The Absolute Weirdest Thing About Rise Has To Be Seeing Rafal In A Powerless Position. And, It Happens

The absolute weirdest thing about Rise has to be seeing Rafal in a powerless position. And, it happens multiple times! Like, what? No wonder he’s so desperate to hold onto power in the main series. I’d never thought I’d see that in a million years. Like, I remember a part when he was almost asphyxiated by Vulcan as a bird, and when he was trapped in the prison ball, causing Rhian to almost trade the Storian away in exchange for his freedom. I seriously never thought we’d see Rafal without the upper hand, so Rise was refreshing for this very reason.

"Simony" Analysis and Trivia

If anyone’s interested, this is just a look behind the curtain of my thought process surrounding “Simony,” my speculative, Fall prediction fic. Except, it takes place during Rise, if an alternate series of events were to occur. I would suggest reading my fic before reading this post if you haven't, so you aren’t confused.

⸻

Rhian looked ethereal in the light, like a spirit. - Foreshadowing his death.

The walls behind him looked more the pure white of sugar glass, with distortions and cracks. - Imagery to represent Good’s and Rhian’s corruption.

There’s a lot of light-and-dark, black-and-white, shadow-and-sun imagery. This was intentional because I wanted a literal Halo Effect to apply to Rhian as people who are attractive are often judged as more innocent and honorable. At the same time, he’s also being backlit, so a shadow is cast on his face, to signify his turn. Additionally, when I described him from Rafal’s perspective across the room, I not only wanted to emphasize attractiveness but light that could burn out your corneas, if given the chance. Hence, how Rafal would react to the glaring light. He’d probably squint, or not be able to look at it head on. I also have in mind how when you narrow your eyes at light, you tend to see alternating flashes of red and black in your field of vision. So, that could also extend to literally “seeing red,” conveying anger.

Rafal’s figurative “death” of the soul is by burning alive. I repeatedly used the word burn and the adjacent imagery to signify this. This idea is also associated with the persecution of Evil in the tales through burning witches on pyres.

Rhian’s death is by “drowning,” in a way. He may have choked on his own blood, or I’d prefer the interpretation of Rafal’s fatal blow to the heart ending his life, to serve symbolism around matters of the heart. Rhian’s own figurative heart could have proven fatal one day, if he fell in love with someone worse. Even Vulcan was about to kill him. Also, drowning is the same fate Rafal would have had if he had lost to James Hook in the sea.

When Rafal says: “Where’s your right hand?” I originally intended for it to just be a way to ask Rhian: “Where’s your second-in-command (meaning: Dean Hook)?” The phrase right hand would have been interchangeable with any synonym. Though coincidentally, I discovered that this was an unintentionally fitting choice of words. The original Captain Hook’s right hand in Peter and Wendy was replaced by a hook, so Rhian’s figurative “right hand” has been replaced by a Hook, James Hook.

Rafal felt like he’d been impaled. - A reference to Rafal’s sacrifice in Rise.

“I fix everything.” Rafal berated. “And then what? Do I get any credit? I don’t care whether I do.” - I let Rafal be a hypocrite here because it humanizes him. (Rhian gets his hypocritical moment in the sun later. It’s meant to showcase that they’re both in the wrong.) I think it shows how skewed his perspective has become, maybe, ’cause he does want recognition? But anyway, Rafal is far gone, too steeped in his pride (and his probable superiority complex) as compared to canon Rafal.

Do you want your subordinates to hail and herald you like a martyr, Rhian? - Foreshadowing Rhian’s death, again.

To let rot and turn to dust in the storybooks. - A reference to Rafal’s demise in TLEA.

Approaching smoothly, he loomed over Rhian, and hooked his hand under Rhian’s chin, - A reference to James Hook.

“I almost drowned to know that which you don’t.” He dropped his hand, and Rhian’s head nodded forward like a sodden mass. - Drowning, heavy imagery, and the effects of Rhian's magic-induced paralysis.

Rhian quailed in Rafal’s grip. - Rafal’s bird motif.

Rafal’s suit flickered to black for a moment, burnt and blackened, a scorched figure against the white, and Rhian shook his head vaguely, as if to dislodge water. Surely, he was hallucinating. - Another reference to Rafal’s burning-to-ash death in TLEA, foreshadowing Rafal wearing all-black eventually, and drowning imagery.

He was hollow and numb, like an effigy. - A reference to how Rafal’s influence caused Sophie to feel emotionally-numb in TLEA, except this time it's his own soul cooling. Also, burning imagery in the bit about the effigy.

They were a specter of what they’d once been. - Rhian’s ghost foreshadowing.

And then, clarity in denial:

“I'm not Evil—I can't be," Rhian choked.

“And I'm not Good. I wasn’t, even when I had you.” Rafal’s finger burned with a black glow, blotting out the light in the echoing, empty room. He shot a Stun Spell at Rhian.

“I don't want to die.”

Rafal seized one of Rhian’s wrists to keep him from moving. “You’re human, Rhian,” Rafal said as he touched his brother’s face gently. “As in mortal.” He drew a dagger from his side, and held it steady above Rhian’s heart.

Did anyone catch this book 1 reference I alluded to?

This whole section is a backwards version of Agatha and Sophie’s final conversation in book 1 as Sophie dies. If it’s not a callback, then it’s a “call-forward.” First, Sophie gets over her delusions of Goodness and her denial of her Evil, at least partly by the end. Here, Rhian never has the time for that revelation. Agatha tells Sophie that she’s not Evil, she’s human, and brings her back to life. I decided to have Rafal use a spin on the familiar words. To echo them in a more sinister way because he’s paralyzed Rhian, and is about to kill him, not revive him. Thus, the meaning of human was twisted.

“No, Rafal! I forgive you. I love you,” Rhian gasped. - Time for Rhian’s hypocritical moment! He’s trying to follow the Rules (Defend. Forgive. Help. Give. Love.) again in a slapdash way because he’s desperate to bridge the rift between him and Rafal. It’s too little, too late. This was his mistake. And, he’s coming from the wrong angle because he still believes he’s in the right, and that he’s the victim. To be fair, he is now. But, if anything, what Rafal wants is an apology from him. Though, they should both apologize, really.

Rhian’s body splintered into pure, golden light, dissipating in the air. - A reference to Rhian’s soul during the Circus of Talents. Also, it seemed fitting for him to return to magic, being a sorcerer himself.

The burning, bright blue sky - The imagery of Rafal's surroundings is intended to be unsettling because I think most murders take place under dreary, bleak, overcast skies, or any time the weather is poor, for obvious mirroring of the mood. Yet, a pleasant summer sky would make it seem like Rafal’s murder was impact-less, and hopefully, it would hurt him more to see that nothing has changed, except their relationship and his own internal conflict. In fact, probably something had to stay the same to reveal the internal turmoil and the changes to Rafal’s psyche. I just thought it made for a better contrast.

his face had gone white at the black depths of his soul. - Black and white imagery. And, now, Rafal has to play both roles himself, as one School Master ruling both Evers and Nevers without anyone to mediate him. This also acts as a tribute to the swans of the School crest.

His hands were pale, shaking, and blue-veined. - A nod to James Hook’s blue blood.

Once pillars, that stood for Good and Evil. Stable and constant. - I compared the brothers to pillars because I wanted the act of fratricide to feel like an act of seismic effects/proportions, shaking the Woods to its very core, overturning all existing structures and the preconceived notions of Good and Evil.

Also, I tried to mimic the mood/tone in book 1 from that scene where rain washes the glitter out of Sophie’s skin, and Agatha leaves her, taking the umbrella or something. There’s a rift between the two, and Agatha basically refuses to help Sophie anymore until Sophie listens to her, or helps herself.

Love had burned Rafal, every time, like a sorcerer of the New tales, lashed to a stake. - Burning imagery. Foreshadowing to what Rafal believes the new tales will be like because he's secured Evil’s losing streak. Also, a reference to the New Evil regime in TLEA.

Aside from “Fear and Loathing” by MARINA which I thought fit thematically, I think “the last beautiful thing I saw is the thing that blinded me” has visceral imagery that matched the concept of my imagery. Overall, the song is haunting, cinematic, and climatic.

My foot fell upon your grave

Like a pressure point

Hidden beneath the soil

Down came sheets of pouring hail

I sheltered in a church's arch within

From the shards of glass falling so pale

And I look up, and saw the sun

It separated all the colors

And the ice, into my eyes

It fell and left me blind

That was the last thing that I saw:

The fractured glass and its downpour

I felt the blood mix with the water

And I didn't see no more

The white light features here, as well as the ice in the person’s eyes. I connected this to the figurative ice in Rafal’s eyes. Also, the last beautiful sight a person has blinding them could refer to both Rafal’s “death” and Rhian’s death. They both see the other in their final seconds together, and the remnants of their beautiful relationship before Rafal resorts to extremist actions, subscribing to the weird, self-fulfilling, tragic prophecy that he neglected to tell Rhian about.

I was tempted to include more diction with religious connotations altogether, but mostly, I left it at cathedral and martyr. I thought acolytes in place of followers would be unsubtle, and a stretch to be in character with Rafal’s brand of mocking.

I also almost kept a reference to August Sader in how Rafal could have had a thought about how his brother was under his nose this whole time, his nemesis. And, how they were in a fairy tale. Anything could happen in a fairy tale. But, it felt too intentional, like he had a plan, and reasoning to back it up. So, it had to be cut. Rafal’s decision to kill Rhian was meant to be more of a split-second, impulsive one.

King Midas’ Speculated Involvement in Fall

These are all the possibilities I can think of. If anyone has other ideas, feel free to contribute! Skip to the bold text if you're not interested in the less Midas-related parts.

A young King Midas was promised to feature in Fall, and the Schools turn gold and glow with a magical aura in the Fall trailer, so I assume that must be his influence. I doubt whether the Schools turning to gold should be taken literally though, considering the dark sea on the cover of Rise was just part of another setting, and the Schools didn’t actually rise out of the sea. However, in the main series, every time the Schools were altered (it happened thrice) the covers were accurate to their current state.

Soman once said (on Twitter, probably?) that there were loads of Easter eggs in the Fall cover reveal video. So far, there’s the popular imposter theory/eye color swap, and the shattered sky. I don’t think I see much else that could be important.

The brothers also have winged shoulder-ornaments and some kind of sternum-jewelry, which I could see as being vaguely Storian-shaped, like in a “you can’t shake off the yoke of fate” way.

I am considering the possibility of wizard wishes and someone’s Celestium being involved because no natural sky looks mirrored like that. The shattered sky or glass could represent Rhian and Rafal’s relationship falling apart, if it is symbolic. And, if Celestiums represent a wizards psyche, that wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, especially if one of the brothers goes “psycho.” I also wonder if Soman’s been taunting us, and that one of the brothers could die from being struck by lightning.

⸻

Anyway, here my predictions for Midas’ role:

1. The parent of a student or alumnus. Seems unlikely given that he’s young.

2. Rhian’s love interest. Possible. Also, maybe, Rhian really does love shiny, attractive things, hence the glass castle he had built. I headcanon that he has magpie/corvid tendencies, and could be lured in by gold. This could function like a “Faithful John” arc with Rafal as John to keep his brother grounded. Midas would be cast in the role of the golden princess.

When we think about it: Who’s easily overwhelmed by splendor and drawn in easily, and who’s not? Who’s the gullible, vulnerable one? Will Rhian trade Rafal for Midas? I doubt it because I think Rhian’s learned his lesson twice, but who knows.

3. The brothers appeal to Midas for support, to save their schools. I’d love to see Rafal forced to grovel before a king, but it's more likely he’d threaten Midas with death? This sounds like that dialogue snippet Soman released, about kingdom’s leaders being difficult to deal with.

4. Midas captures both brothers. There’s a chance he’s a villain.

5. Midas kills one of the brothers or turns one to gold. I bet it could be Rafal. He’ll probably suffer physically a lot in this book. Plus, incapacitating the most powerful (and capable) character makes for a dire situation and high stakes. (Sure, Rhian is of equal power but he’s less willing to harm people.) If this happens, it would alienate Rhian, and I bet it would be hilarious to watch him panic at first. He’d be frantic, desperate to do anything. And, desperation could be a good corruption motive for Rhian to become more Evil.

6. Midas wants to capture Rhian specifically. Maybe, to admire him, keep him as a pet, because he’s golden and alive. This would be presuming Midas’ whole court and all his loved-ones have already been turned to gold. (I think he had a daughter in the original story). There might even be foreshadowing in Rise because Rhian was often described as golden. It could be meant to lead up to this. And, it could be fun to read as well as creepy.

7. Midas could produce gold to bargain with Hook or with the possibly Evil Pan. In exchange for their students, to get them back? To make a trade with another Woods leader? To settle other outlying expenses?

8. Alternatively, Midas approaches the brothers. He’d think they can undo his curse, his golden touch. Since they are known as the powerful, immortal twin sorcerers far and wide through all the Woods, we could assume. So, Midas has traveled all this way, and Rafal recognizes he has a bargaining chip here. Midas is desperate. Rafal probably gets Midas to exchange lifting the curse for support or something useful (the monkey's paw? Thereby sealing his and Rhian’s fate as tragic without realizing it.) Then, he and Rhian can get back at Hook, and recover their lost students. But, it may be a Pyrrhic Victory.

I feel like I saw a post like this somewhere before, but to apply it to Rise:

I love that the fate of the world depends on teenage emotions and hormones, but it should really be more stable than that in the long run. Why were teenagers elected as School Masters? (I know the book is middle grade to YA for its target audience, but I mean this in terms of common sense.) Like, whichever fairy tales affect the future of the Woods, even those that work more incrementally than the turn-of-the-century and era-defining ones, are still driven by teenagers. For instance, Sophie and Agatha's fairy tale caused change in waves, and they weren’t even as well-equipped as freshly-graduated alumni.

A system depending on a few individuals is not a system at all, in terms of practicality, and the likelihood of catastrophe. But, I’m all here for it! Because of conflict! It's great for storytelling purposes, and I live for drama.

But, Rise is still the worst cliffhanger I’ve ever read in my life. I’ve never been this invested in a cliffhanger before, like ever. I think it's because I was already too attached to Rafal and the idea of Rhian before reading the book. And, I was interested in the two brothers and the School Master/Great War lore in general. They're some of my absolute favorites.

Rafal’s Bird Motif

I had associated birds with Rafal before reading Rise, so I was thrilled and relieved to see that pattern continue, that Soman chose for Rafal to mogrify into a bird, which carries more meaning than if it had been another animal. Clearly, this decision, among others, bolstered Rafal’s recurrent symbol.

If you don’t believe me, the bird motif seriously follows Rafal everywhere, in most of his forms:

His Stymphs (likely based off of Stymphalian birds)

The classic black swan symbol for Evil

At the end of book 1, I’m pretty sure he burst into black feathers upon dying

He can fly

His ring made of black swan gold, said to be from the teeth of black swans

In TLEA, when he retrieves Sophie from Avalon, all that is left on the floor of the Sapphire Cave are scattered black feathers, as if she’d been rescued away by a swan

In Rise, Rafal mogrifies into a black sparrow*

When Rafal is disguised as Fala, a black phantom swan seeps out of his chest, like it’s a part of his soul

He invents the School crest of both swans

A lot of the official SGE art features black swans near Rafal: Michael Blank’s painting of Rafal, the imagery in the TLEA book trailer, the helmet Rafal wears on the cover of Rise.

*The black sparrow is important because it’s another narrative parallel. Rafal plays Agatha’s book 1 role. His role takes place after a Trial. Hers is during one. But, they’re still very close in terms of circumstance. The Nevers planned to cheat, and kill Sophie, so Agatha intervenes. And, even though Vulcan had rightfully won the first Trial, Rafal mogrifies into a bird, like Agatha’s white dove, to save his incompetent sibling, like Agatha saved Sophie.

A Ramble

The idea of a Black Swan event in relation to Rise’s ending is so poetic. Because, the ending and revelation are unforeseen like a black swan once was.

Also, from the iconic Rock Scene, the creation of the symbol, their School crest, was perfect! The duality. It was just purely beautiful and fascinating. And, the concept was so clever! I was so ridiculously proud of Rafal then!

And, that reminds me of something from an interview from the bonus content at the back of book 1 where Soman said he liked to ask which is more beautiful: the black swan or the white swan? The white swan is classic, like Good. But, the black swan is rare and mysterious. So, is it beautiful as well, or is the white swan more beautiful because it represents the standard of beauty? Is it more beautiful to fit an ideal, or to be uncommon and thus beautiful because of that quality? It was an interesting line of thought as it reminded me of Rise’s plot twist.

The prose in the final scenes was beautiful, if I recall correctly. I love the comparison of Rafal being summoned by Rhian "like a genie out of the bottle." (This is paraphrasing.) This brings up the idea of opening a can of worms. They can't be replaced. The truth is out. It’s like a Pandora’s Box, or the invention of the atomic bomb that transformed modern warfare. There’s no going back from that. You regret you ever probed further and made the decision to open it. But, it's too late and always will be. It's an incredible discovery, yes, but so damaging to the world.

We’ve already seen Aladdin’s sinister genie, and originally, the concept of genies (the jinn) was that they were evil spirits, demons, known to have a reputation for manipulation, mischief, and malevolence. I wonder if a genie related to the monkey’s paw idea will possess one of the brothers in Fall?

⸻

Context and other resonant ideas:

"While jinn could be known to be friendly, or at least reclusive, the beings also have vampiric abilities. In addition to absorbing the essence of food, or eating while in human form, they derive nourishment by sucking energy from living things. That can include draining a human soul. According to lore, some jinn want to do their own thing, and have no interest in humans. Others get their kicks by hanging around humans. But it can be dicey to be around a jinn considering some want to toy with us, and choose to torment us or exact revenge for being cast out. They are also said to be able to bring about illness and bad luck. 'While some through the ages have tried to bargain with them, to do so is always a dangerous gamble since they are notorious tricksters who, for the most part, do not like humans,’ said Weatherly. ‘They can dwell in abandoned buildings, in the deserts and forests, even in rocks, statues, jewelry and other physical items'" ("A History of Genies in Folklore and Pop Culture").

⸻

"A Black Swan event is an event in human history that was unprecedented and unexpected at the point in time it occurred. However, after evaluating the surrounding context, domain experts (and in some cases even laymen) can usually conclude: 'it was bound to happen.'" ("What are Black Swan events?").

⸻

"black swan event, high-impact event that is difficult to predict under normal circumstances but that in retrospect appears to have been inevitable. A black swan event is unexpected and therefore difficult to prepare for but is often rationalized with the benefit of hindsight as having been unavoidable.

"[...] All swans were presumed to be white because all historical records of swans showed them with white feathers. The term black swan was thus used to describe any impossible event or circumstance. But in 1697 the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh encountered swans with dark plumage in Australia, a land largely unexplored by Europeans at that time. The black swan thus came to be a metaphor for the reality that just because something has not happened does not mean that it cannot occur in the future. The metaphor is analogous to the fragility of any system of thought and a testament to the fallacy of assumption. A set of conclusions can be undone once any of its fundamentals is proved false. In this case, the observation of a single black swan negated the long-held presumption about the species. Any logic that followed the assumption that swans must be white was also invalidated by the discovery.

"[...] while human beings are good at turning environmental stimuli into meaningful information, they tend to be narrow-minded in their beliefs about the world. Being dogmatic about beliefs makes humans blind to concepts that fall outside what is accepted as true. This creates a vulnerability to surprise events called black swans, which necessitate a change in worldview" (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

⸻

What an understatement. I'm sure the brothers will have to do more than just change their worldviews. Their world and potentially every perception they've ever had has been turned upside-down. And, their fallacy of assumption about their souls—it could all be construed as the Storian's fault for not correcting them.