This compilation lists all real-life events related to the Korean novel, 백작가의 망나니가 되었다 (Lout of Count’s Family), in chronological order, but limited to the Korean and English-reading audiences.
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The novel was first released as a free-to-read series on Munpia, a Korean web novel platform, under the title, 백작가의 망나니가 되었다 (I Became the Trash of the Count’s Family) by the author, Yoo Ryeo Han, under the Korean publisher, Chungeoram. It had a Mon-Sat release schedule of 6 chapters per week.
The novel became a pay-to-read series, owing to its popularity, as announced by the author on May 25. Its first cover illustration featured Cale and Raon.
Image 1. The first cover illustration of the novel.
The novel won both the Grand Prize and the Popularity Award at the 4th Korean Web Novel Contest co-hosted by Munpia and the Korean Popular Literature Writers Association. The author received a total of 105 million KRW (~$76,000), a plaque, and other special benefits.
Image 2. Yoo Ryeo Han (right) posing for the Grand Prize winner photo. The old woman in the left is either the author's relative or a contest holder representative.
“When I first started writing, it was a very difficult time for me, both physically and mentally, so when I heard about this contest, I decided to participate,” said Yoo Ryeo Han, the author of “I Became the Trash of the Count’s Family”, the grand prize-winning story, ”I won a great prize through this contest and it was a turning point in my life. I am grateful to Munpia for providing such a great opportunity.” Source: Munpia. (2018, July 31). Munpia Holds the 4th South Korean Web Novel Contest Award Ceremony. NewsWire.co.kr.https://www.newswire.co.kr/newsRead.php?no=873212
The novel was serialized on Naver Series, a Korean web novel platform.
WuxiaWorld, an English web novel translation publisher, began an English fan translation of the novel under the title “Trash of the Count’s Family” with MiracleRifle as the translator.
The novel was serialized on RIDI, a Korean web novel and ebook publisher.
The novel was serialized on KakaoPage, a Korean web novel platform.
The author announced a temporary hiatus because her mother had an accident, so she had to take care of her mother who would be undergoing surgery.
The novel was serialized on Joara, a Korean web novel platform.
The author announced a temporary change of the release schedule from 6 chapters per week (Mon-Sat) to 5 chapters per week (Mon-Fri) for 3 weeks. This was because she wanted to devote more time to taking care of her mother whose surgery went well. She also thanked her readers who left well wishes for her and her mother.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because she had to take care of her mother’s hospital paperwork and stuff.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because she caught a cold. She also wished her fans a Happy New Year.
The author announced a temporary change of the release schedule from 6 chapters per week (Mon-Sat) to 5 chapters per week (Mon-Fri) for the next 2-3 months. She stated it was because of a temporary change in her work environment.
The author posted a brief character profile on Munpia.
Link: https://novel.munpia.com/113612/page/1/neSrl/2290020
The author announced that she would maintain the 5 chapters per week release schedule. She said that her mother’s full recovery and rehabilitation kept getting delayed, and there were also some personal matters, so she needed 2 days off a week.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because of health reasons.
The author announced a 5-day hiatus because of headache and fever. She went to the hospital to get herself checked, and was diagnosed with meningitis.
The release schedule was permanently changed from 6 chapters per week (Mon-Sat) to 5 chapters per week (Mon-Fri). The author said that she wanted to improve her health as the previous release schedule tired her out.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because of health reasons.
The author announced a 4-day hiatus because of health reasons.
The author announced a 3-day hiatus because of personal reasons and body aches.
The 2nd cover illustration of the novel was released, featuring Cale, Choi Han, Raon, Ohn, and Hong.
Image 3. The second cover illustration of the novel.
The author greeted her readers a happy new year, and also joked about her wrong estimation of the novel ending soon in 500 chapters.
The author posted a note in celebration of the novel’s 500th chapter. She answered a few fan questions, and insisted that her dream was not to be a slacker.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because of a stomach ache. She also greeted her readers who recently celebrated the Lunar New Year holiday.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because of health reasons.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because of difficulty in writing. She said that she was suffering from pain in her lower back, wrist, and fingers, making it hard for her to type on her right hand.
The author announced a 5-day hiatus because of health reasons.
The author announced a month-long hiatus because of family circumstances, which left her in not a good mood for writing.
The author announced a 1-month hiatus because of family circumstances. She stated that one of her family members was sick, and this was a very long-term battle, so she wanted to stay by their side until they had fully recovered.
The release schedule was permanently changed from 5 chapters per week (Mon-Fri) to 3 chapters per week (MWF). This was in relation to her sick family member’s situation last June 29.
Copin Comics, a Korean webtoon publisher and studio, first announced its webtoon adaptation of the novel.
Season 1 of the webtoon adaptation of the novel was released on KakaoPage and Copin Comics’s own website, with PAN4 as the artist.
The official English title, “Lout of Count’s Family”, made its first appearance in the event prizes given by RIDI. These prizes were stickers and cell phone ring holders featuring Raon, Ohn, and Hong. One needed to purchase 30,000 KRW worth of chapters to qualify for the event.
Image 4. The stickers and cell phone ring holders given in the event.
WuxiaWorld announced that it would cease its fan translations of the novel because the author herself turned down their offer to officially translate the novel in English, despite the fact that WuxiaWorld and Chungeoram were in the middle of negotiations.
Eat Apple Pies, a fan translation site, continued the English fan translation of the novel, with permission from MiracleRifle to host in their site the already-translated chapters that were in WuxiaWorld.
Adar Terra, a personal blog, began posting English chapter summaries of the novel starting from Part 1 Chapter 630.
Copin Comics released the official English translation of the webtoon adaptation under the title, “Lout of Count’s Family” on its English website.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because of personal reasons.
The novel won 2nd place in the 2020 Best Awards of Munpia.
Link: https://www.munpia.com/page/bestawards2020f
The author announced a month-long hiatus because of family, health, and personal reasons.
TappyToon, an English webtoon publisher, also released the official English translation of the webtoon adaptation on their website.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because of personal reasons.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because of personal reasons.
The 3rd cover illustration was released for the novel, featuring Cale and Kim Rok Soo.
Image 5. The third cover illustration of the novel.
Season 1 of the webtoon adaptation of the novel ended.
The author posted a note in celebration of the novel’s 700th chapter. She also hinted that she was working on a paperback version of the novel.
COWON started a crowdfunding event on Tumblbug, a Korean crowdfunding platform, for a Korean mobile game adaptation of the novel, with the game title of “Plop”. Various official merchandise could also be obtained, depending on which item set the sponsor would purchase. Merchandise included in-game coupons and items, stickers, postcards, and acrylic stands.
Image 6. Preview of the mobile game adaptation.
Image 7. Acrylic stands of Alberu, Cale, and Choi Han given to sponsors who sponsored more than 65,000 KRW ($47.10).
Link: https://tumblbug.com/plop_story
The author announced a 3-day hiatus because of health reasons.
The crowdfunding event ended with 376 sponsors, raising 33,763,000 KRW (~$25,500) and surpassing its funding goal of 20,000,000 KRW.
Season 2 of the webtoon adaptation of the novel began.
The author announced a 4-day hiatus because she lost her laptop while outside and spent her time looking for it. Fortunately, she recovered her laptop back.
The Korean mobile game “Plop” was released by COWON. It followed a Visual Novel (VN) approach with dating simulation elements. Players could select different stories to play with, and these stories were mobile game adaptations of popular Korean novels. Lout of Count’s Family was one of the stories a player could select. Plop could only be downloaded on QooApp, and was Korean-only.
Part 1 of the novel ended at Chapter 776. It was also announced that 7 side stories would be released at the end of every month, and Part 2 of the novel would begin on July 1, 2022.
The 1st of 7 side stories of the novel was released.
The novel won the Grand Prize in the Fantasy Web Novel category at the 2021 RIDI Web Novel Awards. Link: https://ridibooks.com/event/37133
An English version of the mobile game “Plop” was released under the title, “IFyou:episodes-love stories”, by PIER Corporation. The English mobile game adaptation of the novel could be played if one selected the “Lout of Count’s Family” story.
Image 8. Promotional image of the game showing the multiple stories one could play with.
Pocket Comics, an English webtoon publisher, released the official English translation of the webtoon adaptation on their website.
Bilibili Comics, an English webtoon publisher, released the official English translation of the webtoon adaptation on their website.
A special side story was released to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the novel’s serialization.
Chungeoram announced a crowdfunding event for the Korean hardcover books of the novel, beginning on June 13 and covering Part 1 Chapters 1-200 in 5 volumes.
Link: https://blog.naver.com/chungeoram_book/222726296248
The crowdfunding event began on Tumblbug. Various official merchandise could also be obtained, depending on which item set the sponsor would purchase. Merchandise included posters, postcards, washi tapes, etc.
Image 9. Preview of the hardcover versions of the novel, and two posters featuring Cale and Choi Han.
Link: https://tumblbug.com/henituse
Part 2 of the novel began.
The crowdfunding event ended with 4,785 sponsors, raising 788,666,000 KRW (~$596,000) and surpassing its funding goal of 15,000,000 KRW.
Copin Comics renamed itself as Terapin Studios. Their English branch continued to be called Copin Comics.
Season 2 of the webtoon adaptation of the novel ended.
Sponsors of the crowdfunding event began to receive their hardcover books and official merchandise.
Copin Comics, the English branch of Terapin Studios, announced that it would be shut down by November 30. The official English translation of the webtoon adaptation would be continued by TappyToons.
Copin Comics officially shut down. Terapin Studios continued its service as the Korean webtoon publisher and studio for the webtoon adaptation of the novel.
The author announced a week-long hiatus because of health reasons.
Plop, the Korean mobile game adaptation of the novel, was terminated.
LaLatoon, an English webtoon publisher, released the official English translation of the webtoon adaptation on their website.
The author announced an almost 2-weeks long hiatus because of personal reasons.
IFyou:episodes-love stories, the English mobile game adaptation of the novel, was terminated. PIER Corporation stated that it was because they could no longer afford to pay server maintenance and labor costs.
Adar Terra announced that it would discontinue posting summaries for the novel after receiving a DMCA notice from RIDI who asserted that writing summaries itself was illegal.
The author announced a week-long hiatus because of personal reasons.
Season 3 of the webtoon adaptation of the novel began.
RIDI announced that it would release a Korean ebook adaptation of the novel on August 21. They also held a RIDI-exclusive event on July 31 to August 2 where fans could ask the author their questions.
Link: https://ridibooks.com/event/57453
RIDI released Volumes 1-5 of the Korean ebook adaptation, covering chapters 1-117 of Part 1. They also had a limited-time event where those who purchased Volumes 1-5 as a set would get discounts plus an Author Q&A as exclusive content. The Author Q&A had 26 questions answered by the author, and was based on the fan questions they gathered in their past event on July 31.
Image 10. Cover of the Author Q&A released as a RIDI-only exclusive content.
The author announced a 1-day hiatus because she caught COVID-19.
Tapas, an English webtoon publisher, released their official English translation of the webtoon adaptation on their website.
RIDI released Volumes 6-9 of the Korean ebook adaptation, covering chapters 118-200 of Part 1. They also had a limited-time event where those who purchased Volumes 6-9 as a set would get discounts.
The author posted a note in celebration of the novel’s 1000th chapter. She thanked her readers and also joked about the novel reaching 2000 chapters.
The Korean ebook adaptation of the novel won the Grand Prize in the Fantasy ebook category at the 2023 RIDI Awards.
Bilibili Comics announced that it would be shut down by February 29.
Bilibili Comics officially shut down. The official English translation of the webtoon adaptation remained on the other webtoon publishers.
DAYcomics, an English webtoon publisher, released the official English translation of the webtoon adaptation on their website.
Lezhin, an English webtoon publisher, released the official English translation of the webtoon adaptation on their website.
RIDI released Volumes 10-18 of the Korean ebook adaptation, covering chapters 201-398 of Part 1. They also had a limited-time event where those who purchased Volumes 10-18 as a set would get discounts plus an LCF Modern AU Character Checklist as exclusive content. The checklist had 39 situations that described which character would likely be fit or do something in that situation, but in a modern alternate universe (AU) setting. Two new cover illustrations for the ebook adaptation were also included.
Images 11 and 12. On the left is the new cover illustration for ebook volumes 1-9, featuring Cale alone. On the right is the cover illustration for ebook volumes 10-18, featuring Cale and Raon.
Seven Seas Entertainment, an English novel publisher, announced that it had acquired the license to officially translate the novel in English, under the title, “Lout of Count’s Family”. It would be released in September of 2024 in paperback and ebook versions.
Season 3 of the webtoon adaptation of the novel ended.
Seven Seas Entertainment announced that it would release an English audiobook version of the official English translation of the novel. No release date had been given.
Seven Seas Entertainment released volume 1 of the novel's official English translation in paperback and ebook versions. It was also revealed that Seven Seas bought MiracleRifle’s fan translation to use in their official translation, and credited MiracleRifle in their print details.
Image 13. Cover illustration for volume 1 of the English adaptation of the novel.
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Seven Seas Entertainment will release the official English audiobook of the novel's volume 1 on this date. It will be narrated by Nick Martineau and produced by John Marshall Media.
Volume 2 of the official English novel translation will be released on this date.
Volume 3 of the official English novel translation would be released on this date.
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Creating this list was quite a huge task for me. It also made me appreciate the author's hard work, given that she had to write the novel while having family and health problems.
This list was limited to the Korean and English-speaking audiences because finding information about official translations of the novel or webtoon adaptation in other languages was difficult, especially researching the exact dates.
Some personal bias was also involved in the creation of this list. Adar Terra should actually not be included here because it was a fandom thing and not an official one. Unless you count me getting the DMCA notice from the official publisher as an "official" thing. 😂
And that's it. This list will continue to be updated as more official events happen. If you know of other official events related to the novel that I missed, please share it in the comments! Thank you! 🥰
//spoilers from chapter 662
ories = single-lifers (Choi family)
Immortals >> frequently called to solve problems in different dimensions because they do not impact other souls. (None in TCF) (PR: So far.)
Variables =
Reincarnators (White Star)
Transmigrators (Kim Rok Soo, Cale Henituse)
Regressors (Cale Henituse)
> Reincarnator: Pushes out the soul that is supposed to take a body and is born with the memories of their past life and the soul that is pushed out is born like a twin in a different dimension. The reason the White Star looks like Kim Rok Soo is because he pushed out Kim Rok Soo who was supposed to be in that body.
> Transmigrator: Pushes out a soul that has been living in a body and forces in a different soul; the soul that is pushed out has no choice but to go into the empty body of the invading soul. Basically, it causes chaos to the soul.
IM GOIN INSANE, PERHAPS WACKY, ONE MIGHT EVEN SAY CRAZY, IM LOSING MY MIND, MY MARBLES, MY BANANAS I AM FALLING OFF MY ROCKER SO TO SPEAK
CALE WAS ORIGINALLY FROM 'BIRTH OF A HERO' WORLD????? AND HE FUCKING TRANSMIGRATTED BACK???????? AND WHITE STAR IS CURRENTLY USING HIS BODY NOW???
Everytime i think i get used to all the bombs the author throws at me, something like this happens
Cale: Your highne—
Alberu: Cale, faint
Cale: But your hi—
Alberu: Cale
Cale:
Cale: *sees toonka and Litana running*
Cale: *proceeds to fake fainting*
Recently reread the scene where we see Yoo Joonghyuk's interaction with Jang Hayoung for the first time and?? Holy shit?? Like, there's literally no other explanation. This man is jealous Kim Dokja made friends and plans with someone who wasn't him.
Like yes, Jang Hayoung pissed him off with her way of speaking immediately, but there have been ruder people. Why was it on sight for her? Why is he so sour over them just chatting? Kim Dokja is like "Hey look! Isn't this guy super useful (for us)?" and Yoo Joonghyuk is like "I'm better than this jerk." Jesus christ.
Edit: Some posts may be deleted
Character Arcs
Making Character Profiles
Character Development
Comic Relief Arc
Internal Conflict
Character Voices
Creating Distinct Characters
Creating Likeable Characters
Writing Strong Female Characters
Writing POC Characters
Building Tension
Writing Grumpy x Sunshine Tropes
Intrigue in Storytelling
Enemies to Lovers
Alternatives to Killing Characters
Worldbuilding
Misdirection
Consider Before Killing Characters
Foreshadowing
Emphasising the Stakes
Avoid Info-Dumping
Writing Without Dialogue
1st vs. 2nd vs. 3rd Perspective
Fight Scenes (+ More)
Transitions
Pacing
Writing Prologues
Dialogue Tips
Writing War
Writing Cheating
Worldbuilding: Questions to Consider
Creating Laws/Rules in Fantasy Worlds
Connected vs. Stand-Alone Series
A & B Stories
Writing YouTube Channels, Podcasts, & Blogs
Online Writing Resources
Outlining/Writing/Editing Software
Losing Passion/Burnout
Overcoming Writer's Block
How To Name Fantasy Races (Step-by-Step)
Naming Elemental Races
Naming Fire-Related Races
How To Name Fantasy Places
Character Ask Game #1
Character Ask Game #2
Character Ask Game #3
1000 Follower Post
2000 Follower Poll
Writing Fantasy
If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking...
Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?
Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?
Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?
Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?
Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist's choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren't immediately obvious?
You know, when I see fictional characters who repress all their emotions, they're usually aloof and very blunt about keeping people at a distance, sometimes to an edgy degree—but what I don't see nearly enough are the emotionally repressed characters who are just…mellow.
Think about it. In real life, the person that's bottling up all their emotions is not the one that's brooding in the corner and snaps at you for trying to befriend them. More often than not, it's that friendly person in your circle who makes easy conversation with you, laughs with you, and listens and gives advice whenever you're upset. But you never see them upset, in fact they seem to have endless patience for you and everything around them—and so you call them their friend, you trust them. And only after months of telling them all your secrets do you realize…
…they've never actually told you anything about themselves.
Part 1
Cale sits on Alberu’s bed.
This… feeling, of his memories and feelings all contradicting. It’s a little disorienting.
His hands are dirty, but he knows they’re clean. He could lay down and roll around on the princes bed, but his memories show a blatant disregard for what the prince thinks about what he does, yet he knows that he has respected and cared about the prince for a long time-
So what is it? Does Cale secretly respect him? Is his disregard an act? No, it’s not. Disrespect is… a way to show respect? To hide his respect?
Cale develops a headache. There’s a lot of new information in his mind, rolling around like a thunderstorm, and it’s really starting to hurt.
His hand caresses the side of his head, and he aims his face into his lap, a frown forming. It… hurts.
It hurts.
Hopelessness drags on his new and good emotions. It hurts. He- he hates pain. His hands tremble.
Alberu watches Cale, unsure what could’ve happened to cause him to start crying. With a shaky mind, Alberu walks over to the frozen child sitting on his bed, making extra sure that his footsteps create noise. God, scaring a child? Scaring Cale? That would be a nightmare. He wouldn’t know how to handle it at all.
Despite Alberu’s desperate wishes, Cale is deep in his subconscious, overwhelmed by a self-induced headache.
So when Alberu reaches over for the boys shoulder (like how Cale would comfort everyone), Cale flinches. Hard. He throws his body to the side of the bed and pulls his arms up to his chest, staring up at Alberu’s figure.
Now, the Prince isn’t stupid. He knows what a flinch means, what it implies. Then why- he fumes- why is Cale of all people showing these responses? How bad did he have it in Korea?
So, while Cale lies on the bed and stares, Alberu decides that he’s too tired to deal with this. This is incredibly annoying. This is- fucking depressing. He hasn’t slept for two days and suddenly being forced into babysitting duty is grating on his nerves.
He walks away to order the nearest servant to deliver cookies to his room, while he starts to brew tea. When the boy on the bed has a clear head and Alberu has some more strength, he’ll consider asking what’s wrong.
Bringing the tea over to the bed, Cale stares at the cups.
“Dongsaeng?” Alberu sits on the bed next to Cale, who stops laying down. “Do you like sweet tea still, even when you’re like this?”
Cale pinches his lips together. Forgoing a verbal response, he nods his head to the question and starts to reach out.
‘Dirty’
‘Careless’
‘Irresponsible’
His hand freezes, and goes through a dozen calculations. Should he ask to grab the cup? He wouldn’t normally do that, no. Should he act more like an ignorant child, not as mature as he feels? Should he ask what he should do?-
Alberu watches the emotions that flit across the young face. They are all incredibly subtle, as if he’s used to being so insecure but hiding it underneath a layer of confidence. Alberu relates to it on an uncomfortable level.
He almost expects the kid to ask if he should take the cup, but Cale firms up his face and decides to disrespect the Crown Prince anyway by grabbing the cup and taking a big sip of it.
Good, Cale reasons, looking at Alberu’s face. He’s not mad, like he predicted. He’s learning the limits of the people he trusts because, while he’s in this different body and has this smaller mind, people will react unpredictably. Anticipate violence, prepare for rejection, and accept whatever he can get his hands on. His old lessons from when he was a kid float into his mind, and they provide a comfort that none of his older memories have given him yet.
They sit in silence, sipping on tea and observing each other. The other children are disturbingly quiet, but they aren’t crying or angry. They’re just… watching. Raon seems to be the most restless, while On and Hong wait from a distance.
Those three children recognize the signs of abuse the most. Ever since he opened his eyes, they could see it all. The hesitation. The fake confidence. The awkward tense-relax-tense game that Cale is playing in his mind. Like he’s trying to convince himself that he’s in a safe place, but it’s so hard to believe that he instinctively goes back to base one whenever he succeeds.
They’re going to launch their ‘attack’ in a few minutes, but only after cookies. A servant quietly brings in a tray, keeping her eyes very specifically on the desk she needs to leave it on. Raon still turns him and the kittens invisible for the brief time she’s there, but she looked so focused that she probably wouldn’t have seen them had they been sitting right next to the crown Prince. On applauds her in her mind.
Cale keeps his mouth shut. The last thing he should do right now is talk. He knows when he isn’t welcome, and while the (fond?) exasperation from the prince is not quite the same as Cale is used to, it’s close enough. He plans to stay quiet and do nothing. It’s dangerous to think about anything else.
What if he ruins his companionship with Alberu forever? That would be- bad. For when he’s able to be big again, of course. It would be… what’s the word?
Inconvenient.
Cale doesn’t feel 7 years old anymore. His mind has been growing, in a weird way. Like he’s subconsciously fighting against the curse by maturing his mind at a faster rate. He can think a little more clearly, analyze a little more precisely.
He finishes his tea and puts it down. He’s tired.
‘Dirty’
‘Disgusting’
‘Filthy’
He looks down at his hands. He turns his palm over, examining it. He sighs in relief. Clean. He’s clean right now.
He’s startled by a red ball of fur pressing its face into his open palm.
“Hong?” His voice is soft, open just like his palm.
Hong purrs, and Cale falls for the distraction. He sets out to pet the kitten who is so innocently asking for them.
All of a sudden he hears Alberu shout from his side and a flash of black streaks across his vision. He looks up, but then On has transformed into her human form and the 12 year old body is stronger than it should be, with how easily she grabs the 7 year old and throws him by the pillows.
Cale barely finishes bouncing from being thrown when he gets crushed by Raon.
“Human!”
Cale opens his eyes and looks up at the blue eyes peering down into his soul. “Raon…”
Raon cuts him off, resting part of his weight on Cale.
“We’re having naptime! Majority vote! You have to sleep, human!”
Cale frowned. He hadn’t had any cookies yet.
Raon interprets him wrong, and suddenly Cale is being thrust into Alberu’s arms. “Adults are always the best at cuddling! We’re leaving you to our most experienced member so you get the full package! Alberu, don’t let Cale go.” His words leave a chill in Cale’s body, and he resists the urge to shudder.
Then he realizes that Alberu’s arms had really tightened around him. Cale squirms, because, what? Why can’t he just cuddle with the kids?
The answer becomes abruptly clear. Cale, smooshed against Alberu’s chest, surrounded by two human cats and a dragon who insisted that he lay on top of the pile- discovers that, while Raon could use magic to restrain him, the human with long arms is just more effective at restraining people comfortably.
Cale pouts. He didn’t get any cookies.
Ron, Beacrox, and Choi Han arrive at the princes room. Ron was worried about him, while Choi Han was concerned that he wasn’t adjusting well. Does he feel safe? Has he eaten? Is the fact that they aren’t in Korea making it difficult? Meanwhile, Beacrox is just angry at a lot of things right now.
They found the demonic worshipper, but after torturing information out of him, they realized that Cale is in the Demonic God’s hands now. Killing the demonic worshipper doesn’t even break the curse.
They had run into Bud and Glenn while investigating, naturally. The merchant king had offered all of his resources to track down the culprit, which helped somewhat in finding him. Glenn offered them a quick teleport back to the palace, and they accepted.
“Young master-“
“Cale-nim!-“
“My friend! Sob!- um?”
Ron, Choi Han, and Bud speak all at the same time. They all pause however, at the sight of Raon glaring at them intensely. A transparent black shield covers a lump of bodies, and Glenn recognizes it as a soundproofing spell. He gets goosebumps at the mana swirling around the rest of the room dangerously.
Choi Han felt stunned. It has been a long while since Raon pointed his wrath at anyone in their family. What happened?
Ron then smiles, a chill covering the room instantly. “What are you covering, little dragon?”
Raon uncharacteristically stays silent. He looks like a real dragon at this moment, all cold glares while he drapes himself over his hoard.
Then Choi Han puts the dots together. The Crown Prince is missing, documents unfinished. The kittens can be vaguely seen on the side of the pile that Raon is laying on, and if he’s correct-
Cale is in the center.
Choi Han’s eyes sparkle at the opportunity in front of him. Bud takes a careful step away from him, but he’s not paying attention to that.
Choi Han loves small cute things. What’s more cute than a bunch of his favorite, small cute people (minus Alberu, who isn’t small, that he suspects is in the back) in a big cuddly pile?
Cale murmurs in his sleep, feeling an icy chill on the back of his neck. Someone’s plotting against him.
He becomes unsettled, pushing lightly against Alberu’s arms in protest to the sensation. Alberu, who has fallen into an incredibly deep sleep, just tightens his arms. Cale decides to ignore the feeling, after getting that slight ‘scolding.’
His mind, which had become around 9-10 in the short time that he had been thinking intensely, quiets. He allows himself to be comforted, and doesn’t notice the way his mind falls into that of a 8 year old during this nap.
He breathes softly, falls deeper into his sleep, and can’t feel the curse settle over his mind.
Choi Han fails in his attempts to sway the dragon to let him see. Raon, smarter than your average 6 year old, understands what Choi Han wants and what Cale wants, and that Cale should get what he wants right now. Privacy. Raon becomes even more determined to protect Cale while he’s in this younger state.
He’s vulnerable.
The dragon in him growls at this. Everyone in this pile has been abused. He doesn’t know much about Alberu, but he saw the understanding glint in his eyes, so Raon determines that the Crown Prince is also under his protection.
Do the people outside their bubble understand that? Do they think that his human just happened to land in the middle of the pile, blocked from the world’s eye?
Raon huffs at Choi Han’s antics, ignores Ron’s vague threat, and summons a second shield over the soundproof one, this one solid and not transparent.
The human told Raon that it’s okay to be selfish. He wants to hold their little group closer right now, and he doesn’t want to share.
Cale flinches in his new, deep sleep. Raon lays his head back down on the pile, using magic to keep his human the perfect napping temperature.
He curses that he can’t do more right now.
Finally, someone talked about Ralsei and Susie's friendship! Compared to Susie and Kris, their friendship may seem subtle to the point of overlooked but it makes all the difference once you notice it!
Something I like about Susie and Ralsei's friendship...he's not afraid to get mad at her.
Her, a Lightner, and furthermore, a hero of prophecy.
And what's better is that this is how Susie wants it.
Ralsei handed her the opportunity to treat him like a servant on a silver platter, and she rejected it wholesale.
And alongside being able to get mad at her, he acknowledges she has faults...
...but he appreciates her as a person. She's actively teaching him that it's okay to have faults, and that you can still like someone who has faults.
Susie is trying hard to have an equal relationship with someone who was inclined to be worshipful of her, and it's working - and both of them are better off for it.
Reasons Cale Henituse is the funniest motherfucker:
*People cheering for him in the streets* Hm. Don’t like that.
His self-proclaimed speciality is just disassociating on command
Someone: *helps him* Cale: *sighs* I guess I have to solve every problem you’ve ever had
When learning a language, memorised all the swear words before anything else
“I don’t like cats,” says Cale, holding two kittens tenderly, plotting a rebellion to instate a third cat as the new emperor
Single father of *checks notes* uh… 3 to 14 children,
All he wants is to retire to the country; can’t stop getting into international incidents
His relationship with the crown prince is basically: *points at each other* Bastard
Keeps telling people not to trust him while saving their asses from certain destruction
This loser thinks he’s ‘quiet’ and ‘good at keeping still’
Cale: *smiles gently* Everyone: oh god stop What the Fuck
‘Accidental Baby Acquisition’ trope but it’s ‘Accidental Family Acquisition’ and they’re all agents of chaos
“I heard you got hurt,” says a concerned child. “Yes, I coughed up blood.” Cale comforts, comfortingly.
[Girl hits on him] No thanks [Guy hits on him] No thanks
Everyone: you’re a good person Cale: incomprehensible, have a terrible day
Named his adopted son, a dragon, ‘Dragon’
Tells people to drink tea before pulling out something that will make them spray it everywhere like a cartoon
*to a 13 year old* No you can’t train to become a knight you’re too young *to a 5 year old* Alright tonight we’re gonna blow up an island and participate in the slaughter of half a race make sure to protect me well
His entire fucking backstory, like what? What???
Raon: I’ve only had this human for an hour and a half but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone on this continent and then myself Cale: That’s terrifying please stop talking
Never thinks, at any point, to tell anyone that he has a healing power
He’s THE most extra bitch. Orchestrates his b&e’s like he’s conducting an opera, always plans for maximum Dramatic Effect
*The crown prince doesn’t help in a terror incident* That’s fine because he’s weak. *Finds out he’s strong actually* Bastard??????
Gives his kids an extravagant allowance. Doesn’t let them spend it and buys everything for them instead
‘I should have just got beaten up’, Cale thinks, war waging around him. ‘That would be far less annoying.’
So I was wondering why Susie would think Toriel would have handcuffs just lying around in her kitchen drawer…
…but I remembered, Toriel used to be married to the town Police Chief.
That could explain why Susie is so nervous and formal around Toriel. How does one even conduct themselves in the home of a Police Chief’s wife?
Susie seems a little wary of being told to drop and do pushups or something.
At the same time, she likes Toriel quite a lot. Toriel seems to have left a strong, positive impression on Susie at some point.
Toriel and Susie met a long time ago, and don’t seem to have met since.
Susie remembers her from back then, but Toriel doesn’t remember Susie - she only knows who Susie is because Alphys talks about her.
It’s possible that Toriel might have helped a much younger Susie out of a bind with the Hometown police at some point, as the wife of the Police Chief at the time. Maybe she was found as a runaway from a nearby town?