Tcf Manhwa - Tumblr Posts
WAIT A SEC?????? In trash of the counts family, isn’t it stated that giving up your ancient power kills the owner?? Then what about Alberu‘s mom???? Didn’t she give him her ancient power, ‘star of healing’ or something like that?
But it was also stated at the end of pt1 that she was killed by the hunters?? SO DID SHE KNOW SHE WAS BEING HUNTED BY THEM??? Just like Jour saw her son’s future??? WHAT??? Omg the lore and world building are clicking even deeper
I think my favorite thing about the TCF novel is that although Cale is a transmigrator he didn’t go from regular person to super smart just because he transmigrated. In a lot of novels you’ll see transmigrators and regressors just suddenly becoming geniuses in everything they do. I like that the author created a back story of why Cale was as smart as he was. And, he had to go through a lot of trial and error and see a lot of things for his plans to work.
I don’t remember where it was in the book but I remember reading that in KRS’s early days at the company with LSH they got beat up after a mission gone wrong. I think the way LSH just laughs the whole ordeal off is just a way that alludes to how Cales plans back then didn’t always work. He had to work on the front lines for a long time before his plans became so intricate and easily switched and replaced for new ones as more obstacles are thrown at him.
Cale is naturally smart, yes, but things like that can only be achieved through experience and I’m glad the author gave Cale the experience before they gave Cale the ability.
Anyway this is just a little quark I saw in the book that I’d thought I’d share with the rest of the fandom.
I am a simp. I freely admit that.
YAY THE TAXI- I MEAN ARCHIE!!
This is my reference for when I think of Eruhaben. Just with pointed ears.
Luminas from Into The Light Again.
With the amount of simping the fandom is experiencing from Archie and King Shickler all I can conclude is that the day Eruhaben appears in the manhwa is the day this fandom BURNS!
#tcf is bisexual heaven
Yes
Yes it is
Me every time TCF manhwa updates
Seriously though, I've fallen in love with tcf during the pandemic as Cale became kind of a comfort character for me and tcf kept me happy even though the world was shitty back then. It's also plus for me that Cale is quite lucky and OP and how his problems were "alWaYs sOlVed viA ovErlY cOnVeNieNt dEus-eX-maChiNas".
(I'm looking at you, tcf reviews from Novel Updates. I feel like those haters just love it when protagonists are dumb and suffer a lot of angst and heartbreak and shit, that's why they hate how easy it is that Cale solves and plans things even though his intelligence and capabilities literally fit so well with his characterization. I mean srsly, KRS was a high-ranking strategist in a monster-infested world. I'd be disappointed if a person like that isn't "OP" from all the experience and combined skillsets they've gained through hard-work.)
Unfortunately tho, Because of school things and kind of slow updates of the translated ver. of the part 2, I had a falling out with this novel and stopped reading it in January of 2023 (or maybe December of 2022, I forgor..) but I've now picked it up again and rekindled my burning love for it. (Still rooting for Clopeh to establish Caleism)
Side note: I hate how I legit haven't read the tcf novel for more than a year and yet I've managed to binge read all currently translated 223 chapters of the part 2 in just TWO days.. now I'm cranky and hungrier than ever for more tcf content :/
TCF is all about healing
- This is a review about the novel.
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.
[This is just my opinion, if you don't like it then just scroll past it]
Tbh, I find it strange how some people completely erase KRS!Cale from their stories and instead just have OG!Cale regress and just take things off from there or something.. I get that they like the guy but I can't find myself liking him more than KRS!Cale. (or at all, I don't know him that well)
And yeah yeah, it's their fics they can do whatever the heck they want but I just want to share my opinion and perspective on things.
I just can't see OG!Cale achieving even half of the success that KRS!Cale had obtained even if he regressed or took KRS!Cale's Ancient Powers for himself, I mean, the guy legit spent 20 years in Tboah just being a mere foot soldier while KRS!Cale fcked over WS in just two years and with limited information.
Even though his experience being a soldier can be useful, it's not gonna get him that far. Instead, to make it so that Og!Cale actually creates change, I feel like they just give him sheer dumb luck and a thick-ass plot armor bigger than KRS!Cale's. (I get that Krs!Cale is kinda the same but it just doesn't hit the same way)
There's also the fact that KRS!Cale's ginormous intellect and charm made it so that he can bulldoze his way into the White Star's thousand year plans.
Intellect and Charm that Og!Cale simply doesn't have. If he did, there would have been people that noticed he was soul-swapped. (I get that he was acting as trash but srsly? not even a single person noticed?)
I mean, in order to integrate him into Korea, GoD legit gave Og!Cale some of KRS's memories and also a fraction of Record and Instant while KRS!Cale had that kinda unreliable Tboah novel that he only read till like- the start of the invasion to the Henituse County or something?
There's also Record, Instant, and Embrace. These abilities were important in preventing casualties and is a big-ass stepping stone of KRS!Cale's success. There's also the bonds he has with his people and AP's that allowed him to fight enemies via power of found family and an excessive amount of explosions. There's a lot more I can rant about but I'm getting lazy.
TLDR; I just find completely removing a novel's MC and replacing him with a side character to be weird.
random thought #3
[Minor SPOILERS for the first part of TCF]
Cale treats his ancient powers like they're his friends. Some would say he "stole" them for his own benefit but I just can't see it that way after everything I read in the novel.
Cale, former Kim Rok Soo, made a connection with these people. To me, they're not just powers to him. In fact, it feels like he understands what happened to them and if he doesn't, he quietly listens to their stories. And the way he talks to them also feels less like a selfish person who wants to use them for his own protection and greed for power but more like giving them the chance to see a beautiful world that became peaceful because of them. It's like he's comforting them after they suffered so much in the past (which is also connected to the healing thing I talked about in my other post).
Like yeah, he's annoyed at them most of the time but he doesn't blame them whenever he gets hurt or bleeds way too much as a backlash after using them. Instead, he simply helps them achieve what they couldn't do when they died.
“I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Cale said goodbye to the rumbling tree as if it was a person and exited the fenced area.
- Chapter 5: They Met
If he truly didn't care about them, he wouldn't get angry for them or at one point, he would've let their voices disappear in favor of getting stronger.
I like his relationship with them. Like they're the voices inside his head (lmao) and it might feel like he has wireless headphones attached to his ears 24/7 but he treats them the same way as the rest of his friends and family and it's really nice to see.
This is kind of the reason why I feel a bit weirded out(?) when fanfiction authors would completely erase Cale's (OG KRS) existence in the fic and replace him with OG Cale and give the other the ancient powers. Like I get people like OG Cale, I do as well, but it feels kinda wrong to see them with another person after seeing Cale bond with these people. In fact, I can't imagine them being with anyone but Cale, this chaotic little shit who gives Super Rock huge headaches and makes the others go violent for or with him whenever he's fighting with an asshole. Aside from one ancient power (if you know, you know), I just can't see him having none of them with him after everything he went through with them.
I keep remembering his "almost one-sided" conversations with all of them because most of the time it's chaotic but the rest are just as emotional with a feeling of deep understanding coming from him. It feels like he always has someone with him so whenever they're silent, I feel like the air is too heavy (like those few incidents when I just want to hug Cale).
I think the best description for Cale is that he's full of empathy.
So yeah, this is a random topic I thought about chaotic Cale and his equally chaotic ancient powers. Yes, I'm including Super Rock who isn't normal either. He's tamer than the rest but he's definitely not normal 🤣 I swear some people who think they're normal in the story are probably in denial like Cale is.
It just popped in my head when I saw the line about the tree in Chapter 5, which I quoted above ☝️
[Note: I'm not saying these authors are doing anything bad, by the way. This is just my opinion and I usually just skip those fics when I see them. I won't stop others from reading those fics just because I feel weird about this one thing about the ancient powers]
[Second note: This is about the first part of TCF, I dunno what happens in the second part yet but I hope to see more of his interactions with them]
very very lazily colored wip but u get the idea 😛
credit me if used 💜
a little comic i made a long time ago
slacker life haha 🙉🛑
oh ho.. slacker life?
cale henituse and super rock ability!
cale henituse: fluffy hair, straight hair
cant decide 🤔
have cale and wait where did slacker life go..?
its around here somewhere (probably)
im rlly experimenting with coloring i hope this is up to standards 😅
cale the wannabe slacker and his babygirl beauty (rough coloring hhaha) 😝
cale and raon sketches — lil raon is the cutest 💜
ive been drafting up an AU where KRS transmigrates as the red dragon rather than cale.. it been in my mind all week and i dont see enough of red dragon KRS in fics so i took it in my own hands 😫
lmaooo maybe ill publish it if i get it far enough
pray the motivation keeps coming 🤞
from the au im manifesting/creating,, choi han and red dragon!krs are traveling together 😆
KRS basically escapes from the white radish hence the mana restricting collar, and shit ton of scars,,, dont ask me for the plot as to why the red dragon lives longer in this au, ✨creative liberties were taken ✨ hence: ✨au✨😚
annnd ofc we have our lil choi han whos just happens to find KRS crashed im the middle of the forest of darkness and is just happy to be there now 🥰
maaybe ill post some of what ive got for this au later 👾
kim roksoo from the red dragon au im imagining/working on
part 1
so. this is part one of a red dragon!krs fic ive been building up… this first chapter doesnt really have much much interesting scenes as of right now, and I’d love love love the input from everyone on how to continue, ideas for characters, and if theres anything i should consider changing!! that doesnt mean that i’ll be changing everything according to commenters, but i’d value all opinions to help build this plot 🥲
I’ve already finished around 3 similar length chapters and recently got stuck, so think of these posts as drafts and final revisions will probably go officially on AO3. thanks everyone 🤪
———
Oh, Pitiful Dragon (1)
-
Ever since his birth, the child longed for death. If it could take away his pain and grant his freedom, he’d trade anything he had so scarce of already. And on a particularly horrible day— the day that terrible man decided he would rip out his heart and use it for evil— the little child met a god.
The God of Death.
He thought it was ironic, seeing how soon his own demise was due soon. But this God didn’t come to reap his death, rather it came to propose a deal.
And the red dragon would accept any deal to be free of this pitiful life.
-
Kim Roksoo awoke suddenly from his slumber. His vision was black and only began to adjust to his blurred version after continuous blinking. Why was it so dark? And how had he fallen asleep? He was just finishing Volume 5 of The Birth of a Hero series and now— wait, are those chains?!
His eyes blew open and his vision was finally adjusted to the pitch darkness that surrounded him. He tried to stand but winced when pain spiked all across his body. Only then did he realize just how badly injured he was. Why was he so weak? Had someone kidnapped and beat him to a pulp?! He was completely blinded by the inexplicable pain that he hadn’t realized something much more important. No— wait, pain is important! It’s definitely concerning! But… why was his whole body covered in crimson scales?
‘Oh geez, well isn’t this new.’
Shortly after he had that thought he passed out from exhaustion and shock.
-
When Kim Roksoo woke again, he was practically being strangled. He quickly gasped for air and focused in on his current situation. He was being held up tightly by a metal collar on his (very, very sore) neck by some strange man in front of him. His hair was a long, spiky mess of blond and didn’t look very well-maintained. But his eyes… they were bloodshot red and had a crazed glint to them.
‘Crazy bastard…!’
Roksoo’s breathing was beginning to strain more and more, and suddenly he felt something prick beneath his scales painfully. He looked down and saw a clear tube running from his body all the way through an open passageway not so far from him. His blood began flowing through it.
‘Blood— They’re.. taking my blood?’
His thoughts were becoming even more incoherent by the second but after securing the clear tube into the little red dragon, the crazed man dropped him to the floor.
“You’re blood is so pure and vibrant, it’s so beautiful.. just like the color of your scales! It will definitely aid our liege and his cause. Haha!”
All Roksoo could think of was how crazy this lunatic was. He was still heavily panting, because honestly when was he not at this point, but thankfully he hadn’t passed out again. Instead, he glared with all his being towards the crazy bastard standing above him. Unfortunately, it only seemed to excite the lunatic even more.
“Maybe I really should visit you more. That look in your eyes gives me chills!”
Mumbling to himself, the psycho soon left the room through the very passage his blood was being drawn towards, and Roksoo was left alone; unprotected and cold. He hated feeling this way. These people didn’t seem to want him alive for so long, considering his “luxury” treatment. He was going to miserably die at their hands sooner or later. And he was too weak to do anything about it.
His eyes suddenly flashed with memories— no, records— of his fight with the second unranked monster to plague Korea. Lee Soohyuk and Choi Jungsoo… he had let them die. It was his fault and he knew it. It was something he’d regret for the rest of his life. But… they had told him to keep living. To keep living for them. He couldn’t die. It didn’t matter how he got into this situation. He’d rather crawl in shit than die this pathetically. He’d survive his new predicament— this new life that’s been granted to him. He’d survive.
He’d definitely survive to smack these bastards in the back one day.
-
Roksoo had spent weeks in that dark hell. His blood continued to flow from his body to somewhere unknown, he was paid violent visits by that lunatic, and he got weaker and weaker because of it. But his will didn’t waver for a second. Whenever someone came in to check on him, he’d mark it in his mind every time. Soon enough, he learned their patterns and found openings. He finally had a plan to escape this hell, no matter how many holes there were.. it was a chance.
With his limited information, there was only so far he could get, but somewhere deep inside him, he knew he’d manage. So, he followed his instincts. The minute his opening came, he used all the strength he had gathered and focused.
‘Concentrate. Concentrate on that feeling you’ve been accumulating, Roksoo!’
Suddenly, Roksoo felt as if he’d achieved some sort of enlightenment like the ones described in murim stories. He felt an overwhelming warmth spread throughout his body and a rush of adrenaline pumped through his veins exponentially. This power… He didn’t know where it had suddenly manifested from, but he was sure now. He could get out of here using it. His mind and body began working beyond their limits, and eventually everything around him felt like it was moving at a snails pace.
‘Instant..?’
His second ability from his past life, Instant. Time would seize and he could move freely for a short while. With a heavy cost on his body of course.
‘But this… it’s similar to instant, but it’s not completely it. I think— No, I can definitely handle this much better than what I’ve been able to before in Korea.’
His new body must’ve integrated Instant into another power. And this new power was about to help him escape. A small smirk graced his torn and bloodied face. Perfect.
Shackles that were tying his limbs down shattered beneath the little dragon’s feet in the blink of an eye, and in a literal instant he was darting across the passage with his slashed and scarred limbs.
‘Keep going. I have to keep going and get out of here!’
He was sprinting through the corridors, and if anybody had looked his way all they would’ve seen was a long, red blur. A bright light was beginning to seep in between the cracks in the ceiling of the dark man-made cave he was confined in.
‘Screw the consequences, we’re blasting through!’
With incredible speed, Roksoo was right beneath the seeping cracks of light and expanded his unused wings for the first time. His wingspan barely fit within the wide corridor as he spread them out and up, blasting off from his spot on the ground and flying like a rocket towards the ceiling. He was making it out.
Just as he impacted and the dust and debris had shot up everywhere, he spotted a few individuals standing far off in the sunlight. The most notable was a red haired main of fairly tall stature completely frozen in place by Roksoo’s sudden escapade. He wore a strange white mask over his upper face, his eyes a bright red with hints of brown. The person looked far to similar to Roksoo. His prominent crimson red and his own piercing reddish-brown eyes. They would’ve looked entirely the same if it weren’t for Roksoo’s current form.
He only locked eyes with the man for a split second, and continued shooting up into the sky. He began to hear shouts and alarms blaring within his vicinity. He had been encaged in a mountain with a large encampment stealthily surrounding it. He’d remember this exact spot.
Massive fireballs and arrows began piercing the sky in an attempt to bring Roksoo down, but he clumsily maneuvered around each and just barely grazed a few on his crimson scales. Suddenly, a blinding white spear had crossed his vision. And before he knew it, another had pierced right through his wing, tearing it open a considerable amount. Roksoo stifled the cry of pain that threatened escaping his lips, and instead gritted his teeth and continued to fly towards any kind of safety. Anything other than here will be safe, he just needs to lose these bastards first. The adrenaline rush he had originally received numbed all the pain in his body, but he knew that wouldn’t last with his current levels. He had to make use of every last bit of this power that he had in him.
He flew over an ocean and kept flying as far away as he could. Eventually he reached the mainland. The forest underneath him was dark and vast, a perfect hiding spot. He glides over the tree-line and with his remaining strength he just barely managed a suitable landing right by a flowing river. His landing was a little on the rough side and he was still so sore, but… he had finally made it out. He was successful. Now, he could truly live a slacker life! Wait— he still needs to get back at the bastards who had tortured him in the first place. Ah.. he also needs to secure enough funds for his slacker life as well.
Sigh.
Roksoo had much to do before he got to live a peaceful life.
‘But first, let’s just lay here a little while longer…’
Roksoo succumbed to his exhaustion and pain, entering a deep slumber.
———
THANKS FOR READING to the end !! please let me know ur input, things i could change, add, etc, i lack a lot in this field and value ur feedback ! 😋