE]

may - [LORE] (no playlists yet)

june - [LORE]

july - [LORE] (no playlists yet)

august - [LORE]

september - [LORE]

october - [LORE]

november - [LORE]

december - [LORE]

post finale

any stream from the month after the last lore stream, meaning the Syndicate finale in december 2022

right now, the title says 2023, but i know Eret and Sam have briefly joined the server in 2024. the title will change to fit the years, but i have to find them first

and that's it! if you use these playlists or send them to others, can i ask for a reblog so i know people are finding them useful?👉👈

How to write a negative character arc

Here’s the simplest way to break down the building blocks of a negative character arc in your novel!

Here’s the A-Z on negative character arcs

It’s totally possible to pull off a negative character development, for ANY person in your story, whether that’s a side-character, villain, or the protagonist.

Here’s something no one tells you, but it’s actually fundamentally simple.

You can do this with a very easy formula. Typically, a positive arc means that you set out with one main character flaw/issue, which that character overcomes by the end of the story.

So all you need is:

a flaw your character NEEDS to overcome

a goal they WANT to achieve

For a positive arc, they’d succeed at their NEED. Then maybe their WANT as well. For a negative, they simply never fulfil their NEED.

This means they never overcome the flaw they are supposed to face. In fact, they ignore it so confidently, it becomes a PROBLEM. They will never truthfully own up to their mistakes.

This is where you can let it get worse, let it develop into fatal flaw, and let more issues arise from it. As for their WANT? They’ll usually put their external goal above everything else, and dig themselves even deeper into personal disarray, where they won’t recognize themselves any longer.

If you need a hand getting started on your novel, we have 3 coaches at The Plottery who can work with you intensively for 4 month to skill up your writing and help you finish your first draft.

Apply through the [link here] or below!

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Cale, upon feeling the sensation of something like a parents warm hand, immediately deduces that danger must be nearby and that it isn’t to be trusted

That’s super depressing wtf

The Greatest Cale-rony

The irony of how Cale TALKS versus how Cale ACTS

Cale when he scams people: *bright innocent smile and proclamations of pure intent while scheming behind the scenes* Cale when he befriends people: "Don't trust me. I am not a good person." *proceeds to help everyone*

Choi Han

Cale when he wants to avoid getting beaten up: "Oh poor kittens, let me feed you. Come with me, I'll feed you too." Choi Han: "Cale-nin, you really are-!" Cale when he wants Choi Han to trust him: *under the Vow of Death* "I'm trash, you know. I just wanna be a slacker." Choi Han: *watches as Cale saves everyone at the Plaza* "...I'm sorry, what??"

Raon Miru

Cale when he changes the plot so a Dragon doesn't rampage: "You're free now. I won't take care of you." Raon: *follows him around for a week* Cale when he grudgingly accepts his company: "Okay, you can come with me. But just so you know, I am not a good person." *proceeds to raise and spoil him* Raon: "...Human, why are you so weird??"

Alberu Crossman

Cale when he wants to get away from the Crown Prince: "Your highness! It's such an honor to meet you! The shinging sun of our kingdom-!" Alberu: "Why are you talking like this...?" Cale when they form a business partnership: "Here, I'm selling this dead mana to you and no I don't do discounts." Alberu: "...You're not even gonna blackmail me for being part Dark Elf?" Cale: "Why would I when I can legally make money off of you? I'm an opportunist after all!" *proceeds to help the Roan Kingdom numerous times* Alberu: *begins to trust him despite his trust issues* "...Just what is up with this bastard??"

Toonka

Cale when buying the Magic Tower: "Of course I'm willing to destroy it in a year. I am gaining absolutely no profit from this. I just wanted to own a cool tower." Toonka: "Bhuaha, what a good friend!" Cale during the war with the Empire: "You should be careful whom you trust, you know. Don't trust me either." Tooka: *watches as Cale heals his people and sends reinforcements* "Uh... huh??"

Queen Litana

Cale when he wants Litana to give him magic stones: "Payment? Why, of course not! Saving people is just the right thing to do, isn't it? Let's take care of the fire." Litana: "Oh what a humble and generous man!!" Cale when speaking to Adin: "Yeah sure, we are the same. I am very selfish." Litana: *watches as Cale single-handedly saves her Jungle once again* "Excuse me??"

The Sun Twins

Cale to Jack when he wants to use him: "I will help you, after all, I am a good person who helps people." Jack: "A true hero!!" Cale to Hannah when he wants her to trust him: "So I am a double-faced bastard, and revenge is a dish best served brutal and bloody." Hannah: "...You're not so bad?" Cale when he includes them in his plans later: "What are you even talking about? Of course I'm a bad person." *proceeds to overthrow the tyranny of the Empire and the Sun Church* Jack & Hannah: "Young Master Cale... You're not serious are you??"

Basically Every Other First Meeting

Cale, planning his next scheme: "From now on, I am a good person." On & Hong: "...Why are you introducing yourself to us??" Cale: *confusion*

Reaction fics are a beloved trope of LOTCF fanfiction, but let me pose a challenge to the concept. Rather than a god deciding to show the audience Cales life as a punishment/gift for the future/to help them in some way, what if it was instead just a godly whim?

The reason they are there is incomprehensible. It doesn't make sense. The god either won't explain, or doesn't care to. The scenes they're shown are helpful in some ways, but not in others. Why are they here? How do they get out?

I'd like to see a reaction fic where the goal of the audience is to leave. They neither want nor need to see the deep, dark depths of their leader. And they will never, ever accept something without knowing the intentions behind it.

This is better if there's another driving force behind why they are desperate to leave. Someone is missing (Cale?), something is happening on the outside (something important), or they're getting signs- hints- figurative or literal writing on the walls from the previous participants in this game that don't spell a happy ending for what comes after this. Something is behind this, and that something doesn't truly care about them.

No one to assure them, "if you just watch his life, everything will be fine." Or when it is assured, the audience fights back. The god assured them, again, they just have to watch. Watch and understand. But they find ways to get out- they have to be dragged back, one by one, into that theater room. It should be fun to watch them analyze the manners of their leader or his backwards thinking, except it isn't. They keep fighting against it. Why are they fighting? Something that isn't human could never understand.

It's an idea I had based off our own manipulation. We write reaction fics for our own amusement. We want to force these characters into a box and make them react to Cale. We are a god that does this- not to help them, not to give a gift to them- it is for our amusement. It's fun to watch them react.

But isn't it out of character for them to not fight back? With biting words and violent actions? These characters don't simply allow themselves to be beaten into submission. Coerced into bowing their heads. We'd have to tie them to their chairs and make them sit and watch. And that's something I see in a lot of reaction fics too.

Usually the best way to keep these characters in place is via the Cale Method. Cale is injured and has to heal, it's a price he has to pay, he's being threatened, etc. It'd be cool if there was something else forcing them down like muzzled dogs. Just my thoughts though.

*anyone is free to run with the ideas from this or any idea built off of this (with no credit)

**but I'd love to be sent anything like it