https://www.tumblr.com/applefishcake/816563394792620032/about-the-last-ask-on-cals-protector-instincts
i’m gonna respectfully half-disagree with this anon
i don’t think his relationship with gideon is an indicator that he doesn’t care about his close friends. although i do agree that he’s charming enough to make the average person feel closer to him than they actually are.
i think his nagging is an intrinsic part of his character that isn’t just about… care. it’s a trauma response. he has no sense of self preservation, but he’s always on the look out for danger. i can totally see him mumble about some idiot driving too recklessly and going on a tangent about how dangerous it can be BECAUSE he imagines his loved ones in that situation immediately
he’s a walking contradiction who plays by his own set of principles, but that doesn’t mean he shies away from telling you you’re being stupid. i think you’re right in the sense that he definitely doesn’t care about others the way he would his loved ones, but that’s the thing—he still acts like it. that’s why he’s the golden boy. the nicest guy around. he likely gives the best advice and actually listens. because that’s how he’s conditioned himself to be. he’s always had to be the parental figure. the protector. the only thing is that people can mistake that for closeness, when to him, that’s just who he is. there aren’t any emotions attached to his kindness.
he IS a bitch to gideon 😂 but only because they’re actually close. like vy said i think—it’s the opposite. because he’s close, he’s scared to reveal that he actually cares. so he acts like a bitch to create distance. but ofc his friends can tell he cares. that’s why they’re his friends.
with mc… in my mind he’s still mostly performing. because he’s always been performing with her, he’s never been honest with her. the only difference is that there are emotions behind his actions. which is why they veer from “mature” to “immature idiot who is doing too much”. so i can see him performing on a lower scale with others too—which includes being the “reliable” one. which i agree would give people the wrong impression about their closeness. kinda like… hes very excessive when he actually cares. so his “normal” is just… the average… very caring person. until ofc his colonel persona kicks in. then he’s someone else entirely. but that’s once again, another performance.
to me it feels fair to headcanon that he’d nag strangers too. it’s like second nature. he’d also nag a stray dog for eating too fast. that’s just who he is 😂 that has nothing to do with his emotions.
These are some great points anon! i definitely agree with you on the gideon aspect---i think caleb is just kinda bitchy/playful to his closer friends when he's not literally in love with them lol. even with mc he did a lot of terrorizing when they were kids (just teasing, but still), and it tells me that man is literally the most annoying person ever (lovingly)
i also do think his nagging is kind of a trauma response. tbh i think half his habits are trauma responses and it's a miracle that he's as high functioning as he is.
"i can totally see him mumble about some idiot driving too recklessly and going on a tangent about how dangerous it can be BECAUSE he imagines his loved ones in that situation immediately" oh my god he's so nagging mom core ik he stresses about shit he should NOT be stressing about loll...it's sad because we know WHY he's such a parent but also endearing because at the end of the day, it really is just how he is
i feel he definitely has a lot of different masks for different scenarios as you said anon! and deep down he's just a mess...infold did a big one writing him he's so complex muah
dunno if half of this makes sense i'm half asleep so sorry in advance!
