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hi rina! i hope u dont feel rushed by my ask but im wondering how the analysis for calebs myth is going c: i look forward to hearing from u dflsjflkjsdfldf have a lovely day!!

Hey there!

No worries about rushing me, if anything I'm flattered by the enthusiasm, but unfortunately I have few updates to provide :(

I've spoken about this a little on my tiktok, but over the past few months I've been having some ongoing health issues involving frequent lapses in my memory which have (potentially) been labelled as absence seizures, which has kind of made it difficult to get anything substantial done. I finally managed to get seen for a brain scan the other day so hopefully answers will be coming on that front soon, but for now it's something I just have to try my best to work around.

I've also had a lot of academic deadlines recently, and exams intermittently from now until late June, which is also kind of impeding my progress since obviously that takes priority.

I have been working on it though! I'm thinking for now to cover 2-3 chapters per post just so I can get things out quicker and not have the posts be too long, and I am also considering creating a masterlist soon so i can have an organised directory of all my analysis posts.

Apologies for all the delays! It's very frustrating bc this is something I really enjoy doing and care about a lot, but hopefully I will have the first part out for you all soon :)

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Drunk Caleb would cry over how much he loves you bye

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he wishes you good luck.

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hyyyy rina! im not sure if its my comprehension skills on ur most frequent post but are u planning to do an analysis about calebs new myth first or are you planning to go in order?

hey! you're right i probably didn't explain this properly, but yes i will be covering caleb's new myth before anything else bc i think it will give some additional information to consider when looking at his other content, i'll probably be able to pull both cards on the first day & rank up pretty fast, so it shouldn't take me too long :)

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ok so that was probably the last thing i expected, but i'm certifiably OBSESSED with the concept! i was staunchly on team adam & eve/fallen angel when it came to his myth, so while infold is certainly approaching it in a much different way than i expected i'm very pleased to see that those themes and symbols are still very much in there.

the one disappointment is that i was hoping we would get a sexy, shirtless, fallen angel outfit, but instead my man is covered from head to toe 😔💔

also a quick note about the future of my analysis: i will be putting everything else on hold until this comes out, including my already prepared analysis of his bond story & anecdote, because i want to go through this first & write something for it before doing anything else bc i think it's an interesting and important layer of context that we can add when looking at his present day story.

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hyyy rina!! i just look through ur most recent analysis ab our precious boy caleb and im HOOKED, u phrase things so well and its written beautifully, do u have a specific date you release those on or are they usually on a whim? have a lovely day\night :P

hey!! first of all, this is so sweet and i'm glad you're enjoying my analysis so much 💕

as for the release schedule of my posts, i'm afraid that for now they are kind of inconsistent/on a whim due to some health issues i've been having. there are a few other parts up on my tiktok page which i will link at the end of this post, and im planning to hopefully get my analysis on his bond story and the first chapter of his anecdote on here tonight too since they're already written up.

i also want briefly go over the order that i'm gonna be covering things in, since i've spoken about it on tiktok but i don't think i've ever covered it here. I plan to go in a mostly chronological order from Caleb's childhood up to the present day, to kinda give a clearer idea of how his mental health and his relationship with mc has developed throughout his life. I've already covered the experiments, so next will be his bond story & anecdote, then the "old days" cards that are set before the explosion, his brief appearance in the early game, then finally onto his main story, myth and present day cards. This may take me a while because of my aforementioned health issues, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait as i really wanna go as in depth as possible to explain why our precious Caleb is so psychologically troubled & refute the "evil abusive yandere" allegations, it's what he deserves 💕

My TikTok:

(also quick note, for some reason tiktok doesn't let me make playlists of my videos which is REALLY annoying, so if you'd like to quickly find all the parts of my analysis series just go to my favourites and i have a folder of them there 🫶)

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never posted artwork before but here's some shitty LADS themed tarot cards from a series i've been working on for fun

originals:

my versions:

ok that's all bye

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LIKE TO CHARGE REBLOG TO CAST LET'S GET THIS FUCKER EXPLODEDED

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caleb being such a funny bitch about his death in painful signal makes me feel like whenever he's losing a dumb argument or roast battle with mc he tells her to "have some respect for the dead!" in the most offended voice he can manage. it never works either he just won't stop fucking doing it and it's really really annoying

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MC, in the middle of the night without any explanation: I need you to sell me to the mafia meet me in an hour

rafayel:

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stumble in the dark

You think it's the thunder that pulls you from sleep, rumbling deeply throughout the very foundation of the house, but as you blink and take in your surroundings, you realize that it's Caleb beside you who had roused you.

Lightning illuminates the bedroom, pushing past the curtains. There's another sound from Caleb, louder this time. You're not sure if it's a cry or the start of something worse as you turn to face him, sweat beading across his forehead, the bare planes of his back.

The blanket has been pushed away from him, hanging loosely off his legs. His eyelids flicker, fighting against whatever it is that's troubling him. His fingers tremble, muscles in his arms jumping as if he's trying to grab something.

Another sound escapes from his lips - a heart wrenching thing that claws at your insides, nothing more than a pitiful whimper. Once you had said you liked him in pain if that pain kept him tethered to you. You never meant pain he could never escape, keeping him trapped and helpless, a puppet in someone else's making.

Your heart aches.

You don't remember the last time he's had a fit like this. He had told you one time that he was used to the nightmares that plagued him, that he would be silent and stiff as he awoke and would eventually doze back off, even if it took a moment. You had scolded him then, because he wouldn't bother waking you.

You wanted him to wake you, for you to be there for him, so you could remind him exactly where he was and who he was with, so that he didn't have to suffer in silence.

Caleb had chuckled, and promised from then on that he would wake you if he needed you.

You never hoped for it to be like this, for him to be so terrified that he wasn't in control of his own body even in sleep. It's a twisted thought to have, to understand that it feels like he can never truly find peace, even with you by his side.

You exhale and sit up before reaching over to him and gently running your fingers through his hair. "Caleb," you say. "It's just a dream. You're okay."

His body flinches at the sound of your voice. Another whimper slips from him, carving out the inside of your chest. You brush your fingers by his cheek, down his trembling chin. He's burning up and becoming more restless, fingers clenching at open air.

"Caleb," you say again, a bit louder. You don't want to startle him but you don't want him to be like this any longer, terrified deep down that maybe you won't be able to help him, to save him like you feel like you can. "Wake up."

His eyes snap open.

Everything is silent for a long moment, his eyes wildly darting around the room, chest heaving as though he's just run a marathon, panic clear in the way his hand reflexively moves down to his waist, as if reaching for the weapon that always sits there, hidden from view, ready to fight an invisible enemy.

Finally, his eyes find your own. Another moment of silence, and then there's another rumble of thunder, followed by a loud strike of lightning somewhere close. The light flashes across his face and the next moment he's moving, leaving you behind.

By the time you stand up, the bathroom door clicks shut behind him and you hear the sound of the faucet flicking on. You hesitate by the side of the bed, wringing your hands. The rain grows heavier, pelting the windows.

He ran from you. Away from you.

It's the one thing you don't want. The one thing you can't bring yourself to ever understand after going through being without him for so long. It's a gaping chasm within you that begs for a bridge. You've learned so much, and yet, you still understand so little.

You exhale and make your way over to the bathroom door, giving the wood a soft knock. "Caleb?" you ask gently. "Can I come in?"

The water abruptly stops. You can picture him standing over the sink, arms on either side, head bowed. In pain. Alone and in pain.

"You're safe here, Caleb," you remind quietly, hoping it's the right thing to say. "It was just a dream."

An intake of breath that sounds more like a sob. A muffled sound - you're not sure if it's his hand hitting the counter or his back sliding down against the door that splits the home between you.

Your hand falls to the door knob. When you try to turn it, you find that it's been locked. You can't reach him. Your hand returns back to your side. You don't know what else to say.

"You were never supposed to see this," Caleb whispers, voice barely cutting through the door. "I - I can't protect you like this."

His voice trembles in a way you haven't heard since before this new Caleb, and it takes you back, back to when you were children and he had twisted his ankle tripping over a curb in the road. You had ran back to him as soon as you realized he wasn't following and had sat beside him, promising to get help, hand held in yours.

He had tried to brave, wiping his tears away, but you could still hear the wobble in his voice, the way he sniffled and asked if you were okay before anything else.

It's the memory that stops you from answering you don't need to, because it's all he's ever done. Protected you from the mundane to the complicated.

"Caleb, it's okay," you say, the softest you've ever spoken, "let me take care of you."

Your words ring throughout the empty room. The storm outside grows, and grows, and grows. You lift your hand to the door and rest your palm against it, hoping he lets you in, hoping that he doesn't shut you out over and over until there's nothing left to see.

You breathe in. You breathe out.

The bathroom door clicks as the lock is undone.

"Okay," Caleb says, finally letting you in, finally letting you see, finally letting you help in all the ways he's helped you.

You wonder how you could ever let him go.

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Cold Hands

Synopsis: You come home on a cold day to find Caleb waiting for you at your apartment. He is not happy about you working out in the cold. SFW fluff

Winter is not your friend. You much prefer warm summer days with the chance of getting a sunburn over the chilling brutality of below-freezing temperatures. Layers of clothes can restrict your movements when hunting wanderers, so it is unsafe for you to dress properly in this weather. You go out into each mission with the chance of catching a cold or getting frostbite, but this is the job you signed up for. You knew going in that being a hunter is not for the weak. That is why after a long day of killing wanderers you rush back to your apartment the moment you clock out, shivering due to being chilled to the bone, to find your boyfriend Caleb asleep on your couch. 

You didn’t expect to see Caleb there. He told you on the phone the night before that he would be super busy at work the next few days, so communication between the two of you would be difficult. You scoff. That was all a lie for the surprise right in front of you. You suddenly feel mischievous, wanting to get back at your boyfriend for daring to lie to you no matter the reason. You slowly pull off your thin gloves, your fingers ice cold from being out in this weather, and hold your fingers against the sensitive skin on Caleb’s neck. Caleb jolts awake, grabbing your hand and pulling you onto his lap.

“Well, well, well,” Caleb says as he grips your waist tightly, his other hand enclosing the one you used to shock him. “I come to visit, and the moment I let my guard down someone decides to attack me.” Caleb clicks his tongue. “What should I do to avenge myself?”

You muse. “You could help yourself to my fridge and cook us a warm meal.” 

“Oh, but that benefits you more than me. I am afraid my little Pipsqueak is just using me for her own selfish gain.” He brings your hand to his lips before his eyes widen at its touch. He quickly studies your hand and grabs the other one. Your fingers are red and freezing cold. You don’t have any decent winter gloves to use when hunting that are both warm and easy to use a gun while wearing. Your bones ache as if your fingers are ready to fall off. 

“Pipsqueak,” Caleb breathes before meeting your gaze. “Why are your hands so cold? Don’t tell me you’ve been out all day like this.” Caleb envelops your hands with his own and begins to breathe on them, the heat of his breath easing your ache. 

“I just need some new gloves and haven’t had time to buy any,” you say. You stand up to take off your jacket. You don’t like the idea of Caleb worrying about you. If he believes you are in danger in any way, he may take drastic action to keep you safe. You trust Caleb with your life, but you are not ignorant to the fact that he can be possessive of you. 

“I think you need more than new gloves,” Caleb says as he touches your arm. Your skin is reddish from the windchill. “MC, this isn’t safe. The Association should not have you working in these conditions.” He stands up and takes your face in his hands. “You can get seriously sick like this.” 

You gaze into Caleb’s narrowed violet eyes. The color turns as cold as the temperature outside. He is serious, and you admit to yourself that you have no argument against what he is saying. You agree that missions during the winter aren’t the safest, but it has to be done by someone. 

“How about this? I’m off tomorrow, so we can go shopping to find warmer gloves and a better jacket. Also, spring will be here soon, so this won’t be a problem for much longer.”

A darkness flashes in Caleb’s expression for just a moment, so quickly that you question if it was just your imagination. He huffs. “Fine.” Caleb doesn’t share what he really wants to say, and you don’t push him. He is trying to give you the autonomy you asked for since reuniting in Skyhaven, and you are not one to complain about that. 

“Thank you.”

Caleb nods, letting go of your face. “Go get a hot shower, and change into your warmest pajamas. I’ll cook dinner.” 

You give Caleb a peck on the cheek. “I love you.” You run to the bathroom before he can respond. 

After dinner, the two of you lie in bed. You are wrapped in your plushiest blanket with your head resting on Caleb’s chest. He tells you stories of what all happened recently in Skyhaven as you nestle closer to his body to take in all his warmth. 

“Caleb? Will you always be here to keep me warm?”

“Of course, Pipsqueak,” he replies. “As long as you’re willing to have me, I will always be by your side. You can rely on me.” Caleb kisses your hand. His breath lingers on your fingers. To you, Caleb is the epitome of summer. He is your sun who shields you from the bitter cold, the source of all your joy. There is nowhere you would rather be than in his arms on this cold winter night.

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for all of caleb’s red flags, possessive and controlling behaviour, i absolutely do NAWT wanna see anyone say anything questionable around him regarding consent because he would NOT do that (i’ve seen some weirdos being too extreme with their distaste for him)

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please...please... please, just give him to me

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Am I The Only One Who Thinks It's Weird That (some) People Are Looking For The VA's?

Like...why tho? Honestly, what's the outcome you're looking for once you know?

You (should) already know that the VAs aren't going to look or act like the characters...because they AREN'T THE CHARACTERS so why the obsession?

I think knowing would 110% kill the illusion for me. Actually I KNOW it would.

I've heard rumors that if they get disclosed there's a high chance Infold will replace them. I'm not sure about the of the validity of that, the only source I could find was ppl referencing another game where VA's identity was revealed and he was bullied until he quit, which is different than being fired. Either way, I'm telling you RIGHT NEOW, if Caleb or Sylus get replace I would honestly stop playing. Unless they can get a VA that can mimic them PERFECTLY, It would ruin the experience. I've invested too much! Mind ya business!

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Please Infold, I need Caleb to put that PhD in yearnology to good use in his first kiss card. I want hands shaking, voice cracking, breaths catching. This man is pent up. He longs. He pines. He probably begs for permission, too.

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unestablished relationship. 1.9k words. candid photos and confessions (but not the kind you thiiiiiink).

caleb who always looks back at you first.

caleb, who doesn't hesitate to glance back at you not once, but twice.

caleb, who made sure to always look back for you when you were kids. he swore to himself that he'd never let you out of his sight: a promise he wanted to keep forever. if you strayed too far away, he'd grab your hand and lead you back to him, where you belonged.

even as teenagers, caleb would not stop looking out for you. no matter how many times you've complained (you entered that stage where you've found new friends), caleb lingers, watching over you like he always has.

he grabs onto your backpack when you almost walk into a pole, steering you clear from a nasty bruise. he intimidates those assholes that try to hit on you with his presence. he looks back to see if you've strayed away farther than before.

and as adults, he's still scrutinizing you. you tell him that you're a deepspace hunter now and you don't need monitoring. caleb responds with something teasing like, "oh really? pipsqueak can take care of her own now? does that mean she can reach the tall cabinets too?"

he looks back first before entering gran's house. after your small argument, his eyes flicker to your face; you have this annoyed look, one where your eyebrows are furrowed and your lips are slightly pouted. and how could he stay mad at that?

you're not making eye contact with him, and it makes caleb want to say something to make you look up. he wants you to look.

he feels like a kid again.

he faces the door, but turns back to glance at you one last time. his lips curl up in a tiny smirk—you look back up at him. he opens the door first and the world goes dark.

old habits seem to die hard for caleb. because now—even though you're just lounging in your apartment—he still can't seem to take his eyes off of you.

it's been like this the whole day. you've been back in his life for a while now (it's been a few months, but for caleb, it's like you've been here forever), and he still can't seem to stop looking at you.

at the grocery store today, he kept looking back at you while you were throwing items into the shopping cart. as kids, you'd stand on the bottom part of the cart, nearly tipping over sometimes when you pushed yourself off the ground like the cart was a skateboard.

while walking through linkon's crowded shopping district, caleb made sure to never let go of your hand. part of it was because he didn't want to lose you in the crowd, and another part was because he wanted to keep holding your hand. but you didn't need to know that last part.

and presently, he's looking back at you while cooking dinner. every once in a while (every few seconds), he looks up from his post in the kitchen to find you shifting positions on the couch. you're on your stomach, then your back, and then your side. you had a book in your hand, then your phone, then the tv remote.

he shakes his head and lets out a small chuckle. he hopes you hear him, just so you can come up to him and bother him like before. you two still tease each other, but it's not the same.

he focuses on stirring the pot for a little while and then looks back over to you. but instead of finding you in another position on the couch, you're upright with alert, wide eyes. directed right at him. staring at him.

the moment he catches you, your eyes immediately flee to another surface. he notices as your head shifts from the coffee table to the tv to caleb's jacket on the coat hanger.

caleb's face pulls back; he's left puzzled. it was so obvious that you were boring holes into the back of his head, so why were you trying to hide it?

caleb takes this as the perfect opportunity to get you riled up, "what're you doing...?"

your eyes reach his for only a second before they shift away. caleb feels something strike his chest. "nothing. just laying around," you respond as nonchalantly as you can, as if you weren't just ogling him a few seconds before, "bored as hell, might i add."

"really?" caleb challenges you, "did you like what you see at least?"

you jolt up from the couch, "huh?!"

"i could see you staring at me, y'know," caleb teases.

"i was not staring at you."

"i'm pretty sure that if i search up the definition of staring, what you just did would pop up."

"oh really," you pad over to the kitchen. caleb turns around and tries to hide his smirk. even after all these years, he still riles you up so easily. "search it up."

caleb sucks a breath in through his teeth, "sorry pipsqueak, i'm kind of busy over here," he says, gesturing to the food on the stove. "but if you'd like to help, feel free."

you roll your eyes, "yeah, i'll help. let me just search up the definition of staring for you." you plop yourself onto the kitchen island across from him, carelessly tapping on your phone while caleb cooks.

chaos has been thrashing itself onto caleb like waves in this past year. but seeing you on the kitchen island—swinging your legs back and forth while bothering him—brings him the most peace in the world.

he turns around and turns the stove off before making his way over to you. he walks over and cages your thighs between his hands, making you jerk your head up from your phone to meet his eyes.

in a flash, you try to turn your phone off, but caleb catches a glance of what's on there.

it's a picture of him, just now, cooking in your kitchen.

for a moment, caleb has nothing to say. he just stares at himself—his backside—in your camera roll.

while caleb's practically dumbstruck, you turn off your phone and place it on the counter. caleb's gaze follows your hand, then trails around your face.

he glances at your lips once, and you bite at your bottom lip in response. he gulps, looks away, and shakes his head as if he was snapping out of a spell.

clearer, more logical caleb speaks, "why'd you take a picture of me? i'm right here, y'know."

you swallow, "it's a candid. super popular now."

"mhm," caleb hums. "this the first of many?"

"no," you shake your head, lowering your eyes to your lap, "i've got plenty. i've got blackmail photos to actual good photos."

"cute," caleb smiles. you can hear how his voice lifts when he speaks and it makes you blush. "but if you ever need me, i'm right here."

this makes you look up. "always?"

"of course," he grabs your hands that lay in your lap, "you know that. i'm never that far away."

but you pull away from him, curling your knees up and resting your head on them. caleb immediately follows your body, just like all those years ago.

your arms rest on top of your knees, covering your face when you sigh. caleb takes his big hands and rests them on the side of your torso, rubbing up and down.

"hey," he coaxes, "look at me. please?"

when you don't budge, his hands travel under your arms to your face. "what's wrong? talk to me, baby."

the childhood nickname makes you laugh, and caleb can feel the reverberations through your face as he cups it. he strokes up and down your cheekbone, prodding at you to look up at him.

look back, he silently pleads, please look back at me.

after letting out another long sigh, you finally cave, "i'm scared that you won't be around for me. that something's going to pull you away. and no matter how hard i cling onto you, that other thing will get the best of me."

"nothing like that will ever happen," caleb quickly reassures you, "why are you thinking about that?"

you place your smaller hands over his bigger ones, and caleb feels his heart swell. he bites down on his tongue to resist the urge to climb on you right now.

"i dunno," you laugh, though you sound more pathetic than cheerful, "i miss you. that's why."

"i want you around me constantly," you continue, "but i just feel like—with everything going on—you'll eventually forget about me," you swallow, take a deep breath, "i don't want you to forget me."

when you finally look back up at caleb, your eyes are wide and glassy. he strokes your face once more and you instantly lean into his touch. you press your face against his calloused hand without thinking about it. his hand could be hard as rocks for all you care. he uses his thumb to brush over your eyebrow, stray hairs, and eyelid; he melts at the sight of you like this.

"how could i ever forget you?" caleb voices. his tone is so soft, so gentle. the way he said it reminds you of someone who was asked to solve an impossible math equation. it was impossible for caleb to leave you.

you shake your head, rubbing your cheek against caleb's palm, "you have other things to prioritize. you have all these enemies. all these people to keep up with," you close your eyes and take a long inhale, "i can be needy sometimes, i know that. you won't have time for this."

"hey," he slightly tilts your head up, "look at me," he punctuates every word like a command, and you follow it diligently. you'd follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked.

"first, you're not 'too needy', or anything like that, to me. second," caleb pauses, taking time to trace the shape of your cheekbone with his thumb, admiring you, "i will. i'll always have time for you. call me, and i'll be there. yell for me, and i'll hear you. run to me, and i'll always catch you. and look at me, because i'll always be looking back at you first."

and it's true. how could it not be? you're the first thought on his mind, always. how are you doing? are you safe? are you cold? do you miss him? do you miss him like he misses you—so sullenly and almost lamentful? do you wake up and wish he was in bed next to you?

you shakily exhale, taking slow breaths in and out. you rest your forehead against caleb's while trying your best to synchronize your breathing. caleb follows you easily, still holding on to your face.

you remove his hand from your face and instead interlock his fingers with yours. you grab his hand, putting it in front of your lips. your lips press onto his knuckles and you feel him squeeze your hand just a bit harder.

"promise me," you whisper, "tell me it's true."

caleb presses his forehead harder against yours. the air coming from his nose tickles your face.

"i promise. i'll always promise."

when you look up to meet caleb's eyes, he's already looking at you first.

not my best work but like i had to get this out. lol sorry.