#tcf ohn

[kurumeuruki]

man wtf cale

[wandering-tides]

Look at the Piggybank

Look at the Piggybank!

It's shaped like Raon!!!

....this must mean Hong and Ohn's piggbanks are cat shaped with their respective colors, right?

-thinks back to the Top Whips Test on the Wind Island where only the kids piggybanks were left-

...That scene is so much more devastating now

[greenbeanlord]

Choosing

Raon: Human! Which one is us is the smartest!!!

Cale: Raon, I can’t possibly choose between the 3 of you since you are all very clever and smart in different ways. It’s an imposible question.

Raon and Hong *giggling with joy out the door*: Yes I guess that is very true!!

Cale *turns to Ohn*: it’s you…and by a lot. I once saw them have a whole conversation with a rock.

[nonexistent-alfa]

Who is the likeliest of the children averaging 10 years old to call Cale Dad first?

Hong. It's Hong. No questions asked. I'd be actually very surprised if it's not him.

Raon is too prideful to admit he thinks of this human as his daddy. He listens to Cale well but notice how he has never put a label on their relationship. Cale has never called himself Raon's guardian in front of Raon either (cmiiw). We don't really know what Raon thinks of Cale as.

Ohn is a similar case. She's the oldest of the three and mature for her age. She would not call this frail looking dude who's hardly a decade older than her as dad. Plus, she remembers her parents. She might find it hard to call someone else as dad.

Hong is definitely the likeliest to do it first because he doesn't sweat the details. He also might not have as clear memories of his parents as his sister. So he wouldn't think too much about it before calling Cale dad.

[dragonsbluee]

So I've recently been re-reading TCF And chapter 196 is such an excellent example of how Cale interacts with the people around him, how he views himself and how they view him. This is also at the point in the novel where he hasn't really accepted that he is Cale now, not KRS, because he doesn't feel like he can.

So anyway, we start the chapter seeing the people of Rain City react to Cale's shield and they say something important!

"Won't he faint is he uses such a large shield? Why doesn't he just activate it when the northern bastards come?" "Can't you tell? He doesn't want to see us or the territory getting hurt at all."

At first, I thought this was just the regular drama of people reacting to Cale, but then Choi Han, the kids, and Ron tell him he's being ridiculous, and I realize the townsfolk are right.

The Wyvern Battle is only the 2nd or 3rd major battle Cale has been in so far but only as Cale. As KRS, he's done this before, and having read later chapters, we know Cale holds so much guilt over those battles and how he wanted to keep those he cared for away from it all but couldn't. After all, record only gives him information to guide them and make plans; he often couldn't physically protect them. How many times has he defended a shelter or teammates and wished he could have just covered them all with a shield instead of giving commands from the back? We know how guilty he feels over Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk's deaths.

He knows he doesn't have to keep it up, and he's the one who spreads a rumour that it's taking all of his energy, but he's already considering himself a "bad person" for taking military command and only giving orders. (except that's what it means to take military command?) There is absolutely another motive for keeping the shield around the city. Cale wants the opposing forces to view him as weakened, or he doesn't want people to think his power is as strong as it is. However, at the same time, he's absolutely protecting them because, just like the townsperson says, he doesn't want to see any of them get hurt by an attack he could have blocked.

Cale is doing what he can to undermine himself while claiming he's going to make everyone else the hero of this battle, but he won't drop the shield, which means no one can disregard or forget his involvement. It's not intentional! He's just literally made himself the first line of defense as a direct parallel to every time he was the last line as KRS. He wants to stay at the back, he does not plan to get involved unless he has to, but Cale won't let himself stay out of it. So the shield goes up and stays for multiple days.

Meanwhile, all Choi Han, Ron and the kids see is Cale surrounded by paperwork (because taking command of the entire Northeast is a lot of work), keeping a shield up that's known to make him cough up blood (they don't know about it getting stronger or the vitality of heart), and only sleeping 1 to 2 hours a night (thank you crybaby), so they assume it's a combination of work and concentration to keep the shield up. As usual, they're worried and frustrated at Cale's self-sacrificing tendencies.

We haven't even gotten to the actual battle yet, but this is such a great setup of how it's going to go and how the novel goes.

[galaxygirl8880]

Handwriting Headcannons

Cale:

Whenever he's writing, his handwriting is very font-like. It's neat, looks a bit rushed tho. When he's signing his name, the body's muscle memory takes over and it's the most over the top thing you can think of.

Ohn:

She seems like her handwriting would be very tiny. Probably also does the little hearts as dots.

Hong:

He has NO FEAR. his handwriting is neat enough(for a kid) but l a r g e.

Raon:

No opposable thumbs = basically chicken scratch. He's much better at writing when using his magic.

Choi han:

Before the forest of darkness, it was probably pretty average. Now it's just slightly worse. (Got better with practice) He's not too confident when writing in the Roan kingdom's language

Rosalyn:

It is either neat and tidy because of her time as a princess or it looks like a doctor wrote it, no in-between.

---

Now I disappear for another three months

*poofs away magically*

[slackerlifewhere]

Involving kids in battles

There are a lot of opinions about Cale Henituse, formerly known as Kim Rok Soo. Some readers love him and some readers don't. Some find him funny and some think he's annoying. Some see his selflessness and some judge him as selfish.

He's a very complex character that is just tired of the bullshit the gods did to a lot of people including himself.

But the one thing that some readers do not like about him is how he includes kids in wars and battles against multiple powerful threats.

I've made a post about female characters that slightly mentions this. It can be found during On's part in the post if you're curious.

So here's the thing about the kids in TCF, or rather, the kids in Cale's group. They're strong in different ways.

And most of them, excluding Lily and Basen, are not humans.

To understand why I think their presence in battles are okay, let me first bring up Kim Rok Soo's past to understand the way he thinks.

As we all know, at least the ones who finished the first book, Kim Rok Soo did not have the best life. His parents died from a car accident when he was young and he was left to his abusive uncle. He was mostly alone with no connections to other people (for reasons you need to read about if you haven't yet) until the apocalypse (when he was a young part-timer) happened where he had to survive by himself until he became a member of a team with different abilities. He was a member who had to fight and watch people die when he was young until he's 36 years old.

He doesn't have a normal life and childhood.

'Kim Rok Soo had once had to starve in the past. He did not enjoy seeing children looking so skinny. Although Lock had always looked feeble and his tall height made him skinny from the start, he seemed even thinner now.' - Chapter 234: Something Obvious (3)

So if a person who grew up under these circumstances is suddenly thrusted into another world where anyone can die easily, what would he do?

Basen and Lily

His first reaction to the idea of Basen being sent to the plaza where Cale knows a tragedy might happen, is to agree with Deruth's idea of replacing Basen, knowing full well that his younger brother will not come back completely fine, especially since he's a normal kid. He chose to sacrifice his safety for a brother he barely knows since he recently just got transmigrated in this strange world. Basen is more fit to help in their territory than to fight in battles. And he does not see this as a weakness.

When Lily asks for a sword instead of a normal toy a child of her age would normally want, he easily agrees. This is a kid who wants to learn how to fight. He knows that there will be war coming to Roan Kingdom and their territory will be the first to face this danger. So the idea of her learning how to fight, with the mindset of someone who survived in an apocalypse, made him agree without complaints.

Raon Miru

Fast forward and he gained the trust of three children who are harmed by a tribe and a cruel noble. He pities them but also understands their pain at the same time, especially after everything he went through. He knows coddling them would not make things better since they already know how harsh the world is.

Raon is a baby dragon but he's stronger than all of the people in his group, except Eruhaben. He's a kid who easily talks about destroying the world if Cale doesn't wake up after fainting. He's a kid who wants revenge against Venion and he never let go of that anger even when he was freed by Cale and his group. He knows he's stronger than Cale and does not want to leave this "weak" human despite the strong enemies they face.

But Cale, even with this thought of "putting him to use" at first, told him to hide himself in all battles and when around strangers.

Even though he knows Raon can fight, it's obvious the little dragon will face potential problems if everyone knows there's a dragon in the group. Arm would do everything to get Raon and bring him to DHB, the nobles would probably become greedy, a lot of people will rely on him for things he shouldn't even need to do, and Raon will never be truly free from all the expectations placed on him.

He could leave Raon with Elves and Eruhaben but considering what Arm did to the elves, Eruhaben's lair, and Olienne, there are no safe places to leave him.

Cale gave him the freedom of choice. He can live freely as a dragon without trusting a human. He was fully confident that Raon will not follow him. But he did. So Raon is his responsibility now.

I made a post about liking both Cale and Reigen Arataka and I can honestly see their similarities in this part. They know the kid with them is stronger than them but they also know that fully placing all the responsibilities and expectations on this kid will ruin them.

He, like Reigen, tells his kids that it's okay to run when facing a strong opponent. That it's okay to rely and let the adults handle the hard part of the battle. He respects and relies on them when necessary and pulls them back when they face real danger.

When the White Star first appeared, Cale's first instinct was to hide Raon in his arms and to defend themselves from the man. He was also prepared to fight until Eruhaben appeared. No matter how much Raon wanted to fight, Cale kept hiding him and was genuinely scared for the dragon.

So yes, he cares for the kids in his own way but doesn't treat them in a patronizing manner.

On and Hong

Like I've mentioned in my other post, On and Hong also did not have a great childhood. They were chased from their tribe who wanted to kill them because they're "useless" and mutants.

They did not trust anyone until they met Cale who says one thing and does the opposite. They placed their trust on Cale who may appear indifferent and cold but seems to care for them by giving them bread, medicine, and meat without having expectations from them.

Some readers might find it distasteful but it's obvious that they want to be useful, no matter how small their contribution is to the fight. I think the term "useful" makes it cruel but for them, it's something to be proud of. When he first uses this term, it's when they were saving Raon. But his next instinct was to check if they're okay after infiltrating the cave.

Is it bad to let these kids fight after they escaped death? Yes and no.

They should be safe, away from harm or danger. That's normal to think about children and I agree they need safety like normal children. But once again, these kids aren't human and they are in a different world from us. They grew up in a tribe that expects them to be strong so in every opportunity, they look for ways to be strong.

That's not exactly a normal kid's way of thinking.

And again, Cale's initial indifference to everything around him is the extension of what his former life did to his psyche. He's not a normal person either. None of these characters are normal. Oddly enough, the most normal are Litana and Valentino.

And in all honesty, knowing how he thinks and respects someone's needs and wants, if they want to stay away from danger or stop fighting, there is no doubt he would accept their wishes and let them hide somewhere far away from Arm. But like Raon, they want to fight back against the tribe who wants them dead. In a sense, they also want revenge and to prove everyone that they've become strong.

Lock and the Wolf children

Lock is still a young boy, no matter how much he shoulders after the death of his tribe. I still see him as a kid like Basen.

When Lock was having troubles during the war, Cale did not scold him. Instead, he encouraged him to eat since he noticed how Lock hasn't been eating since he first learned he can't use his berserk form. He told him that he did not need to fight. His only role was to stand and protect Raon. Simple but it made Lock feel relieved and happy that Cale didn't get angry at him for being weak.

I see it as Cale just wanting him to step back and get stronger, to rely on the rest of the adults and to not worry about regressing. I can only imagine what Kim Rok Soo went through to be so wise about this kind of situation.

This part is one of the most memorable to me because of what happens at the end of the battle,

'I am the adult.

I am the guardian of these two children.

I need to take full responsibility since I chose to take them in.

I need the Super Rock's power.'

Cale, despite all his inner complaints and initial reluctance about how he's suddenly involved in a group of children's safety and protection, finally admitted how important it is that he takes full responsibility of those he took in. And the way he does it is by "sacrificing" himself.

When Lock finally overcome his fear and was about to protect Cale, Cale got annoyed and said,

"Children grow up so fast" with a pat on Lock's head.

He sounded like a father or an uncle who was proud of Lock for overcoming his obstacles. This one scene among multitudes of others made me recognize how much he cares for these children. It's happening mid-battle but it doesn't detracts the emotional value but only increases it. It was another reason why I find Cale Henituse so interesting and mesmerizing.

Conclusion

Cale Henituse, for all his self-hatred and low self-esteem, does not bring down a child or person's confidence. He gives them the choice to become strong and protects them when they're weak.

He does not force them to do anything they can't or don't want to do. He knows what he went through as Kim Rok Soo is bad and he doesn't want them to go through the same thing.

Reading between the lines made me see that there's something deeper than what Cale shows.

___

I'm not gonna lie, I sound like Clopeh at some parts whenever I write like this. I felt the same when I was writing about the female characters lmao

I'm sorry if this is so long 😅 I became too passionate about this topic. I understand the people who are worried about the kids but this is still my opinion about it.

[xiximalette]

Whenever I get introduced to a character in the totcf novel, I always wonder how they will look like in the manhwa adaptation but then eventually remembering that I'm 500+ chapters in almost at the end of part 1 and the manhwa is still around 100+

We most likely see them beautiful characters in 10 decades😓

Long haired Cale suffering and half of the tcf cast fighting for their lives🫶

Eruhaben though, we are nearing!! Actually, idk I forgot what happened in the novel during that time but his appearance was like after the ten peak mountain battle though idk what exactly happened in between those events.

[arceviste]

look at his expression, snatched the oscar once again

LIKE— HELLO, WHO ALLOWED YOU TO BE THIS SUBMISSIVE- i mean adorable, unassuming, and definitely not a scamming smile huh?? anyway— CATS.

[unadulteratedbluebirdnightmare]

Cale: pspspsps I have ptsd pspspsps.

Oh: what?

Cale: I said pspspsps.

Oh: no, you said that you have PTSD.

*Cale starts running*

[murasaki-cha]

Day 3 of the tcf twitter event was Record!

Recording the little joys in life (I got way too into this one can you tell? I had a vision damn it!!)

[brainrot-mx]

*MANHWA CHAPTER 104*

HELP LOOK AT OHN 😭

SHE KNOWS HE'S LYING.

She's like "You're definitely lying aren't you." And then she's like "I'll just listen to your bs while I lay here, go do ur thing."

[samberrybay]

HOLD ON-

Is this an actual reason kids wanted to travel around the world with Cale??? Is this the culprit??

Because if that's so this is fucking adorable

When i first read the novel and in the future chapters On, Hong and Raon were telling Cale that they want to travel everywhere together i just went "Aw that's sweet, yeah sure" not questioning much of it because, well, Cale didn't either. And I'm a very trustful person, who didn't thought about our narrator being a lying little shit back then.

So rereading the novel now and seeing this gives me literal butterflies!

Just think about it.

Children, who never saw much of the world, whose thoughts before been only about survival, wanted to travel everywhere together and see everything, but not for themselves.

They thought that will make Cale happy.

On, Hong and Raon obviously love Cale a lot, he is literally their parent and the first ever person to show them warmth or care.

So it is understandable that they want to show this love to him in return and I'm like :,) MAN, i love this story so much ueue

[iikisa]

very very lazily colored wip but u get the idea 😛

credit me if used 💜

[zorlovinghue]

Gdoc autocorrect need a specialized punishment cuz who tf is Alger Grossman. It's not even Albert. It's ALGER. And no, my friend, you DID NOT JUST CALL MY DEAR PRINCE GROSS! How many times have you changed his name to Alberta or Alberto istg— I'm already tired of John shenanigans for Ohn..... Oh and not even once I forgive you for Eruhaben-wife whenever I added -nim!!

You're smarter than this, come on🙂

[galaxygirl8880]

I don't want to get your hopes up, but I low-key miss posting? 👉👈

I have a lot of unfinished drafts, (like 72) and this one didn't make the cut because if I remember correctly, I thought it was too ooc or something lol.

Idk, maybe I'll get back to uploading again :>

---

Cale but his spice tolerance is fucking ridiculous

Beacrox is trying to perfect a spicy recipe and Cale wants to taste so he lets him with a warning that it's pretty spicy

Cale tries it anyway and doesn't make a face, doesn't to that breathing inwards thing or anything. He nonchalantly puts his spoon down and is like- "Pretty good, could use some more spice though."

And Beacrox, bless his heart, has to do a double take. Like- "?????"

He'd let others try samples and they were suffering for at least 30 minutes

His young master, who detests sour things and has a sweet tooth, said he wants more chili flakes???

Not what he was expecting but oh well-

So like those fics where the children want Beacrox and Cale to have a cook-off, Raon picks the spicy category

He hears Cale whispering to himself "okay mild spices" and thinks nothing of it.

Once they're done, Cale's dish is inedible to everyone but Choi han

It looks delicious and everyone wanted to try some but after bud tried it first and almost died they've been rightfully nervous-

(some wanted to take the risk- it's not every day you can taste something the young master cooked personally)