Modern AU where Lily and/or Bassen enter in a tv show for reason. When the staff is following them around on a little tour for their house, someone jumpscares Bassen, who yelps—
Cue OgCale jumping from the second floor— completely skipping the stairs— in pants and a bathrobe, hair still wet, and with a broom and a hairdryer in each hand as his only wepons, ready to beat up someone.
Bassen: WHA—
OgCale, just changing clothes after a bath: *freezes* Bassen!! *slams the door open, takes the first solid object nearby, runs through the hallway at full speed, barely avoids a maid, taking her broom in the process— then jumps off, somehow landing perfectly safe* What happened?!
The staff, who didn't expect someone to fall from the sky inside a mannor: ...
Bassen, who didn't know his brother was already at home: ... Ah.
Lily, a child: Orabeoni, you didn't dry your hair.
OgCale, already guessing what happened: *sees the spooky "high quality" decoration Bassen dislikes on the floor* ...right. I'll be in my room *slams the decoration with the handle of the broom* Oops. *Slams it again* My bad. What fragile thing. It's all crushed now. It was ugly anyways. *Leaves*
FUCJ AI FUCK AI FUCK AI FUCK AI FUCK THEIR STUPID SOULLESS BINARY ASS FUCKASSS CODING BULLSHIT SCRIPT!!! COLONISING WANNA BE MOTHERFUCKERS INVADING A COMMUNITY ALREADY USED TO BEING SHUNNED, WHO CREATED THEIR OWN SAFE PLACE WHERE THEIR AMAZING DELICIOUS CREATIVE SOULFUL JAWDROPPING PIECES OF ART FOR LIKE, THEMSELVES AND FOR OTHERS!! THE USE OF AI IS JUST A MOCKERY OF CREATIVITY. SOULESS MFERS TO PLACE THEIR FUCKASS 'no xxxx, no xxxx, just xxxx' 'its not just this, its that' STUPID ASSS FUCK HATE HATE HATEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Like someone had written an ai plagiarised fic of someone, and i naturally go to the source to mass report and warn the uninformed dweebs, and hohohohoohohoho boyyyy...
Lemme tell you.
Reading that flop slop was actually way worse than doomscrolling.
I feel stupid. I dont feel the fulfilment and awe i gain from reading such rich NON AI writing. Even horrible writing is much more stimulating than this slop. I would take fics with NO PARAGRAPH BREAKS instead of this. Burn ai. Burn it to the ground. Im so tired of seeing it everywhere. Tired of hearing it in classroms. EVNE MY FUCKING ENGLISH TEACHER PROMOTED THE USE OF AI
Oh im gonna strangle someone's testicles. Rip out every pubic hair of those mfers brainwashing fuckass people. Now thats something ai cant say cant they? CUS THEYRE LOSERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
FUCJ AI FUCK AI FUCK AI FUCK AI FUCK THEIR STUPID SOULLESS BINARY ASS FUCKASSS CODING BULLSHIT SCRIPT!!! COLONISING WANNA BE MOTHERFUCKERS INVADING A COMMUNITY ALREADY USED TO BEING SHUNNED, WHO CREATED THEIR OWN SAFE PLACE WHERE THEIR AMAZING DELICIOUS CREATIVE SOULFUL JAWDROPPING PIECES OF ART FOR LIKE, THEMSELVES AND FOR OTHERS!! THE USE OF AI IS JUST A MOCKERY OF CREATIVITY. SOULESS MFERS TO PLACE THEIR FUCKASS 'no xxxx, no xxxx, just xxxx' 'its not just this, its that' STUPID ASSS FUCK HATE HATE HATEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Like someone had written an ai plagiarised fic of someone, and i naturally go to the source to mass report and warn the uninformed dweebs, and hohohohoohohoho boyyyy...
Lemme tell you.
Reading that flop slop was actually way worse than doomscrolling.
I feel stupid. I dont feel the fulfilment and awe i gain from reading such rich NON AI writing. Even horrible writing is much more stimulating than this slop. I would take fics with NO PARAGRAPH BREAKS instead of this. Burn ai. Burn it to the ground. Im so tired of seeing it everywhere. Tired of hearing it in classroms. EVNE MY FUCKING ENGLISH TEACHER PROMOTED THE USE OF AI
Oh im gonna strangle someone's testicles. Rip out every pubic hair of those mfers brainwashing fuckass people. Now thats something ai cant say cant they? CUS THEYRE LOSERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
FUCJ AI FUCK AI FUCK AI FUCK AI FUCK THEIR STUPID SOULLESS BINARY ASS FUCKASSS CODING BULLSHIT SCRIPT!!! COLONISING WANNA BE MOTHERFUCKERS INVADING A COMMUNITY ALREADY USED TO BEING SHUNNED, WHO CREATED THEIR OWN SAFE PLACE WHERE THEIR AMAZING DELICIOUS CREATIVE SOULFUL JAWDROPPING PIECES OF ART FOR LIKE, THEMSELVES AND FOR OTHERS!! THE USE OF AI IS JUST A MOCKERY OF CREATIVITY. SOULESS MFERS TO PLACE THEIR FUCKASS 'no xxxx, no xxxx, just xxxx' 'its not just this, its that' STUPID ASSS FUCK HATE HATE HATEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
So I was reading a TCF reaction fic, I think it was Beginning of the End by who-stole-my-fries. And in that one of the Choi Hans, TCF Choi Han I think, was talking about what happened at Harris Village. And he said something like "I used to wonder how anyone could take another person's life. After that [the assassination of Harris Village], I realised how blind I'd been". Something along those lines.
What a line. What a line to have in a fanfiction. What a line to have Choi Han, the protagonist of The Birth of a Hero, the hero of a story and a hero in this world too, say. And it doesn't really matter which Choi Han said it, because it was referring to an event they both experienced, so we can assume that they both had this realisation.
This somewhat but not really links to an interesting theme among Cale and his friends and family. Because they are heroes, they're saving their world and other worlds and saving people. But none of them are completely pure or morally white. They all have, can and will do evil sadistic things to the people who hurt those they care about and put them in danger and they won't feel remorse for it. They have no qualms about killing or torturing or getting revenge. Because, yes, they're saving the world, but one of their main motivations, main reasons for doing this, is each other, to keep each other safe, to protect each other, to get revenge on behalf of each other. They only do those things to evil people, villains, but it's so interesting, because I feel like if you put them in other worlds, not their story but other stories, they'd be seen as vigilantes or even, in worlds with black and white morality, villains.
And I always think that's really cool. When a story doesn't have that black and white morality, when the heroes have to do "bad" thongs to win. Because really what's the alternative? They don't kill or torture people, they let them live, imprison them or something. Considering some of the villains are gods and others have special powers and abilities, that won't work. And these people aren't going to change their minds and suddenly abandon goals they've been working towards for decades and centuries. There is no alternative.
Or maybe there is. Realistically Venion could have simply been imprisoned, left with the knowledge that the brother he hates, the brother he thought he'd got rid of, had the position he always wanted as Marquis. But he tortured a child, a child dragon, but still a child. So is imprisonment punishment enough? I'd say no. Not for this. For abusing and torturing a child since they were born.
And that's one of the reasons I love these stories. Because there are so many stories where the villain is allowed to live at the end, hoping that justice, the system, will deal with them. But sometimes, sometimes revenge is understandable, sometimes the only way to stop the villain, is to kill them.
Choi Han wondered how anyone could kill another person. But then people came for his family, his friends everyone he knew and cared about, and he realised how blind he'd been.
Sorry, idk what this was. That one sentence or couple sentences from a fanfiction just stuck in my brain, not the exact words but the meaning. Ugh, god, I love TCF and I love fanfictions based on TCF.
Honestly same. I love the way the author portrays the characters in the novel. Like when I first read it, I was blown away at the stuff Cale and his group did because at the end of the day, why would they care about killing or torturing the enemy if the enemy can do worse things to innocent people who can't even fight back?
[Note: There might be some SPOILERS I might say here, if anyone is reading this. If you don't like spoilers, please don't continue if you haven't read the first part of TCF. Thanks!]
Like the one scene during the "Ghost" operation during the war is still retained in my mind because of how one-sidedly brutal the "battle" was. But at the end of the battle, Cale decided to have the corpses brought back so they could bury them properly. Because he knows that some of these people are just forced to join a war they didn't even want to be in.
He's not completely heartless but he's not completely merciful either. He and his group are just trying to protect their home and they also just want to survive. I think it's also because he has this experience as Kim Rok Soo, who attended a lot of funerals of those people who died in his previous world that didn't have friends or family. So Cale's respectful enough to gather the bodies of those who died in the war. It's pretty sad.
There's also the bit when Choi Han or was it Raon who got angry at a bear who wanted "revenge" because his fellow people died. Like yeah, they'll die because it's a war and they were just fighting back.
I like the novel for showing the dark parts of being involved in a war. The author doesn't sugarcoat how bad it gets. It's not all fun and games.
I've also read that reaction fic. It's very entertaining and thought-provoking.
There's possible SPOILERS for readers who haven't finished reading the first volume.
___
When I first picked up the novel, I didn't have high expectations. After reading a lot of stories that end up disappointing me because of how the author eventually adds romance or harems into the story because their main character apparently needs a romantic relationship to feel good about themselves, I thought that Trash of the Count's Family will be the same thing further down the line.
But damn, did the author prove me wrong.
In the first few chapters, the novel's entire vibe was almost unnoticeable. Sure, there were some small details like him not being used to extravagant clothes or finding a simple meal delicious, but it wasn't obvious. It made me raise my eyebrow but I simply thought that he's a simple salaryman or something.
The first lines about him not having anyone who would miss him if he's gone in his previous world can be excused as him having no lingering attachments. And honestly, some transmigration/isekai stories do have their main characters having no attachments in their previous world. So it makes sense and it didn't alert me of what could've possibly happened to Cale, former Kim Rok Soo, for him to be so aloof and calm at the forced transmigration.
And then...he thought about poverty and pity when interacting with On and Hong. That was the first sign that he may have left a few lines out of his introduction.
It steadily got worse when he was talking to Choi Han about him being used to the cruelty of people like Venion. And then, at the first meeting with Raon, he appeared as if he understood the hopelessness of a child under an abusive adult's hand.
That's when I finally thought that TCF is a story about healing. And I was pleasantly surprised.
Sure, there's action, drama, and comedy, but TCF is mainly about moving on or healing from past hurts. There are moments when it can be called "cliche" but TCF is unique in the way it portrays Cale and his relationships. There's the found family trope that I love but what I love the most about the story is how these characters who have lost something or were about to lose something if OG Cale didn't make the deal with God of Death to have KRS replace him, is slowly understanding that they're not alone and that they can improve as a person if given the chance.
It's heart-warming and completely unexpected. I didn't read the first chapter expecting this fantasy-themed action novel to be about this.
OG Cale, Choi Han, Raon, On and Hong, Lock, Taylor and Cage, Alberu, the Dark Elves, Mary, and so many characters paved the way for me to completely fall in love with this novel.
If I sound like I'm exaggerating, then I don't care because this novel is just beautiful.
What completely blew my mind is the final reveal of Cale's past as Kim Rok Soo.
Listen, I have a love-hate relationship with KR survival novels involving monsters and dungeons and the freaking apocalypse. I love some of them and I can't stand the others. But I did not expect that Kim Rok Soo was in a world trying to survive from the effects of the apocalypse.
My first reaction was "What the actual fuck" because I 100% did not expect for the story to go that way. And my second thought was "So that's why!" Because it finally explains why he hates "papercuts"! This guy is so good at making big things about himself sound so small that it left me stunned when the big reveal happened!
I wanna slap him and hug him at the same time.
It explains why he's so good at being a commander. It explains why he's used to getting hurt or why he hates the thought of his friends and family dying with him as the survivor (I believe he has a survivor's guilt?). It explains everything.
He may be in a new world but he's still stuck in his past no matter how much he says about not thinking about what-ifs and his past. The time he spends in this new world is him slowly realizing that he's not alone and he doesn't have to be so scared.
And when I finally thought that I'm done being surprised, OG Cale appears and flips everything I knew about the character. They talk about how content they are with their new identities. They smile. They're happy. And that proves why this novel is about healing and not the simple transmigration novel full of action and comedy. Instead of getting angry at Kim Rok Soo, former Cale Henituse, for the deal with God of Death, he's just happy for the man and for himself. I just love how the author doesn't forget about Kim Rok Soo's sacrifices and rewards him with a happy life with his mother.
It's so hard not to finish the novel within weeks because of how good it is. It can be fast in some parts for the action, which makes sense since everything is happening at once. But there are also slow emotional moments that keep reminding me why I love this novel.
So yeah, this is my review about TCF. It's not a perfect novel but it's a good novel about healing and family. And I'm waiting for the second volume to be done so I can finally read the rest.
SPOILERS for those who haven't finished the first part of the novel. If you don't like spoilers, please don't continue. Thanks!
- This is kind of a review about the novel but it's basically my analysis of Cale/KRS.
___
For someone who has trust issues with people, I first had an initial distrust with Cale Henituse/Kim Rok Soo as a reader.
I think it's because of how he was first introduced.
As a first-time reader of the novel back then, Cale/KRS was introduced as a very indifferent person. He was calm at the face of a sudden transmigration and acted like nothing could surprise him (aside from Ron and Choi Han). And of course, like anyone who was fooled, I also thought that he was selfish. He's not the trash that he thinks he is but he's selfish and I didn't place my full trust in him because I still didn't know him yet. And I like it that way. The author kept me on my toes and didn't force fed me a truckload of information about Kim Rok Soo.
Like I said in my previous post, he didn't actually give us his whole introduction. He left a few crumbs here and there that told us he didn't have a great childhood but it wasn't enough for me to build an image of him in my head. There were still some blanks and question marks about Kim Rok Soo.
Sure, there were moments when he gave a bigger tip to someone without blinking an eye and acting all smug about it but I really just thought that he was happy because he's finally rich. Or when he was being so polite and gentlemanly in front of an old man that Venion was disgusted with and then later on went back to being indifferent and I thought it was just him being extra petty and angry (which he was) at Venion for being an asshole. He's very quick to change from smug to indifference and it made me switch back and forth on how I see him as a person.
Yeah, you need to read between the lines when reading this novel.
[side note: Actually, If I remember correctly, I thought that I wouldn't like his character because I find it weird when MCs in KR manhwa and novels easily shrug off the isekai bullshit they're in. The influence of KR manhwa on me affected my opinion about him and it shows.]
So when he first met the kittens and Choi Han, I was reading it with the feeling of "Run away, guys! Run while you still can!" lingering at the back of my mind. He was nice to them, as much as he could with random strangers he just met, but he's very distant with them.
Another thing about him that makes it harder to understand him is because he's always distant with people. He relies on them and helps them but he's always at arms-length when dealing with them. This, if you didn't think of or was reminded of his thoughts about his abuse and pity, simply makes him look indifferent.
Before I continue, I don't like tsundere characters. I absolutely find them cringe and sometimes, I just wanna bash my head when they blush at the bs they're spouting at someone they like.
Because that's the thing with Cale. He is a tsundere. He says one thing and does the opposite. And he's so in denial about it which makes it more hilarious and sad.
He's subtle about it at first. He didn't even give me the vibe that he's more complex than what he shows because he's so quick to disprove my sudden epiphany that there's something deeper than what he's showing. He's so good at hiding his emotions EVEN WHEN I'M READING HIS POV.
This bastard is so in denial about himself that he fooled me so bad! I think I only realized it when he saved Raon but even then, there were still some doubts about his character. I liked his words to Raon and thought about how kind he is for giving the dragon the freedom of choice but because he later thinks of making Raon do things for him, it shook my trust in him just a little bit. Just a little, I promise.
...Maybe I just have major trust issues.
Taylor Stan
The weirdest thing to me that actually snapped me from my doubts that he's actually a kind person is oddly enough, because of Taylor Stan.
Remember when Taylor and Cage suddenly arrived at the area they were camping in and he finally talked to Taylor face to face? Yeah, he was indifferent there but it's when his tsundere traits actually exploded at my face.
He, while trying to hide from everyone, told them to give Taylor and Cage the best care and protection as if it's the most normal thing in the world.
Mind you, they don't even actually know him aside from OG Cale's reputation as trash. And he also technically isn't supposed to know them because, in the duo's POV, this is their first time meeting him so he didn't have to help or care for them.
He basically acted as if what he was doing was bad in their eyes but in reality, it's not???
He's just helping them and he's in denial about it? He's genuinely being a kind person and he thinks he's trash?
He later gives them money (and acts cool about it) and helps with smuggling (lmao) them to the Roan Kingdom so they can arrive there safely and he thinks he's trash???
He gave this man hope to finally heal himself and fight against his brother and he thinks he's trash?????
Seriously?
Self-hatred
It's why whenever he calls himself trash, I shake my head because it's amusing but I also want to cry because, as I go further into the novel, he fully believes that he's actually trash.
I don't know if this is ever talked about but Cale is hiding a huge self-hatred about himself.
Cale pointed to himself with his index finger.
“I have lived my life as trash. That is my dream.”
- Chapter 33: You
At first, when he called himself trash, I thought it was because his soul is in OG Cale's body and thus, he inherited the title and uses it to cause chaos. It's a part of the reason why but, if I think about it, he doesn't have to call himself that??? He can still cause chaos without using that title.
It's why I think he fully believes it. That he's trash.
I didn't understand back then and thought it was just him loving the title and the chaos that comes along with it.
Him and his smirks or "selfish" ideals made it seem like he's fully embraced the title and liked it that way.
And the way the author hides a deeper meaning behind his words and actions is by making it feel humorous or comical. The author makes it feel extra.
We laugh and find it amusing because it's chaotic. The secrets behind those wild ideas and explosive destruction are brilliant and subtle.
It's why I fully believed back then, that it's a simple story about a man who just wants to cause mischief in a strange world.
And then...his past as Kim Rok Soo is finally revealed by the author.
And it suddenly turns all this humor about himself into a freaking tragedy.
Kim Rok Soo is a tragic character. He's a person who has lost far too much and can only react in indifference even when he's hurting. He's cold in another person's perspective because he doesn't cry when in front of those he lost.
He hates himself for something he couldn't control. He hates himself for being weak. He hates himself for a lot of things. And he hates the scars Kim Rok Soo has because they're the reminder of all his failures and all his sacrifices that only ended up with making him alone. Like he will always be alone. (Which makes his distant personality in the beginning make sense too wtf)
So he takes in their words of him being cruel enough not to cry in a funeral of his friends and fully believes it.
He believes, as Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse, that he's trash.
And it absolutely made me cry like a kid when he, as he woke up surrounded by those he befriended and could call family, finally cries with a smile.
This is the first time they and us readers see him cry and smile and it's just heartbreaking.
The whole lead up to this reveal was me seeing him as a tsundere and a freaking crazy bastard that utters "slacker life" like it's comic relief.
It's completely unexpected and I love it.
Because him crying and smiling for the first time is him finally shedding his shields and walls from these people who see him as a kind person.
Cale Henituse, for all his masks and secrets, is just a broken but endlessly kind person.
It's why those who meet him, trust him. His actions are a big reason why they trust him but his words, when it feels hopeless, are eye-opening and full of wisdom of a 36 year old man. He's straightforward in front of those he trusts and tells them something that flips over everything they think about the current situation. And he says it with the experience of Kim Rok Soo.
I believe the only times he lies to them is when he was given the thing that he was gonna use to stab himself and also when he hides his identity as Kim Rok Soo. There's actually a hint of his guilt sometimes...or maybe I'm just thinking too much about it.
Anyways, that's all my thoughts for now.
This subtle bastard made me cry, damn it.
___
That one scene of him crying and smiling is etched in my mind and was reminded of it when I recently saw a fanart. So I decided to write about my feelings about his character and personality.
It's not a mindblowing post or anything new and it goes from humor to angst pretty fast but I think it's just like him. If you analyze his words in one way, it's just hilarious but if you analyze it in another way, it's sad.
I like how the author wrote him. He's a crazy bastard and a tsundere (the only tsundere I'll ever like) and I'm so glad I found this novel.
Being in fandoms are the best experience and you cannot tell me otherwise.
Where else can you experience being in a community of people who are actively cheering and being so genuinely cathartic when a character coughs up blood? Switch from almost holy worship to wanting to strangle that same character, and implode yourself? (Special mention of that bakugo? tampon incident, kurapika is now drowning in an indescribable emptiness, something tampons, simping over ear)
Reading tcf had rewired my brain, literally. Also rewired how i look at internal injuries too ig cus every time i sense and read a coughing up blood cale in a fic i instantly break into a smile and cheer alongside the comments (BLOODY CALE BLOODY CALE HURRAHHH!!!) its beautiful. I love all you guys fr🥹🥹
The funny thing about tcf is that you go into it expecting a normal isekai story with somewhat actual plot and maybe wholesome family vibes,realize halfway that oh this shit has the craziest plot known to mankind holy fuck AND wholesome family vibes,and by the end you realize its really just a story with a bunch of yanderes finding and loving each other to death with the plot as a side bonus instead of the main event
I love them. This was my exact reaction going in. Im so proud of myself that i picked the novel back up, AND the genius idea to read the novel. But ya everyone there is a serious yandere
Cale being aroace is one of my dearest head canons
Both of them
Like,part of why tcf is so dear to me is because of how it showcases that love is universal in all forms.It has no romance,and for me,that’s what makes the story perfect.
Its not like I don’t enjoy romance or even Cale being shipped with various people around him,god knows how many fics I've read of tcf that are just romance focused,but there’s a comfort in knowing that the story will never go in that direction.Because it doesn’t need to.
It doesn’t need romance in its life to be loved so vividly,both by me and other people.
The idea of burning down the world for someone you love but will never be in love with,the thought of relationships that are clearly ’just friendships’ but showcasing that love so beautifully.Just as beautifully.
I am in love with tcf because of it.
Alberu or Choi han or any other person with Cale could get the same treatment of ships by people of the fandom.But those relationships themselves are built on what everyone reads.And in the end the reason why is because the bonds between all of them are so ridiculously precious,imagining them to be in love is not so far fetched.
And they do love each other.Dearly.Its a bond that’s ’just’ friendship but its so damn beautiful that you cant help but love every part of it.And the best part is,that its treated just as importantly as romantic love interests are in any other novels.
The cast of tcf.They found each other,broken and tattered,and reforged themselves into the family that most of them never had.
Platonic love.Thats what tcf is built on and i will forever treasure this story because of it.
Random thing but i want lily and Ohn interactions so bad
Like the way i squealed because of the interactions between Violen and Raon in the novel,you guys have no idea.Thats a grandmother and her grandbaby you can’t convince me otherwise
Like there should be more focus on the Henituse family reacting to their eldest becoming a dad at 18.One of them has red hair.Like come on guys
Lily and ohn and hong would be the perfect trio
A sword master and two trained assassins?Match made in heaven (hell for cale tho lmao)
Also i want hannah and lily interactions too
Like can you imagine Cale asking Hannah to train his baby sister??
Adorable
And lock and Basen would be great friends!
They both have so much in common already what with them both worshipping Cale
Wait
Henituse family reacting to Cale becoming a dad at 18 and a guardian to an entire pack of wolf kids
I find it both tragic and fascinating how, after everything Raon went through, he is so comfortable with touch.
With all the torture he faced the first 4 years of his life, one would assume he would be touch aversive, associating it with pain and torture, especially when coming to human touch.
Oh no, he is touch starved, and is the most reassured through touch only by his Human and his older cat siblings. (and slowly, the rest of the family too)
Cale is literally the same, and somehow he managed to give the young dragon safe affection enough that Raon's love language screams physical touch.
I headcanon that with how frequently Cale keeps claiming he is trash, his family has given up correcting him.
Instead, they now rate his "trash claims" by severity and creativity.
"Ah, Young Master-nim called himself a lazy bum instead of trash today. I think it is somewhere around 5/10 for me."
"Cale-nim tried throwing a bottle today. Took him some time to find an empty wall for it, and the bottle didn't even break. I will give that 8/10 for the effort."
"Human said he is a terrible person because he avoided the reports last week by fainting! But he actually fainted! So it should be full marks right, Lemonade gramps?!"
Ahhhh yes. The circus where cale is actively the jester, ringleader, and sole performer all at once. What i said doesnt make sense? No it does you just dont comprehend my genius.
