Locked Garden

Dokja: fully believes he is not a good person, thinks his sacrifices are meaningless since he has a plan to come back (even though the price is to feel extreme pain both physically and emotionally and experience death). Does not see value on his life and its only a bargaining chip for the future

Cale: also thinks he is not a good person and rather, a really bad one (trash). Does not wish to die or feel pain and frequently expresses that, which is why he believes himself to be trash. But at the sign of things going south, he will absolutely welcome the pain and bear all the responsabilities if it means making it easier for others

Han yoojin: as the others, doesnt think he is a good person because of his "ulterior motives" of approaching people, but he does not notice how he puts himself in danger and gives others so much. He believes these things were absolutely normal to be given if someome was on his shoes (its not)

Trouble finds Han yoojin

Cale finds trouble

E.A. Deverell - FREE worksheets (characters, world building, narrator, etc.) and paid courses;

Hiveword - Helps to research any topic to write about (has other resources, too);

BetaBooks - Share your draft with your beta reader (can be more than one), and see where they stopped reading, their comments, etc.;

Charlotte Dillon - Research links;

Writing realistic injuries - The title is pretty self-explanatory: while writing about an injury, take a look at this useful website;

One Stop for Writers - You guys... this website has literally everything we need: a) Description thesaurus collection, b) Character builder, c) Story maps, d) Scene maps & timelines, e) World building surveys, f) Worksheets, f) Tutorials, and much more! Although it has a paid plan ($90/year | $50/6 months | $9/month), you can still get a 2-week FREE trial;

One Stop for Writers Roadmap - It has many tips for you, divided into three different topics: a) How to plan a story, b) How to write a story, c) How to revise a story. The best thing about this? It's FREE!

Story Structure Database - The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points;

National Centre for Writing - FREE worksheets and writing courses. Has also paid courses;

Penguin Random House - Has some writing contests and great opportunities;

Crime Reads - Get inspired before writing a crime scene;

The Creative Academy for Writers - "Writers helping writers along every step of the path to publication." It's FREE and has ZOOM writing rooms;

Reedsy - "A trusted place to learn how to successfully publish your book" It has many tips, and tools (generators), contests, prompts lists, etc. FREE;

QueryTracker - Find agents for your books (personally, I've never used this before, but I thought I should feature it here);

Pacemaker - Track your goals (example: Write 50K words - then, everytime you write, you track the number of the words, and it will make a graphic for you with your progress). It's FREE but has a paid plan;

Save the Cat! - The blog of the most known storytelling method. You can find posts, sheets, a software (student discount - 70%), and other things;

I hope this is helpful for you!

- Both died and woke up in a weak body

- Both of them have life goals are to live happily and peacefully

- Both protect their people above all else

- Unintentionally become the leader of an interspecies group of stupidly powerful people

- Seen as weak but also stupidly powerful

- Strategist supreemes.

- (season 2 spoilers for TIRS) Fair in a fight until you touch their people and then it’s gods rage upon you

Lady Henituse | Masterpost

— pairing » Cale Henituse/Kim Rok Soo x OC/Reader

— summary » Cale Henituse has a wife. A fucking wife. And as far as Kim Rok Soo knows, ‘Isabella Henituse’ did not exist in the ‘Birth of a Hero’. Much less a wife.

— warnings » cursing/swearing, angst, fluff, (more to be added)

— status » soon.

Prologue » Isabella knew enough that the man in front of her is not her husband. Not the Cale Henituse she knows.

The irony of how Cale TALKS versus how Cale ACTS

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

Choi Han

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

Raon Miru

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

Alberu Crossman

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

Toonka

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

Queen Litana

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

The Sun Twins

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

Basically Every Other First Meeting

yeah sure, there's gonna be no "hello", "how are you", "my name is--". we're jumping straight to the seggs. also idk how to do breeding kinks.

transported!reader btw :D it's for the plot.

WARNING : SEGGS. NSFW CONTENT.

what did og!cale tell to kim rok soo regarding his wife when they talked together?

— pairing » Cale Henituse x Reader

— warnings » none.

— genre » fluff???

— summary » I don’t understand my fiancé.

— note » inspired by Horimiya chapter 81; A Homely Sadist and the Son of a Baker.

I don't understand my fiancé.

Even though he tells me that I understood him more than anyone else.

He’s strange, But he’s intelligent as well as sly.

I guessed that he developed that after the experiences he had.

He tells me that he doesn’t like physical touch but when I hug him he doesn’t refuse me. Instead, he embraces me back.

I like it when he holds my hand.

He wasn’t one to initiate. But sometimes, just sometimes. There were times where he’d be the one to make the first move.

That makes me smile.

He makes me smile.

My fiancé confuses me.

He tells people not to worry about him, and yet he’s coughing blood with a pale expression.

I sometimes scold him for that, but when I do he just tells me that ‘I’m okay’ and then he looks at me with a weird expression.

Why am I the weird one?

Right. He really confuses me.

I don’t get my fiancé.

He says that he doesn’t like lemon tea, and yet he still continues to drink it whenever Ron brings it.

They say that he doesn’t have emotions, but they just don’t know him enough.

That angers me. The people judging my fiancé. It angers me so much. But then he stops me, saying that ‘It’s okay. I’m trash after all.’

But that wasn’t okay for me. It will never be okay for me. They don’t know him. They don’t know how gentle, how soft, how absolutely loving my fiancé is.

But whenever I’d retort back, he’d stop me.

And yet, whenever someone insults me or the others, he immediately had that look and tells me, ‘I’m going to smack them at the back’ with a glint on his eyes.

I don’t get him.

Why do you not let me—let us defend you when you so willingly to do it for us?

Although after some talking, we got it resolved.

I don’t get my fiancé.

And yet when I proclaimed that to him, he frowned and told me, ‘What are you saying? You know me best. You know that.’

Once again, he left me dumbfounded.

I don’t understand my fiancé.

But I love his hair.

His bright yet pale, lavish, soft, smooth red hair.

I love playing with his hair.

And he lets me.

I like it when he cooks.

It wasn’t extravagant like beacrox, but it was homey.

I love his cooking.

I don’t understand my fiancé.

Despite him telling me countless times that I understood him best.

But I love him.

The irony of how Cale TALKS versus how Cale ACTS

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

Choi Han

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

Raon Miru

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

Alberu Crossman

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

Toonka

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

Queen Litana

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

The Sun Twins

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

Basically Every Other First Meeting

Here's the thing: despite his flaws, KRS-Cale's charisma is insane, even for protagonist standards. Why is that?

Sure, it's a standard protagonist quality to use the ✨Power of Friendship✨ to save the day, but Cale has the unique ability to – completely unintentionally – turn EVERYONE around him into simps, sometimes even his enemies. And that, bizarrely, includes the audience. No don't lie to me, I've been in this fandom for a month already, I have eyes!

So, how does that keep happening, exactly??

To answer that question, allow me to first introduce you to a very important concept for healthy relationships: the 5 languages of love.

Words of affirmation

Quality time

Physical touch

Acts of service

Receiving gifts

A no, this does not apply only to romantic relationships - it's ALL relationships. Every person has their own preferences, both in showing and receiving them, usually 2 or 3 of them being the most important ones for a person. For example, I'm a "words" and "touch" person myself: I like hugs and people telling me they care about me. Pretty simple concept.

So, here's the thing. I've been re-reading TCF, and I came to a very important conclusion: Cale, completely by accident, absolutely excels at all five love languages.

It's so subtle you might not realize it at first. It does't sound like someone with such a closed personality, does it? It's especially confusing when you consider his background: an abused orphan who was pretty much always alone. But perhaps because he never recieved much affection growing up, he currently compensates by subconsciously sharing what he always wanted to receive, yet never got as a child. And because he ends up in a world where he's surrounded by abused children who didn't get enough affection, it's so darn effective, winning people's undying love and loyalty instantly.

Let's look at these one by one, shall we?

1. Words of affirmation

Cale has a tendency to accidentally say exactly what the listener needs to hear. But it's not all bluff, and not all luck. Cale is actually quite wise. He gives proper words of encouragement, based entirely on his knowledge and judgemment. For example: he tells Choi Han that he can protect people. He tells Raon that he should live freely and that he's great and mighty. He tells Alberu he deserves to rule the kingdom. He tells Mary not to "listen to nonsense". He tells Rosalyn she's reliable and capable. The list goes on and on.

Cale might not be saying "I love you" directly, but he is saying "Good job, take good care of yourself"... which pretty much amounts to the same thing.

2. Quality time

It might sound ridiculous, but... taking down Arm and saving the world is actually their perfect family quality time. Laugh if you want, but I'm serious! They're not a regular family, after all. They were all hurt, scarred and/or betrayed by the secret organization at some point. By destroying them and saving the world together, Cale not only gives his friends a purpose - he is also giving them closure. Revenge, retribution, healing, moving forward... it's all there. THAT'S some quality time!

3. Physical touch

While he's certainly not hugger or anything (not counting the Choi Han battle hug or Alberu's showman embraces, those were always an act), Cale is not averse to touching people either. Head pats for the children are quite common. Cale also touches people on the shoulder a lot, have you noticed? Like when Jack cried over Hannah, or when Cale congratulated Choi Han on a job well done after rescuing Raon. It's subtle, but it's there: his touch means support, affection and respect. It definitely counts.

4. Acts of service

Pretty much everything Cale does ends up helping other people, one way or another. Considering the sheer scale of Cale's actions, it's only natural that combined with the other love languages, it makes others feel great admiration towards Cale. He might not like it, because he sees those acts of service as "self-serving". But I think Cale was the most honest about it at the beginning of the story: when he gave On and Hong bread for the first time. "You don't need a reason for things your heart draws you to."

Cale actually, genuinely wants to help others. It's just he's so overworked already, he doesn't want the expectations and responsibility that comes with other people relying on him. As an orphan, he was made to believe that taking care of his own interests is inherently selfish, but somehow, he only applies that when thinking about himself. Despite everything, he actively encourages others to take care of themselves while neglecting himself. No wonder people love him.

5. Receiving gifts

Despite liking money so much, he's extremely generous. He lets go of five billions when selling Toonka – whom he "doesn't even like" – some documents back from the magic tower pretty much "just because". Sure, Alberu told him to do it, but Cale wouldn't listen to him if he didn't want to. You'd think his previous life of poverty would make him greedier than that. But while he steals from bad guys with no remorse, he gives to his allies freely with even less remorse. Sure, he expect them to "repay" him with their services, but you'd have to be blind not to notice how beneficial those deals are for everyone involved. And his kids? Cale downright spoils them. Sure he "scams" Raon by letting him pick one magic gemstone out of hundreds, or a single coin out of Alberu's pockets... but that's just responsible parenting more than anything.

And remember how he asked Basen and Lily what they wanted as a gift at the beginning? There was absolutely no alterior motive to that: zero. He did it literally just because. Remeber when he gave Raon an additional pouch with healing potions when he just met him? Or when he gave Choi Han the same pouch when he sent him off to find Lock and Rosalyn? Yeah. Cale does that pretty much all the time in the novel.

It was touched upon many times through the book, but there's a significant problem with that quesiton. What is the standard? How do we judge that?

When in doubt - turn to math! I'll do my best to come up with extremely simple but as fair as possible definitions of a "good person" and try them out, assigning a min-max value to each and making an average score by the end. Let's try!

"Good person" - possible definitions:

1) A person who is not bad/evil. In other words, the standard is set by what is considered evil, and thus, what a person is NOT doing. Like "Innocent"/"Guilty" judgement in court, it's a matter of "yes" or "no".

2) A person who does good things. Decided by actions alone, it does not include personal thoughts, opinions, beliefs or desires. Ultimately what "good actions" are sets the standard. This one is set by the "amount" of good deeds performed by the individual.

3) A person who is selfless/motivated by altruism. Not actions or lack of actions set the standard, but rather the motive - the opposite of setting standard by actions, however it's not mutually exclusive.

4) A person whose actions result in prosperity for others - rather than actions or opinions, the standard is based on results.

On scale 1-5:

1 - a really bad person

2 - a bad person with SOME redeeming qualities and/or an excuse for being this way

3 - an average person

4 - an above-average/better-than-most person

5 - a truly good person

So - is KRS-Cale a good person by those standards?

1) By bad deeds

Cale certainly does things that can be considered shady at best, criminal at worst: he steals, lies, manipulates, destroys property, murders and even tortures. For some people that might be a deal-breaker.

However, there are definitely lines he does not cross, such as: keeping death count to a minimum when he could be sacrifising lives "for the greater good", does not harm innocents - ESPECIALLY children, does not discriminate by race, does not betray allies, does not turn away from people asking for help, does not rob poor people, does not leave his benefactors unrewarded, does not sacrifice his people for his own safety/gain (and sacrifices himself on top of it). His moral code is ultimately quite honorable. He has no qualms against revenge on those who deserve it, but he is not someone prideful and driven by anger. His judgement is usually sound and merciful rather than self-centered and ruthless - even though he can definitely be those things. So by this standard?

Let's give Cale a 3 or 4 out of 5.

2) By good deeds

Cale is nowhere near as complicated in this category. Whether he realizes it or not, most of his actions DO firmly land in the "good" zone. The few extreme things he does - such as torture - are always in the context of war and helping his side to win, or in the name of healing someone who was previously abused. He does quite a lot of good, even when he doesn't see it that way - maybe because he doesn't see it that way.

4 or 5 out of 5 is deserved.

3) By motive

Here's the thing - Cale's consicous motives and his actual ones, as proven by the narrative, are actually very different. Still, even Cale's "true" motives - namely his desire for money and a slacker life - are by no means evil. Self-centered at worst, but perfectly innocent and harmless. Cale cannot be motivated by actual greed for money all the time, because his generosity shows just how little he cares about money and how much he cares about happiness instead - his own and his comrades'. Rather than to possess, he wishes to live happily. His true inner desire to have everyone he cares about share this happiness definitely makes him a good person by this standard.

4 at least or 5 out of 5.

4) By results

...I don't need to say anything, Cale obviously wins this one. 5/5

Final score:

Min: 4/5 Max: 4.75/5

So in conclusion, according to my calculations, Cale's an above average person or very close to a truly good person...

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