Susie Was Not In A Good Place At The Beginning Of Ch 1.

I was gonna post this as a reply for this post by @he4d-banger but it got too long so I’m making it a separate post.

I have talked about this before but I’ll talk again because I love talking about Cale’s complex emotional state.

More than pushing them away, Cale completely ignored his grief which has made him completely emotional constipated. This has lead to many side affects which get glossed over most of the time since we read the novel from Cale’s pov.

Some that I can remember from the top of my head right now are: dissociation, selective memory, depression, anxiety, stress and tons of physical problems like eating disorder, etc. which I’ll get into more another time. His self destructive tendencies based on the decisions he makes are all because of his emotional constipation.

Cale’s denial over his own symptoms has become chronic over the years even tho it’s fairly visible from other peoples perspective. Some instances I can remember where we see Cale’s condition from other peoples pov are: moments when Alberu tells him he’ll definitely get his slacker life, everyone’s reaction to him smiling after crying, Choi Han meeting younger Cale, the villains’ reaction when Cale gets angry, everyone telling him he’s too weak and skinny, Ron and Choi Han’s pov during side story 7 after Cale dreamed about CJS and LSH first death anniversary, etc. Everyone can recognize that he’s not well.

And about the venting on destroying stuff, that’s exactly correct. Many times when we see the fight from the other pov of the villain, most of the dialogue is about how angry and terrifying Cale looks. Of course part of that could be due to the effect of Dominating Aura, but they specifically mention Cale’s expression and the look in his eyes a lot. That’s what truly terrifies them. Cale doesn’t recognize this but he’s really expressive, everyone says that he’s very expressive and lets his emotions slip through his face.

Another case when he couldn’t control his emotions anymore was when he cried. An interesting fact is that people who aren’t used to crying and/or hold themselves back from crying, once they do actually cry they can’t stop the flow of tears and are motionless and/or rather calm and quiet. It’s that silent unstoppable crying that Cale displayed. His grief finally exploded after meeting LSH and he couldn’t understand the sadness he was feeling at that moment because the meeting ended with consolidation and relief. All the pain over the deaths of his best friends finally released.

That is a complete contrast to his reaction in side story 7 after the first anniversary of his team’s death. When he arrived home he just collapsed on the floor expressionless. Not once did he cry. But the way he collapsed at that moment said a lot about his state at the time. All the stress accumulated in his body from holding back his emotions all day today affected his physical health to total exhaustion

Actually in my opinion SS7 is one of the best chapters about examining Cale’s emotional state. There are multiple visible of him suppressing his emotions like: keeping a neutral expression all day around, refusing to mention what day it was tomorrow even though everyone knew, not closing his eyes in front of the grave because the memories would resurface, the small panic attack shown by his shortage of breath, background silence and feeling of heaviness, and you can see how burned out emotionally and physically he feels. The only way he wouldn’t feel these things was by working, as it is noted multiple times throughout the story that he never took days off.

And my favorite moment was when we see Cale waking up from the dream and very clearly experiencing signs of ptsd and a panic attack. He was feeling cold despite the entire house being heated with magic, cold sweat running down his face, shortage of breath as soon as he woke up and a distressed expression as shown from Ron and Choi Han’s pov He also felt the need to hear noises and pet the kids to make him feel a sense of attachment with reality since the silence in his memories made him feel suffocated. Tho Cale himself couldn’t recognize these symptoms.

That side story also shows how he has grown emotionally throughout the novel now becoming more emotionally open with others.

I can also go on about his selective memory, anxiety, get more into his self destructive lifestyle and about his obvious signs of depression during his team leader days and early part of the novel while touching on his childhood trauma, but this post is already long enough so I’ll leave those for another day.

I'm late, but Happy 4 years of LCF!! 🥳

To celebrate, I redrew one of the first pieces I've ever made for this fandom! Both the novel and I have come a long way TvTb

Chapter 423.

TCF Chapter 685 in a nutshell

(Based on my TCF Summary Series)

How to Write an Ironic Story: 10 Types of Irony to Consider

Ironic moments in life can make us change our perspectives, laugh, or discover something we didn’t know before. When you’re trying to make them happen in a story, it can be more difficult than you first realized.

Here’s a quick guide to writing irony in your next story so you can think of those moments as a strategic writer.

What Is Irony?

“What? That’s so ironic.”

We’ve all said a similar line when reacting to something before. Do you remember what it was? Can you point out why it was ironic?

Definition 1: Irony is when something happens or someone says something other than what you expect.

Let’s imagine your protagonist walking outside. They’re in a good mood, but quickly realize it’s pouring rain. They were supposed to go on a walk, but they look up at the clouds and say, “What a beautiful day!”

As a reader, you’d expect that character to be frustrated that the rain ruined their plans to go walking. It’s ironic that they actually find the weather beautiful. It might even make your reader laugh in surprise.

Definition 2: Irony is when something happens or someone says something other than what you expect but in a sardonic way.

This might be the definition of irony that you naturally think of. It’s when something unexpected happens and you have a bitter laugh about it. Deep down, you likely suspected the truth all along. The reveal is negative in nature.

Imagine a politician pushing a bill to outlaw the color blue. They make speeches and go on news networks saying how the color blue is a danger to everyone, so it must be outlawed immediately. While pushing this narrative, a journalist discovers leaked photos of the politician’s interior decorating—their home is entirely blue. Additionally, news comes out that the politician had recently received a significant reelection donation from the We Hate the Color Blue corporation.

The reveal means that the politician didn’t believe what they were saying. They were only passing the law because they received money to do so, even though the color blue wasn’t harming anyone or causing a problem.

If you lived in this world, you’d likely read the headlines and roll your eyes. It’s a frustrating irony that isn’t altogether unexpected, but still a reveal.

Ironic Plot Devices

There are a few ways to use irony as a plot device. You can use them to reveal things to your characters, change your plot’s direction, or cause character growth. Check out a few examples to see how.

1. An Unforeseen Blessing

Definition: Something good happens by something bad happening.

A character is in desperate need of a new car. They don’t have the money to buy one and their current vehicle is so old, they won’t get more than a couple hundred dollars to trade it in.

One day while driving it, the car shuts down. The engine melts into the pavement while your character tries scooping it up with an old milkshake cup from their backseat.

Someone records the entire thing from a distance and posts it online. The video goes viral, prompting the milkshake restaurant chain to give the character a brand new car for free.

The loss of their old car and potential public embarrassment is terrible, but your character gets the car they need. Some would say the melting engine was a blessing in disguise. Others would call it irony.

2. Accidental Harm

Definition: Someone attends to hurt someone, but the wrong person gets hurt instead.

There are a few ways this irony could play out. Your protagonist could set a bucket of water over a doorframe, hoping it pours onto their little brother when he gets home from school. However, the protagonist gets distracted during the day and walks through the door themselves. They get soaked and become the target of accidental harm.

Their grandfather could come home before their brother too. When the grandfather gets soaked by the bucket prank, they’re the victim of accidental harm. The irony in both situations is that the actual target—the brother—never has the chance to fall for the prank.

3. Good Actions Have Opposite Effects

Definition: Someone attempts to do something the right way, but it doesn’t work out in their favor.

Your protagonist studies through the night for a high school exam. They pour all of their efforts into staying up and retaining as much information as possible because they realize they need better grades to go to their dream college.

After taking the test and getting it back, your protagonist gets a perfect score. However, the teacher announces they graded everyone on a curve due to an issue with their previous lesson plan. Everyone gets an A and the protagonist gets frustrated because they lost sleep over studying that didn’t ultimately matter.

4. Selfish Actions That Backfire

Definition: Someone does something exclusively for their own benefit and anyone or anything else benefits instead.

A character decides to run in a community race to win the prize money for a vacation. Halfway through the race, they realize they’re out of shape and there’s a shortcut up ahead. They take the shortcut and win, but the judges quickly realize they cheated to reach the finish line.

Their prize money automatically goes to the second runner-up, which happens to be the character’s worst enemy. They watch their worst enemy spend the money on lottery tickets that don’t result in any winnings. 

5. Accidental Self-Harm (Physical or Non-Physical)

Definition: Someone attempts to hurt another person, but it hurts them instead.

When you picture this irony, imagine Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. The coyote always wants to capture or hurt Road Runner, but ends up running into his own traps instead.

Sometimes this irony can be a physical harm from a prank gone wrong or it might be an assassination that doesn’t work out. It could also be a character spreading a rumor to hurt another person, but the rumor affects their own reputation instead.

6. A Sacrifice Without Reward

Definition: Someone makes a major sacrifice that ultimately is meaningless.

Characters experiencing this irony give up something they care about and get nothing to show for it. It might be lighter in nature, like a sister giving up her spot as captain of the soccer team so her equally-talented sister can have the role. Ultimately, the coach cuts them both from the team for not jumping at the leadership role fast enough.

It can also carry a heavier theme. A character could sacrifice to keep their loved one from getting hurt, but they die and their loved one gets hurt in the process anyway. There are multiple ways for irony to serve your plot. You just have to give it a purpose in connection with your theme or message.

7. Great Things Happening to Terrible People

Definition: Someone looks forward to achieving a rare thing they want very badly, but it goes to the worst person they can think of instead.

Your protagonist’s character works hard to put themselves through school, buy a house, and even start a family. One day, they get a letter that a grandparent they never knew recently passed away and wants to give them a million-dollar inheritance. It would free them of their student loan and mortgage debt, but the cruel parental figure that shares your character’s name gets the money instead.

8. An Unwanted Achieved Goal

Definition: Someone finally achieves their long-term goal, but they realize it isn’t what they wanted.

Sometimes the idea of something is better than getting it. Your protagonist may finally move to the mountainside cabin of their dreams, but realize they hate living in an area that gets heavy snow after the first winter storm hits. It’s ironic and a bit depressing, but it shifts your character toward new goals that drive the plot in a fresh direction.

9. Trivial Events Undo a Character’s Work

Definition: Someone’s hard work or life’s work gets ruined by a tiny detail they didn’t see coming.

When someone’s ultimate goal gets undone by something minor, it’s devastating. It’s also something readers connect with because it happens in real life.

Your protagonist might work really hard to earn their pilot’s license, only to get up in their first test flight and realize they have an innate fear of heights. Their future career as a flight operator for a private space exploration company depended on getting that license, so they have to rethink everything.

10. Success Without Meaning

Definition: Someone achieves something at long last, but can’t enjoy it for whatever reason.

Your protagonist decides to become CEO of a major tech company so they can pay off their parent’s debt and provide for them forever. When they finally get that job after a lifetime of earning a college degree and climbing the company’s ladder, their parent doesn’t want their money. Now they’re stuck in a job they might not want for themselves because the purpose behind it will never exist.

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You can write an ironic story with any of these tricks and reach your readers’ hearts. Consider which storytelling tools serve your story’s theme or message to match your plot with the best plot device.

I like how alberu knows how cale operates. Like everybody seems to be assuming that cale is righteous and his morale compass is definetely "good", but alberu knows thats not the case. Its not so bad that everyone thinks so, i feel like it will be the running gag throrough the whole series, but i was hoping for at least someone to have an idea that cale is always strategizing and his intentions are not purely good.

Cale is kind, yes. But he is not righteous

I REALLY hope alberu does not change his view of cale, from someone who always has ulterior motives to a lawful good person

Cale: *makes a cruel plan on how to completely obliterated the enemy and/or learn new information about their opponents*

Everyone: *agrees with the plan and follows it step by step just as Cale had instructed them*

Cale: Wow vicious people…

Readers:

How to Write Characters With Romantic Chemistry

Writing great chemistry can be challenging. If you’re not super inspired, sometimes the connection between your characters feels like it’s missing something.

Here are a few steps you can consider when you want to write some steamy romantic chemistry and can’t figure out what’s blocking your creativity.

1. Give the Love a Name

Tropes have a bad reputation, but they can be excellent tools when you’re planning or daydreaming about a story. Giving the romance a name also assigns a purpose, which takes care of half the hard plotting work.

You can always read about love tropes to get inspired and think about which might apply to the characters or plot points you have in mind, like:

Friends to lovers

Enemies to lovers

First love

The love triangle

Stuck together

Forbidden love

Multiple chance love

Fake lovers turned soulmates

There are tooooons of other tropes in the link above, but you get the idea. Name the love you’re writing about and it will feel more concrete in your brain.

2. Develop Your Characters

You should always spend time developing your characters individually, but it’s easy to skip this part. You might jump into writing the story because you have a scene idea. Then the romance feels flat.

The good news is you can always go back and make your characters more real. Give them each their own Word or Google doc and use character templates or questions to develop them. 

You should remember to do this for every character involved in the relationship as well. Sometimes love happens between two people who live nearby and other times it happens by:

Being in a throuple

Being in a polyamorous relationship

Being the only one in love (the other person never finds out or doesn’t feel it back, ever)

There are so many other ways to experience love too. Don’t leave out anyone involved in the developing relationship or writing your story will feel like driving a car with only three inflated tires.

3. Give the Conversations Stakes

Whenever your characters get to talk, what’s at risk? This doesn’t have to always be something life changing or scary. Sometimes it might be one character risking how the other perceives them by revealing an interest or new fact about themselves.

What’s developing in each conversation? What’s being said through their body language? Are they learning if they share the same sense of humor or value the same foundational beliefs? Real-life conversations don’t always have a point, but they do in romantic stories. 

4. Remember Body Language

Body language begins long before things get sexy between your characers (if they ever do). It’s their fingertips touching under the table, the missed glance at the bus stop, the casual shoulder bump while walking down the street.

It’s flushed cheeks, a jealous heart skipping a beat, being tongue tied because one character can’t admit their feelings yet.

If a scene or conversation feels lacking, analyze what your characters are saying through their body language. It could be the thing your scene is missing.

5. Add a Few Flaws

No love story is perfect, but that doesn’t mean your characters have to experience earth shattering pain either.

Make one laugh so hard that they snort and feel embarrassed so the other can say how much they love that person’s laugh. Make miscommunication happen so they can make up or take a break. 

People grow through their flaws and mistakes. Relationships get stronger or weaker when they learn things that are different about them or that they don’t like about each other. 

6. Create Intellectual Moments

When you’re getting to know someone, you bond over the things you’re both interested in. That’s also a key part of falling in love. Have your characters fall in intellectual love by sharing those activities, talking about their favorite subjects, or raving over their passions. They could even teach each other through this moment, which could make them fall harder in love.

7. Put Them in Public Moments

You learn a lot about someone when they’re around friends, acquaintances, and strangers. The chemistry between your characters may fall flat if they’re only ever around each other.

Write scenes so they’re around more people and get to learn who they are in public. They’ll learn crucial factors like the other person’s ambition, shyness, humor, confidence, and if they’re a social butterfly or wallflower.

Will those moments make your characters be proud to stand next to each other or will it reveal something that makes them second guess everything?

8. Use Your Senses

And of course, you can never forget to use sensory details when describing the physical reaction of chemistry. Whether they’re sharing a glance or jumping into bed, the reader feels the intensity of the moment through their five senses—taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. 

Characters also don’t have to have all five senses to be the protagonist or love interest in a romantic story. The number isn’t important—it’s how you use the ways your character interacts with the world. 

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Anyone can write great romantic chemistry by structuring their love story with essential elements like these. Read more romance books or short stories too! You’ll learn as you read and write future relationships more effortlessly.

* …A friend?

* You were spending time with… a friend?