#cale and KRS are the same soul

[elvesandlanterns]

Cale Anti-Hero

It wasn’t often that Cale found himself alone. There was always ‘something’ happening so it was totally reasonable that he wanted to take advantage of his new found free time. They had settled on singing; it had use to be Cales favorite pass time with his mother, he had not sang in years and for Kim it had been even longer. ….. they really should had been more careful.

I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser

Ron stopped short of the mansions entryway, Hans and the kids rushing in only to quite. They had all planned to come home earlier today. Had no one told Cale?

Ron huffed, what was this puppy saying? Cale had matured so fast in such a short time, too fast even.

Midnights become my afternoons

Raon chuckled it was just like his human to sleep the whole day away if he could! Good thing Lemon gramps was here to wake him up!

When my depression works the graveyard shift

The wolf children stopped smiling turning to look at Lock, “What does that mean!”, “What’s wrong?”, “Hyung Lock haven’t you been taking care of him!”. Lock stilled beside Beacrox, no no this couldn’t be happening how could their savior, the man who took them in be so unhappy?

All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room

What did that mean, Cale had never killed anyone if anyone was to be haunted by ghost it should be me though Choi Han. Listening in from a different room in the house, having taken an entrance through the window instead of the door like a reasonable man.

I should not be left to my own devices

Alberu seconded that! Cale never does know when to leave shit alone. He’s been surprised to have gotten a call from Cales children only to be welcomed with the sound of beautiful singing. But Alberus’ stomach began to twist he had a bad feeling just where this was going.

They come with prices and vices

I end up in crises

Rosalyn started next to Alberu ready to teleport at a moments notice! Cheeks puffing in anger, just who on Earth would go to Cale demanding money? And enough to put Cale in crises… maybe this was before from when Cale use to be a trash drunk ? The lyrics did say “vices” after all hhhmmm

Tale as old as time

I wake up screaming from dreaming

The dragon and cats looked at each other in confusion, Cale loved sleep they definitely would have noticed if he had nightmares!

Ron closed his eyes and sighed, oh those nightmares after the first Countess had died. Was he the only one that ever knew about those? Not that he was of much help, Cale was nothing like his own son he still didn’t know how to confront or comfort him at all,

One day I'll watch as you're leaving

'Cause you got tired of my scheming

For the last time

Positively Everyone froze, what? Did Cale think that they would all just abandon him?

Deruth began to cry, he didn’t want to see this anymore. Who had decided to share such a thing with them in the first place? It never would had been Cale. That child never aloud himself to be so vulnerable in front of his family. In front of him. What kind of a father had he been?

The Henituse family could here Deruth crying but no one had any words to console him. After all wasn’t this there fault? They had made Cale feel so unloved and unwanted in his own home that he now believed that no one would stay with him if give the chance.

It's me

Hi!

I'm the problem, it's me

Cage was beginning to regret picking up the call from Cale kids right now. Taylor was utterly distraught and admittedly so was she. Cale was a good person! Their very own lucky charm!

At teatime

Everybody agrees

Basen felt ashamed. He remembered getting into verbal tirades with Cale the first few times his trashy behavior had started. He had told him to act better, for the family’s social reputation if nothing else! But just how many of those tea times included demeaning his brother as a part of the entertainment. And then he had just yelled at him and told him to go back to endure more. He was a horrible brother.

I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror

Pasetons face flushed a tad, he had considered Cale a bit vain actually. Not that he didn’t have a right to be! But did Cale perhaps not enjoy looking at himself? Did they perhaps have this in common?

It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

Antihero? But Cale was a hero! Sure he did unsavory things to reach his goals but.. but… did it perhaps bother Cale? He always did say he wanted a slacker life.

Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby

And I'm a monster on the hill

If Violan had been less dignified or more hot tempered she would have thrown her teacup into the wall! Instead she rose from her seat to talk to her husband, no one no matter how noble was going to get away with making Cale feel uncomfortable in his own body! Violan smiled, no doubt Cales new body guard and vice captain Hilsmans knights would agree.

Too big to hang out

Slowly lurching toward your favorite city

On and Hong hissed! Yeah to save it!

Pierced through the heart but never killed

Something in Choi Han broke, Cales voice cracked as if he was crying. He never wanted to hear Cale cry, it hurt so much to not be able to do anything- he’d do anything.

Did you hear my covert narcissism

I might disguise as altruism

Like some kind of congressman

Alberu hummed at that, did Cale hate politics that much? What is this feeling ? Oh right guilt.

Tale as old as time

I wake up screaming from dreaming

One day I'll watch as you're leaving

And life will lose all its meaning

For the last time

It's me

Hi!

I'm the problem, it's me (I'm the problem, it's me)

At teatime

Everybody agrees

I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror

It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

Choi Han decided to join everyone else at the parlor, he couldn’t take this alone anymore.

I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money

She thinks I left them in the will

On and Hong were outraged! They would never love someone so despicable!

Meanwhile every adult was enraged! They would protect Cale and his little family - was that why Cale loved money?

The family gathers 'round and reads it

And then someone screams out

"He's laughing up at us from hell!"

Cage was bewildered why would Cale ever think he would go there? And didn’t Cale not believe in god?!?!

It's me

Hi!

No one knew what to do after the song ended, everybody in person or on call was as tense as a bow string. There were no words to break the tension.

Cale was beginning to play the piano again, oh dear god now what??!?!

[bludendrobium]

I think I just have been craving for dragon! Cale au lately ;-;

I literally dreamt it once and now it’s haunting me till 2 in the morning which is funny considering I wake up around 11-1 in the afternoon during weekends.

It’s an au about regressior!cale that’s a dragon that keeps on going back bc he the white shit keeps on destroying the world with his bs that his soul did a Penelope Eckart.

Aka a fragment split off to Korea.

Except when krs transmigrate back, their soul fused and so did their memories. Making both personalities mix together.

So he left the county with an oc of mine from 6y ago that can do dimension hopping named Caelum (pronounced as say-lum) which is for some reason me in that dream.

His attribute would be something of a game file where he can chose on what event he can regress and has logs on everything that happen and/ or can also compare this timeline with the other. He can also check his and other peoples stats and history

Anyways u can add on that later if you want I’m just gonna get it off my brain.

[youngyoo-apologist]

One thing I find interesting abt the abilities from Earth is the implication that they’re attached to the soul and not the body.

It makes me wonder, do abilities form similarly to ancient powers? Because I think it’s mentioned that ancient powers form with in the original owners body at some point, and exist because of the need for them (idk if they ‘they have them cause they’re loved by god’ thing applies to finding ancient powers or OG owners of ancient powers 😭)

For example, we got KRS!Cale who carried record over because its ability with in his soul, same with instant and embrace(? I think? Correct me if I’m wrong it’s been awhile and I can’t remember if LSH gave him the power and he kinda absorbed it or if he kept it in something)

And during the sealed god’s test, all his APs carry over because his soul is in a new body. Also this brings up the question, if someone regresses and they have the ancient power, do they get to keep the ancient power, or do they have to find it again? Because while the world resets to a certain period of time, the regressor’s soul stays the same, only occupying their younger body instead. I don’t remember if it’s been addressed in the novel b4, cause a lot of the things abt regression are left really mysterious (too my knowledge, again, it’s been awhile ahaha)

Back to the abilities from earth, I like to think that they manifest based on the owner’s past experiences and stuff. Each ability is unique to the person, and with KRS, he developed Instant because during the unknown monster attack he couldn’t do anything to help and I guess his subconscious was like ‘make an attack ability NOW.’ And then he got instant. A lot of Earth’s lore and stuff surrounding the apocalypse(in the later years) is kinda mysterious, we know the basic world building but I want to know more, I need more earth content so bad I’m so invested in the world

[slackerlifewhere]

Cale does not know everything

Why did anyone think he did?

[Note: There will be SPOILERS about the first part of TCF so if you haven't finished the first part or you don't want spoilers, I suggest you don't continue. Thanks!]

When I first read the novel, the most common mistake new readers often make was they all thought that Cale is omniscient and because he knows everything, it's inevitable that he'll be OP. "Which is the same boring cliche KR novels and manhwa are nowadays." Yeah, I saw the comments. There were a lot.

I think, once again, it's because of how in most KR novels and manhwa, the main character usually knows the whole story of a novel they read or a game they played before they transmigrate to another world. They don't have all the details but it's more than what Kim Rok Soo knows.

Because that's the thing. The difference is that Kim Rok Soo doesn't know the whole story. In fact, he only read up until five volumes of "The Birth of a Hero" before he transmigrated in another world.

He, like us, doesn't know how the story ends.

I might be getting repetitive but the reason why I love TCF is because the author, Yoo Ryeo Han, doesn't share everything to us right off the bat.

They never info dump us with the whole story about how OG Cale actually made a deal with the God of Death, about Kim Rok Soo's past as an ability user, about Choi Jung Soo, and about the existence of the White Star. Instead, all these plot points are gradually revealed later in the story.

And I honestly prefer it like this. This way, we can only guess what will happen next. It's not a boring story but a mysterious one because there's something we won't expect.

The story starts with Kim Rok Soo opening his eyes in another world.

We are never completely told what Kim Rok Soo read before he transmigrated. The most he tells us is a summary and a few details here and there at the start of the novel.

We only find out more by experiencing it through Cale's point of view. We read his thoughts about the novel. And we follow him in his journey around the Eastern and Western continents.

But as mentioned at the beginning, he doesn't know how The Birth of a Hero ends. His knowledge stops at the end of volume five. Everything else depends on him.

But even before the war happens, there are already some hints that Cale doesn't actually have all the information he needs. He is not fully equipped with everything about the book. He, like us, is in the dark about certain factors that can affect his goals.

Indestructible Shield

When the shield was first mentioned, Cale questioned why no one took it.

'No wonder nobody ended up taking control of it. But then why would the author mention something that could be useful but was never actually taken by anybody?’

- Chapter 11: Picked It Up

It's odd because it's found in the territory where Choi Han appears in the beginning of the story. Yet from volume one to volume five, not a single soul knew of its existence.

It's the first ancient power he gets because he read the book and he's the only one who knows about it. He doesn't know why it's there, he doesn't know why no one took it, nor does he question it any further. His only goal was to get it.

It's only when the Glutton Priestess tells him about her past that he finally gets the bigger picture.

The fact that this tidbit was shrugged off by Cale, and probably some readers, as something unimportant only to find out later in the story about its huge connection to the original White Star is just insane. And it's the reason why the books he read aren't informative at all. Because why did it leave out this piece of information if they want him to use it to save their world?

He didn't even know a single thing about the current White Star at the start of the story and here is a random ancient power sitting prettily in the Henituse territory that actually has a connection to the same guy Cale Barrow wants to imitate. He was utterly clueless like the rest of us.

I'm not gonna lie, I was shaking my head by how dumbfounded I was when I first read the novel. I was questioning everything I read in the early chapters, thinking if there's something else that I didn't notice (there were a lot actually).

The fact that the author gives us only a little info about the tree where the shield was found and its connection to the other ancient powers only solidified my respect by how good the author is at hiding this plot until the big reveal.

The Wolf Tribe

‘The novel didn’t say which of the divine items they brought.’

If Cale knew what the divine item was, he would be able to get one step closer to the identity of the secret organization. Unfortunately, the novel only described how the Wolf Tribe became weak because of the divine item. He had no way to determine the identity of the secret organization.

- Chapter 32: You

When Cale sends Choi Han to find Rosalyn and Lock, Choi Han returns with Lock who was about to transform into his berserk mode.

Later, Choi Han explains what happened and Cale realizes that a lot of things changed compared to what happened in the book. For one, Lock did not hide and fought back against Arm. Another is instead of assassins, the ones that appeared are official members.

For some, including me, this can be excused because of Cale's actions. He's a new variable to the story and thus, he ends up changing a lot of scenarios that happened in the story.

But, thinking about it, this is the only thing that is completely different from what happened in the books. Everything else is the same aside from when Cale is actively doing something like becoming a guardian to three kids or getting the ancient powers that originally belongs to someone else. Unless Cale acts, nothing actually changes.

There's the bombing at the plaza that also changed but that can still be excused as Cale ruining Arm's movements early on and them revising their plans.

Lock however, is not influenced by Cale. He could've stayed hidden just like in the book but in this case, he didn't. Arm could've sent assassins but they didn't. There is no reason for them to change from assassins to official members. Plus, instead of killing all of them, the wolf children survived.

This is not because of Cale.

So...does that mean that the book he read is not completely reliable?

Pretty much, yeah. Which already answers the question if he knows everything like a cliche main character does. No, he doesn't know everything. And the books he read can be taken as a guidebook but an incomplete one with a few mistakes here and there.

Let me remind you that this happened before the war started and there's already something Cale doesn't know or expect.

[Side note: I only realized this whole bit about the Wolf Tribe while reading a freaking reaction fic. If I had not read that fic, I wouldn't even realize how weird this one is. Am I dumb? Don't answer that.]

White Star

Another reason why Cale is not omniscient even though he looks and acts like it, is because he didn't find out about the White Star until the war against Arm and the Indomitable Alliance.

This man is like a god to his followers and allies and not a single person in Cale's group and even outside of it knows about him. Not even Ron, who has his whole family annihilated and later loses his arm in the process, knows about him.

Again, the five volumes of The Birth of a Hero never mentions this elusive White Star. The only reason he knows about this guy is through interrogation and torture. So when he finally appears in the Mogoru Empire, all Cale felt was anger and fear.

Because this unexpected factor is dangerous.

Cale knows they're completely unprepared to face this new player in the game. Eruhaben, an ancient dragon, was getting his ass kicked by this man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and the dragon even told them to run. What everyone considers a very strong existence in this world is telling them that there's no hope in defeating him.

And the most shocking out of all of this is that Cale never expected how the White Star knows that Cale and Choi Han have their "time warped for them". He knows something about Cale just by looking at him.

So the books by this point are basically useless and he has to rely on himself and others to plan ahead of time. He works extremely hard for it.

He has to dig information using his Record to find out about White Star. He has to talk to the World Tree to get the weapon to use against the White Star. He has to talk to Sheritt to know more about the White Star and his curse. And he has to find out from OG Cale himself on how to finally kill the White Star.

It took the whole book to finally defeat him.

And none of these are mentioned in the books he read.

So Cale, in conclusion, does not know everything like what some readers once complained about. He has some pieces of the puzzle but it's like if he needs a hundred pieces to complete the puzzle and he only has ten, then he's never gonna complete it.

He knew about the first five volumes and the rest were just him and his allies' hard work. It's pretty much why he's so stressed in the whole book, zooming around the two continents just to look for the White Star's weakness while also juggling different problems like more wars or the God of Despair or finding the earth attribute the White Star needs.

So yeah. Don't judge a book by the first few chapters and expect to know everything.

end notes:

Alberu better give him his slacker life when this story ends.

Nelan Barrow and the God of Death really made him work for it.

I'm not gonna lie, I want someone (Cale) to kidnap Choi Jung Gun and interrogate him about why the heck he didn't explain the important bits in his "guidebook" and why the whole thing about the wolf tribe became different from what was written. He could've at least mentioned what the secret organization's name is but he left it to Cale instead. It's just the name, CJG. Why are you hiding it? Is Choi Han in the books really that slow or what? If you want someone to save your world, at least send more information like the name of the secret organization. You talked about the Indestructible Shield's location but can't spell Arm? Shame on you, CJG.

If it wasn't KRS that was transmigrated and it's just a random normal person, that person would've died even before meeting the White Star.

Or maybe Nelan Barrow just wants to be an author like Yoo Ryeo Han and be all mysterious about it.

[jasmineaoi]

Kim roksoo and reincarnation cycled og!cale(before lcf-after tboah and malfunctioned deal).

Og!cale whose soul doesnt actually attached to any body unless it is the body confirmed in the deal. Which means he wont ever stay dead unless he died in kim roksoo's body. So it is a cycle of reincarnation or transmigration.

Og!cale who first reincarnate as a son of krs's neighbour. Their family being close friends and cale-roksoo being childhood friends. Cale with the older mentality completely taken by roksoo's cuteness and swears to take care of him. Cale who witness every misfortune; a friend's betrayal, a bullying, teacher's blatant discrimination. Every death; roksoo's beloved pets dying again and again, the fat gold fish, the melodious yellow bird, the cuddly black cat. And his every crying moments; the pain of being pushed, feeling the quiet rage of krs's parents towards the teacher and parents, in the hugs of krs's parents after every death. Cale is not ignorant, he have seen things, he knew that what happen to roksoo is not normal. So he vows, with that burning fire of passion to always stay with roksoo and came back no matter what.

...his first obstacle came with his death. And in the worst way possible too; he and his parents died alongside krs's parents in the (canon) car accident.

Cale's 2nd life is when he transmigrates in krs's uncle's body before going to the funeral. He saw how toxic their relatives were and was reminded of jour's funeral. He took roksoo in and determined to give him the best childhood he can give. A bit of dangers here and there but not what his veteran skill couldnt handle, making sure roksoo's mind is clear of bad things or curses, collecting money before the inevitable happen(no matter how offended he is about failing, he HAVE to be prepared, the curse only need to succeed once after all). Telling roksoo once about his vow during his previous life(he thought roksoo forgot, because it is said in nonchalance, because roksoo is young. Roksoo didnt). He died during the canon time of krs going to orphanage, due to some crazy psycho holding a knife while trying to protect roksoo(to be fair there's a lot of things going on at the time, a fire, evacuation rush, being in the wrong place at the wrong time), deadpanned yay more trauma... FUCK the gods! Thankfully he manage to secure his will and arrange everything to be given to roksoo when he is 18.

His 3rd is reincarnation as a red pomeranian puppy and proceedes to seduce the orphange's director after finding where roksoo is. He became a gurdian dog of roksoo and thwarted off every bullies. He barked and bitten the hell out of the irrensponsible caretakers and always made sure that roksoo is well fed, eventhough it means he had to steal from the kitchen or gave puppy dog eyes to the director. He died due to sickness(thankfully no traumatizing scene) a year before roksoo left the orphanage. Hey, he did well overcoming everything thrown by the curse with his small body at least(he ignore every close calls but not roksoo's trembling hands begging him to not leave). Too bad he wont get roksoo's indulgent pets and cuddles anymore, he understood why blackie(roksoo's late pet cat) loves to cuddle so much.

His 4th was in the body of an orphaned female student living with her grandma...and have a gender identity crisis. Choosing to fuck eveything, sHe searched for roksoo and may or may not become somewhat of a stalker for a lil bit of time(cale is unlucky this time, they're not in the same school and their home were far, lots of complications). Got caught by roksoo who held a pepper spray(which is quite amusing and cute). Not a good experience though. It was a bit rocky but they manage to get closer just a lil lil bit(sHe didnt realize that roksoo at this point is already suspecting something). There's less dangers from the curse though so it was fine(cale knew it was because roksoo closed off his love and affections. It was easier, safer, but he hated it). sHe died protecting krs from the hunter who aimed for both of their souls, but at least sHe got some updates from GoD through the person who saved krs. (Cale died requesting the person to erase krs's memories about her, to protect krs from remembering another traumatising scene, erase another reason for krs to close himself off even more). Krs forgets but the hole in his heart stayed.

Okay so..imma just...put it here..

...

kbye-

[coralduckdeputypanda]

Totvdf headcanons because this fic is just too good

(for context, this is based on a tcf fic were Kim Rok Soo transmigrates into Naru Von Ejelan, not Cale)

-Raon gets static when he notices that Naru dad and his mom have almost the same hair color.

-Duke Fredo™ is the only one who can make Naru like lemon (sweets).

-KRS!Naru doesn't like the rain after surviving many uncomfortable days in the beginning of the apocalypse, and prefer to spend most rainy days at home in the endable kingdom.

-GOD is in absolute despair(ha) from the beginning of the history until the moment Naru appear do Taylor and Taylor tells Cage about the weird little suspicius and scary child who came in the middle of the night who knew things he should not know and propose to help him (a very KRS thing to do), he didn't knew were Kim Rok Soo soul was until that moment and was looking for him like a crazy man, CJS and LSH were more than upset about the situation until they saw how cute he was in that body.

-Fredo, Sherrit and Mila form a tired but pround parent tea group (Euruhaben and Ron are honorary members).

-

[slackerlifeofcale]

OG!Cale is cursed too?

Now that I think about it, Cale(OG!KRS) shares the curse with White star because their souls touched when WS was reincarnating right?

This curse makes the bearer loose everything they ever cherished and we can see what happened to OG!KRS...

Now, take a deep breath and look at OG!CALE's life....Lost his mother, neglected by his father, his family feels uncomfortable around him,Ron left him without saying goodbye, His own territory's people hate him, The county was ruined, he was the lone survivor, finds out his mother's ancient power was taken by the one who murdered his family and he is only able to find peace and truly live after he leaves the world which for OG!KRS....was the factor that broke his curse!

And this is not that farfetched when you realise that WS's current body is most likely from a Thames, Cale is aa thames, They are the same age, and he most likely exchanged bodies with his soul cousin.

There must be a connection so what if it has something to do with them sharing the same blood???

(This just popped into my head and I'm open to a discussion anytime.)

[calethescammer]

Tcf prompt :)

So there's the well known scars AU in tcf right? Like where Krs!Cale gets his old scars and chaos ensues.

But what if, instead of any random day, Cale gets back his scars after using Instant? Like Mila has healed his scars completely, the ones he got after using Instant, but his old scars are somehow back on his body.

Like when he gets to meet with og!cale, some soul merging stuff happens and rok soo's scars are back on krs!cale's body.

And now imagine, Mila just doubting her ability because Cale's scars didn't heal (they actually did). And Cale just waking up and blankly staring at his body now 'ugly' with the scars he always hated.

And his family seeing him littered with so many wounds that he never had?? (Did they not even notice such a thing?)

And then his kids see him, especially Raon who first hand experienced it, and the young dragon just breaks down sobbing in his human's arms, blaming himself for the pain he had let his human go through.

Choi Han stands shocked, the image of Kim Rok Soo of his memories and the Cale in front of him overlapping, both looking too full of pain.

Maybe they don't comment on it due to the final battle, or maybe they feel like they shouldn't comment on it.

But then after the war, they finally notice how Cale has changed. How he furrows his brows whenever he looks at his scars, as if in disgust, and how he avoids looking at any and all mirrors, afraid to see himself. How he tries to slid his arms further into the long sleeves of his clothes, and how hard he tries to act nonchalant as if nothing is wrong.

And maybe he heard it once, the comments about his scars, but instead of noticing their worried and sorrowful tones he only saw mockery and laughter in it. He knew from experience to never expect from people, but sometimes, it hurt. And from then, he refused to go to any parties whatsoever, even at the cost of golden plaques.

And it got to a point that regular people, citizens of Roan noticed it too, how badly the war had affected their beloved young master. And how badly scarred both his body and mind were. But what could they do, expect send wishes of love and gratitude, in a hope that the person who saved them all may be saved too.

And now to his family. They try to bring out the redhead, taking him to small walks and picnics, and looking at him with so much love that Cale cannot help but feel a sting in his chest, wanting to stay in that warmth forever.

Lock and the wolf children come to him, shouting about how cool he looked in all those scars, how he looked so much like a 'warrior'. But Cale sees their eyes, eyes that seem so genuine and full of admiration, eyes that hold no mockery or any hint of evil. And for the next few hours, their shouts echo in his ears, a faint blush forming on his face.

Raon, On and Hong bring him flowers and decorate his hair with it, and Cale finally smiles seeing himself in the mirror. He suddenly recalls how in his past, his hyungs did the same. How they only worried for him. And once, when Team Leader was complaining about how he'll go bald due to his dongsaeng, Krs stood lost in thought, his gaze fixated on the way Team Leader's hands shook, his worried eyes looking over the scars in a way that said 'sorry'.

"Human!"

Cale's eyes snapped and he looked towards his family, all smiling and laughing together. And for a moment, he forgot all the flaws he held, and he rushed towards the kids, all the while smiling along.

[scammysmileroksuu]

(Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't finished reading lcf part 1)

Just another random thought (yes, it's me and my stupid theories again), but do y'all think the Thames household could have fled to a different dimension/world? Is that why fake hilsman had to meet Cale who became a famous hero disguised as fake hilsman to tell him that hunters reappeared??

The reason the household was said to have perished is unknown, but I really can't get rid off the feeling they are actually still alive but hiding their existence for some reason, even if it was just a small number of them. I mean, fake hilsman was alive. There could be more of them alive!! :/

Did the ws being reborn as a Thames have something to do with that? I mean, it was mentioned that ws and sg were just being used by the hunters. And it was also mentioned that different hunter households weren't on good ties. Could they have tried to use the ws (krs’ very original body) to cause problems to them?

Another thing is that, do you think ws was supposed to be the head of the Thames household or something? I mean, that way he could mess with them more, and remember that time when Jour regained the other half of her power, she suddenly asked Cale if he wanted to become the head of their fam. Was it just because Cale now had her complete AP?

The way people always thought kimcale's demeanor was like a lord always had me thinking about this. I'm probably just overthinking but the thought is too exciting to ignore sjdkdhskls

And assuming that my hypothesis is right, do you think Cale would get to meet ws' parents? Would they look like krs’s parents? Are they even alive? How many years ago was the ws born anyways....

If the earth 1 timeline is the same as lcf and krs' 36 years equaled the ws' last body's age, then there is a possibility that they could be alive, albeit really small since it was said that the thames household is no more, and since the ws' curse might've already killed them.

Henitoksu did say that 2 years of lcf= 2 weeks on earth1, but that's after the regression happened. The flow of time in lcf might have changed for the last 2 years, since they're after ogcale regressed.

I want to believe that they (ws' parents), it they knew that their son's nody was being posessed by the ws, at least knew that roksu was living a good childhood with caring parents. He had happy memories with caring parents, lonely souls who found solace in each other.

[idontknowmyownmind]

There are a lot more Thames survived. They might be a small family, but many, those greedy for power, want them. It's because they are a family blessed by Gods. Each one of them have abilities that it said to be powerful, some even say that the powers are omniscience and/or omnipotence.

Each member have different ability, some might similar but never the same. In one generation, only one may have certain types of power. Only when they die, others member might be born with that certain power. There are never more than one member have same spesific power in a same generation.

Cale never know his family from his mother side. But, he know one person. It's his distant cousin who work as a maid in his house. No one but him and his mother know that they are related. Thames might be known to have red hair (an AU where someone born with red hair is most likely have Thames blood run in them), but there are cases when they don't. But all of them have same eyes color. Mixed blood Thames are likely to not awaken their power, it's very rare to happens.

Thames' abilities can be used by other people. How? There are two methods. The first method is by consuming the blood of the Thames who has the power you want. But it's only work temporarly depends on the abilities and the amount of blood consumed. The second method is by transplanting a Thames' heart into your body. But this method is very risky because Thames is not your ordinary human.

Cale power has things to do with time. That's why he is able to regressed and transmigrated and it's not a one time thing.

While his cousin's power has something to do with multiverse, where she can jump from one world into another. But only world similar to her birth world. Which mean other version of it. Usually, in one world can't exist two same soul, but with her power it's possible.

And it's possible for her to got all the information of the world she is in (how? Idk, she just do)

She can't jump to other world different than hers unless there is someone tied with her in that world. Meaning she can't jump into any earth or other world not tcf other version but she can jump into earth 1 since Heniroksoo is there.

But, since earth is added into her list because of Heniroksoo, she can jump into another earth but with many limitation such as she can only stay for few days at most

So, team 1 know that KRS (Heniroksoo) doesn't have any blood relative but one day, there is one girl who suddenly appear in their daily life and seems so close with their team leader.

What if, before the current LCF, there are many similar worlds where GoD and Nellan Barrow attempted to help?

They made many guide books from different perspective and picked different helps that started in many different points but it never work out. With the help of Cale's cousin, they attempt to safe the worlds many times

Until it's a succeed in the current LCF with the guide book, The Birth of a Hero, and the help, Kim Rok Soo

Remember that Cale's ability has to do with time? Yes, yes, Cale already regressed amd transmigrated into other bodies many time but he never remember any of it. He only has fragments of those memories he brushed off as dreams and so fast to forget.

Oh! The cousin jump world with only her soul and not her body. The body is being keep safe in one of those worlds and only Cale who know the location. He doesn't know know, but if he truly attempt to find it then he will surely find it somehow

Imagine, Cale who already done with the war and hunter bullshit can't get his slacker life because this damn cults popped out of nowhere and try to kidnapped him multiple times asking where is a body of someone is being keep as if he know it, wtf?!

After many attempts, they finally realized that Cale is not Cale and they need to find out where his original world is so they can bother Heniroksoo (they face this type of situation multiple times already)

Okay, I'm gonna stop here... idk how I should continue this... sorry 🗿

@skyeyeager I know that it's probably very different with what you have in mind, I try.. you may add your thought on it or how you want it to go 😔

[accenderesposts]

Tbh, I like the idea of actual reincarnation than transmigration

I'm just saying this because in a lot of isekai that I've seen, they just get transported to another world rather than actual reincarnation.

In the case of transmigrating to a villain, there's little internal conflict because of the fact that the person inside is a completely different person, like Llyod Frontera from The Greatest Estate Developer.

For Llyod and KRS!Cale, they have little issue in establishing bonds with the characters because of the fact that they're not actually the villains they were known for (especially Cale). Take their new families for example, Llyod and KRS!Cale have no issue communicating with their new parents because they personally have no misgivings against any of them, unlike the originals.

That's why I like the AU idea of KRS and Cale being the same person.

Because if OG!Cale regained his memories as KRS, he would have a lot more internal conflict, especially in regards to communicating with his family and even Ron, who was by his side since he was young.

I hope this makes sense I was kinda sleepy when typing this. 😅

I did some searching and found that the only isekai that seemed to fit my preference is "I'm a Villainess, so I'm Taming the Final Boss". Because the protagonist, Aileen, is not a transmigrator. She remembered her past life from dreams and is also the original Aileen rather than replaced with another soul.

[anne-the-insomniac]

More plot bunnies by I, who hasnt succumbed to the temptation of being a writer.

There is no set limit of fandom. I just go blink and it is here.

The bunnies.. oh god.

1. Chuuya as Cale.

- rather than KRS within it is Chuuya inside of Cales Body or sharing the same body like halfsies of the time within the body.

- At day its KRS at night it is Chuuya! Maybe..

- Both likes alcohol? Yes.

- Both red heads? Absolutely

- Both rich? Verily.

- You can mix in a Dazai in there... Maybe as Alver? Or as Barrow...?

2. Percy Jackson Harry Potter

- Child of Death (Thanatos) or Child of Magic (Hecate) Harry Potter.

- Main cast of Percy Jackson in there but with the addition of Harry Potter.

- Maybe with Ron and Hermione in the story.

- Child of Athena or maybe Child of Coeus Hermione?

- As for Ron I don't wanna change anything since the weasley family is great and the fact I seemingly can't decide a God that may fit in the moment..

3. Fullmetal Alchemist & Harry Potter crossover

- Ed somehow someway gets in the harry potter universe but during the time of Tom Riddle.

- Maybe through a deal with Truth or Amestris being a some type of undiscovered country.

- Ed may help Tom by stopping him with making horcruxes with Tom having a fascination with Ed because HE CAN TECHNICALLY MAKE HIM IMMORTAL.

- Make them rivals? Friends? LOVERS? FRENEMIES??? Any of these can fit actually.

- Rivals due to Ed being able to learn anything in a couple of months so him challenging Riddle with the golden good boy spot.

- Friends with them both being research buds. Ed is still rude and Tom still just wants knowledge from Ed. ( i dont think this is even friendship but sure.)

- Lovers two intelligent bastards with one of them wanting to be a inmmortal politician and one is a military man. Lovers out of convinience or actual romance? Who knows maybe Tom is using Edward as basically a way of gaining popularity within amestris and Ed using Tom as a way to learn more about the wizarding world.

- Frenemies with them equally hating eachother and will attempt to outsmart eachother but will assist when needed. Need a giant snake to get rid of a asshole sacrifice the said asshole to the basilisk call your good great annoyance Tom. Need knowledge to make yourself a immortal politician with power? Call Edward and hope he teaches you. (He will mostly likely wont but if he does you probably wont need to split your own soul.)

- Grindelwald is also yknow still there so maybe him and Dumbeldore as the main antagonists with minor ones called wizard racism.

[blueteller]

Thought Experiment: In a world with no transmigrator Cale, who could make the best use of Cale's Ancient Powers?

Buckle up, people, you're in for a long ride with this one!

(Warning: lots of head-canons and theories and AU ideas!)

This question occurred to me due to reading many "reaction fics", where the premise is that "The Birth of a Hero" timeline's heroes watch "Trash of the Count's Family" timeline.

If Cale did not transmigrate, but other characters – such as Choi Han, Alberu, Raon et cetera – knew what is to come and teamed up together to save their world... who could use the Ancient Powers to their full potential instead of KRS!Cale?

Let's discuss the first possibility: that a single person would inherit all of the same powers as Cale; or at the very least, the 5 elemental ones. APs such as Vitality of the Heart, Dominating Aura, Annual Rings of Life, Blood-Drenched Rock or even the quasi-Ancient Power that is Fire Suppressing Water combined with the Absorbing Necklace could end up in someone else's possession, in that scenario. Because the ability to Embrace APs belonged originally to Lee Soo Hyuk, and in this TBOAH AU timeline, he wouldn't be giving it to Cale or anyone else, so those additional APs would be harmful in the long run to the user.

(You might be wondering – it should be impossible to get the 5 elemental APs without the Vitality of the Heart, right? There's a way, however. Super Rock has the ability to stall for time in case of a person's plate being close to breaking. So in theory, if Super Rock was the second power taken, it should be possible to balance out the person's plate without Vitality.)

So, keeping all this in mind, let's look at the candidates for possessing the 5 main APs, first.

Choi Han is the most obvious one. As a Single-Lifer, he has a huge plate to work with. Once he balanced out his plate, there should be no problems for him using the APs to their fullest potential. Assuming he got the financial backing from Alberu, he could get all the APs, including the Fire of Destruction. After the expensive fortification, taking a test of character on the Wind Island – which he would certainly pass – and running some errands such as delivering bread or fighting a lake... Choi Han could, in theory make great use of Cale's APs. Even though he wouldn't get along so well with some of the APs as Cale – like sharing the Fire of Destruction's greed, or the thief's love for looting... Choi Han is a brave soul, with a vicious streak and a strong sense of justice. The APs would all willingly support him, and Choi Han is quite smart combat-wise. He could face the White Star with them head on and probably win without issues – provided he had someone with the Annual Rings of Life & the Vitality of the Heart by his side... but that's for later.

But that is the most obvious choice. What about possible candidates for the 5 elemental APs combination?

Let's look at Alberu, first. Since he had the Star of Healing, it's obvious that he's capable of using APs. The darkness attribute might clash.... however, maybe that could be balanced out as well? The opposite of darkness is light, isn't it? And who has the light attribute AP that could potentially help in this?

(Assuming that's how it works, of course, and that the light attribute wouldn't imply kill him, instead. Because I'm not sure which one would happen, but for this premise to work, I'm running with the hypothesis of light and dark balancing each other out instead of harming the user.)

That's right: Bear King Sayeru has a light attribute Ancient Power! And one quite powerful at that!

Assuming the TBOAH cast could, with their foreknowledge, corner Sayeru, steal his light AP and balance out Alberu's plate to make room for more attributes... what would Alberu with 6 Ancient Powers be like?

For one thing, Alberu would become the undisputed leader of the whole war. With other characters like Choi Han and Rosalyn supporting him in leading assaults and armies, he wouldn't need to be everywhere in person at once, just like Cale didn't need to use his powers on every battlefield. The APs would give Alberu the strongest political backing he could have, without Cale being in the picture.

For another, Alberu with 5 APs would be the scariest opponent imaginable to the White Star. Immune to dead mana, yet possessing a light attribute at the same time, he could essentially have no weaknesses. In addition, his ability to use magic and Highest Grade swordsmanship would make him an extremely scary combatant, just like in canon. Alberu could be the only person able to over-power the White Star on every possible field, and MORE. The heritage of the Crossman family being descended from the original White Star would make this premise especially spicy.

So we got Choi Han and Alberu as pretty decent candidates. Who else is there?

What about Rosalyn? That is assuming that the APs wouldn't be extremely deadly in clash with her magic, of course.. Let's say she would have to also acquire the Vitality of the Heart for this, since I can't see a way for her to be able to use magic and APs at the same time with no consequences.

Rosalyn is very intelligent and ambitious. She's also intuitive and extremely creative where it comes to using powers. She could make great use of the Fire of Destruction, she would probably have little trouble listening to the instincts provided by the Sound of Wind, and of course, she had the selfless mindset of a person able to use the Super Rock.

(I'll consider matching individual APs with Rosalyn's character later, as there is quite a lot to unpack there.)

Rosalyn with 5 APs would be the ultimate contradiction for the ideology of the Whipper Kingdom's rebels. It could be quite a useful tool in politics. Furthermore, she'd have no trouble creating her own Magic Tower, and turning it into a symbol of resistance. She'd flatten all of the White Star's mages in record time by herself. As for fighting the White Star himself... I think she'd stand a decent change in such a scenario. She has the mindset most similar one to Cale, after Alberu. She'd be very sneaky and clever about it. I think Rosalyn could eventually beat the White Star on her own, provided that someone with the Annual Rings of Life pointed her in the right direction.

So we considered a Sword Master, a Magic Swordsman, and a Mage for candidates. What about a Beast Person or two, for a change?

(We know for sure that Beast People can use Ancient Powers, since the Bear King Sayeru had one, and it had nothing to do with animal transformations.)

Let's look respectively at what Lock and Witira would be like, if they got the 5 APs.

Lock's main challenges would be his young age, soft temperament, and lack of experience. However, those obstacles can be overcome by time and training. What if Lock had the time to both gain the APs AND get use to them? Choi Han could provide technical instructions. Under Alberu's mentorship, he'd be able to learn using his head and strategize. And Rosalyn would provide the emotional backing and courage.

Lock's personality doesn't match the Fire of Destruction, or the Sound of Wind. However, he'd get along great with the Shield, as well as the Super Rock. Despite his timid demeanor, he is the type of person to push forward, no matter what. Assuming he'd be able to become familiar with the APs sufficiently in time for him to face the White Star...? He could truly be a force to be reckoned with.

However, it's clear that Lock wouldn't be anywhere near the top on the list as a candidate for the 5 APs. No one would actually want to put such a burden on his shoulders.

But, what if we took someone a bit older? Someone stronger and far more experienced, both in training and actual combat?

What about Whale Crown Princess, Witira?

With her natural water affinity, I'm not 100% sure if she'd need all 5 APs, actually... but for the sake of the premise, let's accept that she would still need all 5 elements, just like the rest of the candidates.

Witira would be physically far stronger than the White Star. Having solid 200 years of combat experience is no joke, either – she might not be as old as Cale Barrow, but she could definitely give him a run for his money without the APS being involved. Combine that with her whip proficiency, as well as the mastery of combat APs, such as the Shield or the Spear or the Super Rock... she'd be easily as scary as Alberu.

Of course, Witira's temperament would probably clash with several APs, such as the Fire of Destruction and the Sound of Wind (out of all cast those two are truly the most compatible with KRS!Cale, as this exercise shows). But she's so strong-willed, she would definitely tame those wild powers to her will. Even the dislike of fire wouldn't stop her from using the Fire of Destruction to her full potential, when faced with dead mana. Remember, Witira doesn't care for land life as she cares for the ocean. She probably wouldn't care too much about burning down some places.

Personally, I would place Witira above Rosalyn in the ranking. That leaves us with Choi Han being the top candidate, followed closely by Alberu, then Witira, and then Rosalyn and Lock.

Now, let's get to the funny possibilities:

...What about Toonka?

Yes, I'm taking Toonka into account – despite his character in the beginning definitely being lacking, considering the APs characters. Let's assume that in this AU, Toonka wizens up without Cale being involved. He learns compassion from the rest of the casts and understands the value of comrades, even the weaklings

Toonka was never best fitted for the Sound of Wind. In TBOAH, he probably never used it much. However, that might change a bit, if he got the full set of 5 Ancient Powers.

Assuming Toonka was preparing to face the White Star head on, APs versus APs, Toonka would probably figure out a way to make all the powers useful. Remember, Cale remarked that despite being generally dumb, Toonka had very sharp instincts and combat intelligence. He wouldn't have surprised as a leader of an uprising without those things.

There's quite a lot of hand-waving in this scenario, but let's assume Alberu could deal with other general, strategic parts of the war against the White Star, just like Harol took over that role in canon where it came to politics. The others would work on the sides, but Toonka powered with the 5 APs would be the one to clash against the Final Boss and distract him, before someone with Annual Rings of Life would be able to finish the job.

Toonka would be... terrifying. He'd be chaos incarnate. Unlike other people on the list, such as Choi Han, Alberu, Rosalyn et cetera, there'd be nothing holding him back. He'd unleash the full aggressive potential of all the APs, especially the Fire of Destruction. He'd probably get hurt quite a bit in the process, but he'd recover. Toonka is one resilient bastard, pain really doesn't bother him – he only cares about the thrill of combat.

(It would make him a huge problem AFTER the White Star got defeated... but that's another story.)

At the very least, where it comes to efficiency, Toonka would be right on the top, somewhere between Witira and Rosalyn, I believe.

Another funny candidate – Bud Illis.

Bud would be only able to get 4 APs, due to already possessing a wind AP himself. But even so, he'd be a scary opponent for the White Star. Not as scary as Choi Han, mind you, since Choi Han is stronger than Bud in pretty much every area, due to being over a century old and a Single-Lifer.

However, Bud Illis has something Choi Han doesn't have... and that is the Mercenary Guilds.

Picture, for a moment, Bud Illis and his army of Mercenaries from all over the Eastern Continent, versus the White Star and his Army.

In this scenario, Bud would be the perfect distraction. While Bud dukes it out with the White Star – and even if he wouldn't be QUITE as strong, he'd still be a pretty tough opponent – and the Mercenaries handle the White Star's main forces, the Roan Kingdom forces and allies could smack the White Star on the back quite efficiently. He probably wouldn't know what hit him, before someone with the Annual Rings of Life finished him off.

There could be other characters fit for the role of the main 5 APs holder, but none of them would be higher on the list than Bud, I don't think. For example: Mary could potentially wield the APs alongside the Light AP, just like Alberu. But it would likely hinder her own style of combat the process, which is using dark threads and controlling bones; both of which require great focus and precision. And while Ron and Beacrox with 5 APs could be very interesting, their main strength was never open combat, but stealth and sneak attacks. They would work much better as support in the shadows, rather than the enemies to focus on. Having 5 APs would kind of destroy their true potential.

Now that we got the "5 main APs together" premise out of the way... Let's try to find the best match among the TBOAH cast for each of the APs. Since it's impossible to have 2 elements at a time without consequences, if a character doesn't get all the 5 APs together, they can only pick one at a time.

Let's start with the Indestructible Shield.

The most obvious candidate would be Lock, since he showed his talent with Shield Arts in canon. That seems a bit cheap of an answer, however... It definitely wouldn't suit other main characters, though. Choi Han's aggressive style of combat isn't very compatible with how the Shield Works. Rosalyn already has her own shields. Alberu would have the same problems as the previous two, except twice as much, due to being a Magic Swordsman AND a dead-mana user on the top of it. The Shield would be also too flashy for the Molans.

Someone else came to my mind, however... two people, actually.

Firstly, what would you think about Litana?

Litana's character would fit the Shield quite a lot. Her role as the defender of the forest creatures would prove the Shield to be very compatible with the Queen of the Jungle, as well. Litana could have protected the Jungle from dead mana the same way Cale did so in the canon. Not to mention, she's as strong as Toonka in combat, and extremely fast and agile – especially when combined with her panther Ten.

The second candidate in my mind would be Princess Jopis.

Jopis has weak powers as a shaman, which are connected to nature. While it's possible it counts as an elemental attribute on its own (personally I never got that impression) – if it had to have an elemental attribute to it, it would probably still be wood. Which would make Jopis able to use her powers and the Shield without a clash. Her situation would make the ability to neutralize dead mana with nature extremely useful, especially in conflict with Elisneh and her river of dead mana.

So if I had to rank it, I'd put Litana as the top candidate for the Shield, then Lock, then Jopis.

Next, we have the Sound of Wind.

While Toonka got it in canon, it was clearly a poor match. The Wind AP provides agility, as well as instincts to seek out divine and ancient artifacts, neither of which could be explored by such a simple, brash person as Toonka.

It also doesn't fit Choi Han, Lock or Rosalyn, or even the Whales. None of them are really subtle fighters, more like power houses who need to run wild to make full use of their combat potential. Adding some extra speed wouldn't make a big difference for them, I believe.

My first take would be the Molans, obviously. Ron is already scarily agile without the power, so the Wind AP would make his stealth twice as scary. Same with Beacrox, even though his style of broadsword fighting is different than his father's.

My second thought would be Dark Elves. They already have the elementals on their side but someone like Tasha with the Wind AP? That would be a scary combination... She has all the stealth ability needed, the sneaky mindset, and her alliance with a Wind Elemental would make the Sound of Wind potentially twice as powerful, when it comes to creating whirlwinds.

There's also, once again, Bud Illis. Who could have 2 APs with the same attribute. As a sneaky Mercenary and a Swordmaster, he would definitely make good use of the Wind AP.

I've toyed with the idea of Pendrick as well, since he doesn't have an elemental... however, Pendrick the healer doesn't really strike me as the type to steal things. I think it would be a poor match, in the end.

That would make the Molans (especially Ron), Bud, and Tasha my top picks for the Sound of Wind candidates.

Next, there's the Fire of Destruction. And ohhh boy, isn't that an interesting one when you consider the possibilities.

Perhaps Alberu could have that AP, if it could balance itself out with the darkness attribute. He's certainly rich enough to get it, even though he'd definitely hurt from the loss... of money. But while Alberu could make good use of it from a strategic point of view, it wouldn't really match his position as the "kind, charismatic leader". This kind of fire would make people only afraid of him, unlike if he had all the 5 APs to make himself to main hero. It would fit better in the hands of someone like Choi Han... except Choi Han's personality doesn't quite the Fire AP. Rosalyn would probably be the best pick out the main cast... but I have someone better in mind.

I believe the one to fit this power best would be Hannah.

Hannah has literally the personality of a raging wildfire. If she could balance out her darkness attribute with the Fire AP – or if she could get it before getting poisoned by dead mana, and avoid having the darkness attribute altogether – she could make great use of the Fire of Destruction. She could face the Empire's Golems head on, and it would match her role as the "Holy Maiden of the Sun God" extremely well (despite Hannah disliking the title and rejecting it in canon). Add the Condemnation of the Sun on the top of it, and she'd be Black Magic's biggest nightmare.

Another interesting pick would be Mary... Mary can be subtle, but the Fire of Destruction in her hands would be a very interesting thing. She'd be able to control dead mana in all aspects; in the sense of absorbing it or purifying it at will, depending on circumstances. She'd also make a fascinating public figure for the Western Continent, as a contradiction of being a Necromancer who has the attribute of Light at the same time. Like the inverted second coming of the Queen of Death: perhaps people would call her "the Queen of Life".

So, I'm putting Hannah and Mary as my top picks, even though it probably wouldn't work in canon. Rosalyn could be third, as long as her being a Mage wouldn't be an issue at well (which canon isn't extremely clear about).

Fourth AP to discuss: Super Rock.

Super Rock is the most universal one out of the main APs, I believe. Any of the main cast could definitely make a great use of it. As long as the person is heroic enough to be willing to sacrifice themselves – which is easily 90% of the TBOAH hero cast... Choi Han would be extremely proficient with it. Same with Lock. An interesting option occurred to me, however, when I considered priestess Cage and Taylor Stan.

Cage is quite the chaotic character. I even briefly considered if she could be a good candidate for the Wind and Fire APs. However, for some strange reason, she felt a bit too subtle for the Fire, and too brash for the Wind. She feels... somewhere in the middle for me. A strong-headed, surprisingly sneaky person, yet as steady as a stone. Cage and Taylor are quite similar in that regard.

Once it occurred to me that those two could be AP users as well... Taylor, perhaps, wouldn't want to be directly involved in fighting, despite knowing martial arts. He's more of a political leader type. But Cage? She would certainly be willing to help out. She's sneaky enough to get captured on purpose in order to free other hostages. With that in mind... I think it would depend on circumstances, but if the Super Rock ended up in either of their hands, they could do crazy, amazing things with it. I think Super Rock would have approved of both of them. But Cage would be a better AP user, in the end.

So Choi Han, Lock, and Cage are my main picks, surprisingly.

Out of the main APs, we finally get to the Sky Eating Water... and let me tell you, that's a hard one.

I think it's mostly because out of all the APs, it comes with a clear recommended weapon affinity: spear. While Choi Han could definitely handle it, it doesn't strike me as very fitting. Same with Lock. Rosalyn and the Molans are definitely out.

Alberu is definitely an interesting candidate due to his skills, but Taerang would suit him much, much better as a spear of choice. Not to mention, there's no knowing how compatible a Water AP would be with his attribute.

Speaking of compatible with water...

A water power would fit Witira quite nicely as a Whale Beast Person, but her weapon of choice is a whip... Then again, she's not the only Whale around. So perhaps, Archie would have been a better pick? He's definitely aggressive and wild enough to fit this power. It could also be Paseton, I suppose, depending on how his spear-fighting skill compares to Archie.

Then there's Litana, although I still think that the Shield would be a good pick for her, her combat style definitely fits the Water AP.

In the end, I'd put a Whale (either Archie, Paseton or Witira) as the top candidate, then Litana, Choi Han and Alberu. Alberu's a last resort, however. Overall, Archie would probably be the best bet though.

FINALLY, we went over the main APs... but it's still not over.

We still have the Vitality of the Heart, the Annual Rings of Life, the Dominating Aura, the Blood-Drenched Rocks, the Absorbing Necklace and the Fire Suppressing Water to consider.

I'll be frank with the first two: they have to be a pair. No matter how hard I try, Vitality has to be used to stop the White Star with the World Tree Dagger. And the Rings have to direct the Vitality user to stab the White Star in his weak point. So either the two APs work together closely as comrades, or they belong to the same person.

The only person who can have the full power of the Annual Rings of Life is Cale Henituse, however. If KRS doesn't transmigrate, then it has to be the original one. The reason for it is because Jour made the test in such a way that only her close relative – aka. her son – would be able to inherit half of this power. The other half that the White Star took COULD belong to someone else, I suposse... but even so, the first can only belong to Cale. There can be no other.

Vitality itself is useful, but due to being a human power, which is neutral attribute-wise, it can belong to pretty much anyone. The necessity of it being used against the White Star, however, makes it so that it has to stay close to Cale, the Annual Rings user. So either Cale gets both powers – both Vitality and the Annual Rings – or Cale helps out the person with Vitality to use the dagger of the World Tree. There really are no other options in order to make this TBOAH-saves-their-world-without-KRS!Cale premise work, really...

The Dominating Aura... has to be Alberu's. I'm sorry, but it's like the power was created for him. It has to be in the hands of a scammer.

Even though just like Vitality, pretty much anyone could use it in theory... no one else would use it as well as Alberu. For Choi Han it would be especially useless, because he already has a powerful aura as a Swordmaster – aside from when facing the White Star directly, but even then, he wouldn't really need it.

Blood-Drenched Rocks in a very interesting AP, though. Cale has limited contact with it, in canon. But it's strongly implied that it has demonic influence. This power, just like the Sky Attribute, likely originated from the Demonic World, unlike all the other APs. That means that whoever gets this power, has to have a very strong will, humility, and immunity to the power of death.

And strangely enough... the top 2 who come to mind are either Alberu, or Mary.

Once again, Alberu having this power would be delightfully ironic, considering who his ancestor it. Mary, on the other hand... I feel like out of all people, this power would truly be safe in her hands. Mary would never be tempted to abuse it. She would use it only in the time of biggest need: in the main battle against the White Star, just like Cale.

So, Mary is definitely comes as my top pick, and Alberu is second. No one else really comes to mind, as I definitely don't think Choi Han would be able to keep this power in check as closely as it needs to be. Too much darkness inside his heart, et cetera: it's the story of the Black Despair all over again.

We went through all the actual APs. And at last, we come to the Fire Suppressing Water, and the Absorbing Necklace.

The reason I list those two separately is because they ARE separate. In canon, combining them into one power was Cale's idea. Which was a very good one, too! However, that doesn't mean they need to stay that way. The Fire Suppressing Water is a good component on its own, capable of bestowing complete fire immunity; as it happened to Toonka in the TBOAH timeline. And the Absorbing Necklace's potential is truly limitless, as it was able to convert a small puddle in to a river's worth of water easily. Just think of how much potential it holds, for example, absorbing dead mana. Or the power of the elementals. Or On's mists, or Hong's poisons.

For that reason, I truly think that it would be the most useful for the two kittens. This necklace in their hands could potentially amplify their abilities to a truly stunning degree.

As for the Fire Suppressing Water... out of all people, I think Rosalyn, Rex and Raon would be able to figure out the best use for it. Remember that seed from the magic tower, capable of storing the power of nature? Just imagine: human magic, alchemy, Dragon magic AND the power of nature combined??? Absolute madness would follow. The Empire's pathetic flames would never stand a chance.

So, here's my overall ranking:

Out of all people, all 5 APs would be best fitted for Choi Han. Which isn't surprising at all. While others could do it, his plate and age definitely make him the obvious choice.

However, in case that Choi Han wasn't chosen gather the 5 APs – which would be fair, that's a huge responsibility no one should be forced to have on their shoulders... Here's what I think would be the wisest choice of distributing the APs.

The Shield AP would fit Litana the best.

The Wind AP would become the greatest asset in Ron's hands.

The Fire AP would be amazing in Hannah's possession.

The Super Rock AP should be Choi Han's in the end.

The Water AP would fit shockingly well with Archie.

The Vitality and Annual Rings should both end up with OG Cale. Defeating the White Star is the endgame, after all, and we got no other way to destroy a reincarnation’s soul in canon.

The Dominating Aura has to be Alberu's, because it being wasted in the hands of someone who's NOT a scammer... That would be a crime.

The Blood-Drenched Rocks should be placed safely in Mary's hands, as she's the one most suited to resist its temptations.

The Absorbing Necklace should be used by Hong and On to amplify their attributes, or by the Dark Elves to collect dead mana – especially dead Dragon mana from the swamp. It could be used for both in one timeline, too.

The Fire Suppressing Water should be studied by Rosalyn, Raon and the rest of our beloved mad scientists, to create weapons against the Empire's alchemy.

...What do you guys think?

[salaapaoo]

"It's not fair that we laughed together yet you cried alone"

I saw this on TikTok, thoughts?

I'm doing a big think... And it might be a stretch but it makes me think abt like krs!Cale and og!Cale ,, but maybe that's because I'm like , obsessed w them

But like

Just ?? Imagine krs has this underlying guilt that he got to have so many things and so many people that cherish him ?? After coming to understand that og!Cale was just misunderstood and trying to make himself worthy of love in his own way.

-

Their villa was filled with life, petty bickering and the sound of laughter ringing out into the halls. Cale had excused himself for a brief escape, closing himself off in his room for a few moments to settle himself.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy their company nor was it what he didn't want to be there. He felt... guilty.

What about Cale Henituse?

He had made the most out of it after waking up in the body of a character from a novel he read. He knew the first few volumes of the book quite well, and the owner of the body that he took over... was shallow. Cale Henituse, written as a drunk bastard there to ensure the meeting between Choi Han, the assassin, and his son. There was nothing more than Roksoo could do other than take whatever the author had fed him. There was nothing more to the character. Cale Henituse was a pebble swallowed by the rapids of the storyline, when others were boulders making ripples with their existences.

But then he had the chance to meet the man. The man whose words were uncouth, yet elegant. Whose actions were brash and violent....

Yet he couldn't find it in himself to dislike the character. No matter how trashy his past actions were or how harsh his words would stab at people, Roksoo could tell. There was something more. Something that the author failed to tell him.

To him, Cale Henituse was not just a shallowly written minor villain. He became more than that.

He sees it in the way the man's eyes never reflected the same disgust, and he sees it in the way he would care for others in his own.. round about way.

He was horribly misunderstood.

(Roksoo knows... After all, he and Cale are definitely kindred souls).

He could see it in the way Cale's family still loved him unconditionally, carefully wading through murky water to try to pull him away from whatever kept trying to drown him. Their eyes were wary, but despite all that, they were happy. Happy to just have the chance to be around him.

(he felt so guilty soaking in their love when they held on for so long in hopes of reaching Cale Henituse).

How was it fair? That he was able to build a family of his own using the burnt remains of the original's relationships as foundation.

Cale Henituse had treaded water for hours on end, trying to keep himself afloat without bringing others down with him. He was so blinded by the panic and adrenaline that he could not see how his family tried to save him. Instead, he set everything he had aflame in hopes of keeping himself warm.

All of the tantrums and all of his trashy behaviour were just fronts to keep his family from going down with him.

Roksoo could understand Cale ever so slightly. He understood the need to keep others away to protect them from himself.

So how was it fair that he and his family could laugh together, when Cale Henituse had cried alone?

Roksoo had opened his eyes one day and taken this life and moulded it into whatever he wanted. He had greedily taken the opportunity to start anew, uncaring of the previous owner because for all he knew, the man was trash.

He wasn't. He was scared. Cale Henituse was so, so painfully misunderstood.

He was a child. A child who tried to keep the flames going to warm his family. Whose hands became charred and blistered from desperately trying to keep those burning embers from dying.

Cale Henituse was a man who loved his family so much that he chose to push them away to bear the brunt of whatever forces so that they could live easily.

And that made him so guilty.

Roksoo had it all while Cale gave it away, only keeping one thing to himself.

And that one? The soul of his passed mother? Does not even remember him.

"Human?" Raon's voice broke him out of his thoughts, the little dragon's round head pushing into his arms.

Right. He was Cale now. They were celebrating.

"was I gone for too long?"

"yeah, I came to get you!"

"mm, thank you"

thank you thank you thank you... for giving me this chance, Cale Henituse.

[pendwelling]

Favorite tcf headcanon you never told anyone about (or you did)

OH MAN.

Choi Han with monolided eyes.

Sometimes when I draw Choi Han or the Soos I would look into the mirror and think about using my own eyes as references, and that got me thinking about Choi Han falling into the TBoaH world which is vaguely European-inspired, and how the idea of him being the probably only Asian-looking person in this world is just so interesting to me. Choi Han already doesn't belong to that world, so the idea of his appearance further distinguishing him apart from this "novel" world is just—interesting? I like Choi Han being visibly a foreigner. I like him being drawn with ethnically east asian features. I watch TV and see typically Caucasian features and compare them to mine— my nose, my skin colour, my monolids, all so very Asian. If youre Asian and have stood in room full of white people, lemme tell you haha, you definitely feel how much you stand out—you can also see it, too! I love the diverse features us humans take, and I love the monolids that are so common amongst my ethnic group.

Choi Han being South Korean is so important to his identity, and while features are of course diverse in every ethnic group, there are as well large common traits as well, and I just think him with monolids would be so neat to that aspect of him. In a character design standpoint it's just so good, too! The webtoon doesn't show this, and though the art is incredibly beautiful ofc, sometimes I find myself wishing Choi Han's design had that little detail—so minuscule but so significant haha!

Also imagine Kim Rok Soo waking up in Cale Henituse's body. Local South Korean man wakes up in the body of a white European man—the fact that the guy has accepted his situation so quickly really speaks of his mentality (and we all know how his backstory went for him to grow into such a person :')) but STILL.

I also like to think that, as the only South Korean-looking person in the entire world, KRS, as Cale, probably finds a bit of comfort just looking at Choi Han, perhaps. A small reminder of home—maybe he even shares the same eyes as Choi Jung Soo! And since I am unable to hold back my choicale soul, I also like to think that Cale would probably call Choi Han's eyes beautiful at some point. Probably offhandedly, or maybe in a rare show of quiet tenderness—and in response Choi Han would smile very brightly, his eyes crinkling softly at the corners, and he'd call Cale-nim beautiful too (to which Cale would ofc deadpan at hahaha and Choi Han would follow up by saying that KRS is beautiful too! CJS' memories definitely seem to agree)

I definitely went on for a bit too long but yEAH SKSJFKSKDK that's pretty much it! As an artist and a writer, this is definitely one of my biggest and favourite LCF headcanons that I have 🛐

[jesuistrefatugie]

Fuck it. I'm talking about this.

So we have

Cassandra(Callie) Thames

OgCale

And KRS

In this Au, OgCale was born a woman but crossdressed because she wanted to be a he. His feeling of gender dysphoria only grew with the death of his mother. Deruth ended up completely ignoring Cale, even debating sending him away because he was so much like Jour/Drew.

Eventually, everyone is led to believe Cale is indeed a man, despite still having the genetics of a woman. Only Ron knows about this.

KRS is the first to transmigrate, realizes his situation but is like 'meh, doesn't change much' not realizing what he now has to deal with every month...

Callie- or the one who becomes Callie- comes in a few days after KRS. In her past life, she was the middle child of a family. She was an artist, but often had her work stolen by her younger sibling while her older didn't really acknowledge her.

She comes from the same world as KRS, and her ability is similar to Choi Jung Soo. She has tattoos on her arms, the left is red, and the right is black. They are of dragons, and can turn into dragons.

The reason she transmigrated is that her family actually worshipped the God of Death and often prayed to him. She prayed to get out of her current... Undesirable circumstances. Since the GoD has favorites, he sent her too the TBOAH/TCF world.

He didn't expect her two dragons to absorb the souls of KRS and OgCale though...

Oops?

The three inhabit the same body, but can't use each other's abilities. OgCale can only use the Annual Rings of Life, which they get early on because OgCale figured out this was his peculiar experience with time, KRS has his fuck-ton of Ancient Powers plus his abilities, while Callie has her dragons. Or now KRS and Cale, as she can summon them, but now the other two control them.

Their plates are also in a wacky situation. They are exactly fused as one would think. A portion of them is shared between the other two. So they're overlapping, not completely fused, but not completely separate. As time goes on though...

OgCale takes control a lot in the start, acting like his trashy self while also doing the tasks KRS told him to do. KRS takes control during important operations, like reaching Raon and during the bombing.

Callie is in control whenever they're alone, or with the kids. KRS and Cale are basically taking a break during this time. Callie is good with kids.

She also takes control once a month because the other two either don't want to or can't deal with the pain.

But once the war starts KRS is in control a lot more. Cale only comes out when they both agree to fuck someone over, or during noble meetings because all three hate them. Cale drew the short end of the stick with that.KRS got the pointy end

Callie is in control when KRS faints, so their body isn't left somewhere in enemy territory or who knows where. She also picks up painting again. But, since she also has some fighting experience KRS lets her do some of the planning too. Her plans may not be as outrageous as his, but they get the job done.

Poor puppy boi Choi Han is a mess when he finds out. Not one, but two?? In the same body??? And one of them is a woman??!!? Cale-nim is a woman??!?

He's so confused someone help him

KRS explains their situation... In dragon form... With OgCale right next to him...

The trio's cover story for everyone else is insanity. OgCale went mad with grief to the point his mind split into three. Himself, a side that mirrored his mother, and a side that was his idle self.

The kids can tell who's who immediately.

Everyone else takes a while to realize this

OgCale eventually fully surrenders his body to Callie and decides he's a dragon now. He can do whatever he wants. He gets his own body, a male one, from the Gods as compensation for dealing with this entire mess. And because he got screwed over in the original deal.

KRS permanently evicts a Radish from his body. Everyone now has to get used to the White Star walking around and being their headache inducing Commander.

Callie takes on the Thames family name, and presents KRS as the sole survivor of the family. Cassandra Thames enters the scene and gives Alberu a heart attack with a Red Dragon and the White Star when she introduces them as her Cousin and Uncle.

Ron, Eruhaben, and Deruth now have to fight off two continents worth a of suitors vying for Cassandra's hand in marriage.

In short: This Au is a giant beautiful fucking mess and I love it