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Thoughts That Go Whump in the Night for Rafal

Note: I tried to find as many torture methods as I could that involved the bird motif. Do not search for these if you do not want visual representations of them.

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Caught in a snare trap like a dumb woodcock à la Hamlet.

Eyes plucked out by doves à la "Cinderella."

Bird-who-was-formerly-a-ghost-boy-now-reincarnated drops a millstone onto his head à la "The Juniper Tree."

Transformed into a bird and stabbed by pins on a windowsill upon landing à la "The Canary Prince."

Chased by geese in the park.

Hitchcock-style bird attacks.

Viking blood eagle execution method. (When the rib cage was broken and opened, the lungs allegedly fluttered like "wings.")

Gibbeted in a cage.

Cucking and ducking stool.

A mock-Icarus scenario, flying too close to the sun and overheating, perhaps afflicted by the drip of burning wax.

Tarred and feathered à la American Revolution.

Bound to a rock to have his liver feasted on by an eagle everyday à la Prometheus.

Pau de arara or "parrot's perch," a stress position. (Bird sellers use it for transporting birds.)

White torture. (A form of psychological torture and sensory deprivation—everything in sight is white. Would be halfway decent camouflage, actually.)

The whirligig. (It has a whimsical name, yet it involves a spinning cage.)

Strappado or "pigeon torture."

Live burial. (Self-explanatory. Fits the vibes of TLEA.)

Second Circle of Hell. (Whipped around in an endless cyclone, representing Rafal's wind motif. That motif is actually more present in the main series than in the prequels and it featured in an OTK flashback.)

Seventh Circle of Hell. (Preyed on by harpies.)

Stymphalian birds. (Sorry to the Stymphs, but they were originally man-eating in classical mythology.)

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I feel like all this shouldn't need a disclaimer, but obviously, don't try any of this at home, not that anyone could in most cases. These ideas are for strictly fictional purposes.

Also, suppose Vulcan could've used any of these? I have another post with less graphic mentions of torture here.

I've been reading a bit about the themes of justice and retribution in fairy tales lately, and I keep finding excerpts that sound like they were ghostwritten by Rafal, haha.

"Most parents today shield their children from the violent imagery found in Grimm’s fairy tales. But if you’ve had enough conversations with young children, you’ll find that they already think a good deal about violence and death and what it all means, so sanitizing fairy tales will not stop children from thinking what they naturally think. If children are nursed on fairy tales that have been sanitized to appease the sentiments of adults and not left alone to nurture their own spiritual development, it will damage their ability to develop a sense of justice, [...]"

"The thirst for justice is strong in children. To deny them drink is to deny them redemption. The next time my daughter pronounces a death sentence on a wicked sinner, I won’t talk her out of it. I’ll agree: they do need to die. [...]"

Source.

“For children are innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy.” ― G.K. Chesterton

"Modern crime fiction has nothing on the ingenuity, brutality and sheer bizarreness of the offenses committed in classic fairy tales. Moreover, fairy tales are ruthless. Our contemporary crime novels have the monopoly on moral ambiguity, true, but fairy tales take no prisoners and often offer no redemption. Mercy is not a hallmark of the genre and even the kindest, most benevolent maid-turned-princess isn’t afraid to take out her wicked stepmother."

Source.

"[...] revenge tends to break out whenever legal remedies are blocked, as when the evildoer controls the legal machinery or is otherwise above the law, or when public law enforcement is very lax."

Source.

whats your very honest opinion on Aladdin

In short, I don't like him, but I understand that he's integral to the conflict and thus, can't be scorched off the face of the earth. His narration style was well done speech-wise but irksome content-wise. Too much schmaltz and some pathetic quality to it. He was worse than Hort and Kyma deserved better. And yet, I will say he was a more sympathetic character in the beginning. I just hated that he stole the spotlight from the brothers at times.

The Storian to the brothers, centuries ago: I've rescued you from mediocrity. Be grateful.

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Rafal to Rhian: I've rescued you from being alone. You have me. You don't need anyone else.

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"Rafal" to Sophie: I've rescued you from mediocrity and from being alone. Why aren't you happy?

Sophie: Were you ever happy?

Agatha: Did anyone ever bother to ask what we wanted?!

"Rafal": No? Why is that important?

Personally, I'd go for the second interpretation, usually, so he could act as a foil for Rhian, but the first one is still possible due to his monologue at the Black Rabbit. Thoughts anyone?

Who do you think is older between Rhian and Rafal? Fans been having this debate for a long time.

In my personal opinion it is Rafal, but I could be wrong and might Rhian.

I agree that Rafal being older would make more sense, given his behaviors. Also, I have an outdated post discussing that. However, there was a line in Fall, one of Rhian's insults, which could be interpreted as proof of Rhian being the older twin.

Draft Excerpt from a Potential WIP Fic

This is set in Stymph Forest, during Rise. It isn't a TOTSMOV41 excerpt.

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He tossed his blackened handkerchief into the glade from atop his high perch.

It landed in the circle of Stymphs, the birds arranged much like a fairy ring of living corpses.

His birds stared back up at him. One cocked its head.

Rafal smirked back.

Here he was, airing out dirty laundry. Literally if not figuratively.

Bah! That was Good’s job. Exposing villains. And whatever went on amongst his graduates.

Lately, the lot of them had been disappointments. But really, all that was the decline of the youth. Couldn’t be his teaching methods. His methods had never failed him before.

A few decades ago, villainy was worthwhile. Not now.

Ought he to change?

No. The problem lay with the students themselves. Children were becoming stupider with every passing generation.

Probable that the tales were making their parents soft. Less bloodshed these days. Fewer blood oaths than ever, even if his from a century ago hadn’t been the last. Far from it.

Yet, allowing the stupid duffers to live and procreate had been a mistake on the Pen’s part. They were the culprits, from a few generations back. The tales ought to have not been so merciful, sparing them!

A few too many dimwitted Evers and even the slower Nevers he’d not seen before in his time hadn’t just managed to stall their deaths with the comforts of advancing technology and so-called conveniences. They’d seemingly thrived.

And restaurants! In the densest parts of the Woods, no less. And spellcasts. And squirrely nuts of all things! Even the vermin had longer memories than his students did, if they could recite letters with that much precision.

It was more than he could say about his latest class. Besides the rampant insubordination and how they’d just barely passed their last impromptu examination.

They’d had it too soft for too long. Those conveniences wouldn’t be so convenient when they were stranded alone in the Woods. When they had nothing but birds and cloaks for company. Not even birds in their cases, he reasoned. His Stymphs served him and him alone.

No wonder those parents’ offspring couldn’t keep up with his curriculum. They’d all gone to rot—brains leaking through their ears, moth-eaten attention-spans. Worse every generation, it was.

It was all ludicrous, this, this accursed modernity. Look what it’d bought them: a marked lack of survival skills.

And the result of that deficit was premature deaths when the cushioning ceased to exist, when all the fail-safes excess inter-kingdom tourism had engineered fell to ruins like all enterprises did in time, like the hotels and spas some of his brother’s vapid colleagues couldn’t even begin to live without did. And they called themselves “professionals.”

He tossed his head back, tilting his chin skywards. Nothing endured forever. Not even the stars.

Forever was only as long as you could prolong it to be, through sheer force of will, and that was assuming you were shrewd enough to see forthcoming disaster on the horizon.

And if the tales didn’t result in death, then they ended with the living afflicted by grave stupidity. Which was worse. Incurably worse than ridding the Woods of the problem at all.

Yet, Good’s mortality rates these days were at an all-time low.

He couldn’t ease up. Not now. When he’d return, he’d require better performance from them all—if only so they could crane their necks to live up to great heights and exceed his expectations as Nevers. Prove they were deserving of his attention.

His eyes lit up as he grinned to himself.

And, if they couldn’t, well, there was always the chopping block. Or the pruning shears for Mogrifs.

He couldn’t let old standards decline. Not even while he was gone.

If he could scout out someone exemplary, to replace the rancid, rotted-through students with, those limp-spined lost causes, maybe they’d rally together and make something of themselves. Live to see another day in their future tales, if they garnered the Pen’s attention at all.

It was the best he could do.

That said, he should probably keep up with the tales while he was away, once they were released into the Woods, via printed copies, if not the Pen’s first editions.

There’d be a delay in acquiring storybooks, but what could go wrong in his absence? The manor was secure, even if his brother wasn’t fortress material.

rafal as a detective

Rafal: You may ask how is it that I solve crimes, my dear brother, and that is precisely why I'm bringing you along.

Rhian: I didn't ask.

Rafal: ...Ok, nevermind. If you must know, I'm only bringing you along because you may be the next target and can't stay home alone. So, come along, or stop dressing like a coxcomb in public if you wish to live. The serial killer's left a string of young men's corpses all across Akgul, decapitated with a different cutlass at every scene. Would've made more sense if the victims were women, if you ask me though. I mean, "cut lass?" The killer missed out on a prime opportunity for wordplay. It was right there!

Rhian: [his teeth begin to chatter and not just from the cold.] H-how d-d-d-do you know the killer is m-m-m-male? Is he handsome?

Rafal: [takes a drag on his pipe.] That's enough questions for today. I've developed a head cold.

Rhian: [lifts a finger triumphantly.] Aha! Must be the smoking. I know we're immortal, but I've told you to stop that. Smoking is a filthy, low-class habit, and I can't stand seeing you like this! Ruining your lungs for a one-man performance.

Rafal: I'm immortal. [He tugs the brim of Rhian's low, black felt, top hat down over his eyes.] Besides, what's there to see? You don't have to look, if it bothers you so much. Now, the key to catching a criminal is thinking like one—and most criminals smoke like chimneys, probably thanks to the stress of a life on the run. [He glares pointedly at Rhian.]

Rhian: [rights his hat again.] Perhaps, we should consult the Kingdom Council? [he asks hopefully.]

Rafal: The Council consulted me for a reason.

Rhian: At my behest.

Rafal: [ignores him.] Now, this fiend of ours must've pictured his victims facedown in a pool of blood as the murder weapon he left would've drawn a lot more to pool about, if not for the absorbent carpeting over this hardwood—

Rhian: That's quite a far leap to make, Rafal.

Rafal: [not listening] 'Course, something or someone could've applied pressure, to stopper up the open wound—

Rhian: Are you sure you're not just projecting your own fantasies onto the ki—

Rafal: Nonsense, you wanted me on the side of the law, didn't you?

Rhian: Not like this! You're becoming obsessive. You know there are real lives at stake, right?

Rafal: Careful what you wish for then. I will solve this case and catch that killer.

After reading your last post I realised, Rhian would 100% be into those trashy Wattpad stories about being kidnapped, hunted or sold to some hot ass hole. His reading lists would be a yaoi paradise.

[gasp] THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! I've never thought of that, but I had thought of the opposite once, about Rafal liking whump.

So—while Rhian wants to be the perpetual victim, like you say (does this mean that the modern Wattpad version of Rhian would literally be a masochist??? Or an "I can fix him" guy?) Rafal would read things from the torturer's pov. And neither would tell the other just how messed up their reading taste has become, even if Rafal wouldn't care about being viewed as a sadist.

Yet, if Rafal ever figured it out, he'd have to stop threatening Rhian with "appealing" scenarios though because he'd realize he's enabling the problem of Rhian's taste for red flags.

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Rafal: What are you reading, Rhian? [looks over Rhian's shoulder] Storian! Bleach my eyes out!

Rhian: The Evergirls say it's a fad among the damsels in distress.

Rafal: [in disbelief] That drivel? No, they look too innocent to enjoy what you read.

Rhian: Actually, they introduced it to me. It's called Wattp—

Rafal.exe has stopped working.

Rafal: [stands frozen with some human equivalent of a "blue screen of death" for an expression.] What else don't I know about? [He shakes his head as if thawing.] On second thought, I don't want to know.

Rhian: [shrugs.]

Rafal: [stops partway out the door as he leaves.] Wait. That doesn't mean the whole genre of tales with animals as captive princess's bridegrooms are... the Pen's... ahem, preferences, right?

Rhian: [quickly] Uhh—probably not.

Equality and the School Master Brothers

Remember how the Storian insists on the brothers being equal in all things? On a literal level? That’s so contrived. That’s how you treat small children, not respected, public figures you expect mature behavior from!

And if that element were removed—well actually, maybe it couldn’t be, as removing it would reduce the intensity of the Equal Treatment/Chances fairy-tale element, of the satisfying (to whom? Us? The Pen?) repetition and symmetry, reduce the mystique itself around the ways of their world. Yet still, that form of balance is wrong.

I mean, it’s like how they each were expected to each have their own Reader to return with, in order to leave Gavaldon, be permitted through the barrier. The artificially enforced equality in all endeavors kills the need to think, two and two, one and one, etc., and then, there’s: what if this balance issue were addressed in a non-literal, utterly equal sense? You can’t make two humans with separate identities 100% equal.

Why couldn’t the trade-off have simply been something like: have any means or inequalities you want along the way, to achieve a more figurative, abstract, big-picture form of equality after events have come to pass naturally? It'd still be equality in a sense. Like, the same number of Good endings and Evil endings to tales, for instance? That, instead of micromanaging things on such a small scale.

Besides, the brothers aren't the only control freaks. The Pen is just as much a control freak and Rule follower as Rise Rhian and Fall Rafal are, despite having set the Rules by itself. (But, does it only follow its own established Rules when it's convenient?)

The Pen has such a low threshold for minute things being off, for misalignment. (Probably because it's the details that make a story worth telling.) Like: oh, that brother cheated? Let’s wait—for the other one to cheat, too, before we let anything else change. No preventative measures. Nothing, nil.

Things are stagnant until both brothers comply with or rather, fall into, the equality trap. A trap which probably makes them less equal in some contradictory fashion!

Dealing with that high level of scrutiny, all to live under the tyranny of Pen? It must be suffocating. And they had different needs. So, they didn’t need the same treatment all the time. They could’ve benefited from inequality as long as they were both served according to who they were.

How flagrantly wrong everything in the duology went plot-wise is at the very least evidence for how not every quality can be saved by or reduced to numbers and systemized for the world's convenience. And, as a storyteller, the Storian probably should've known this, to let faces be faces, instead of more statistics piling up. Though, I'm sure its reasons for withholding "character" names were more to generate further drama and suspense or to implant ideas in people's heads, not weak writing.

Why do you think Rhian was so clingy to Rafal?.

What's your opinion on Rhian seeing Rafal as this flawless person?.

And what do you think upsets him so badly?.

Me personally there's not enough information for me to think Rhian was born evil, or Rafal truly 'pure' good.

I just don't see it.

Rhian's clinginess could be explained any unknown reason, really. I think the most "accurate" one is that Rafal fulfilled a parent/caretaker/savior role for his brother for so long that Rhian became more and more (overly) attached to and dependent on him over time. And with Rafal, in truth, that burgeoning reliance could've all been by design, meaning we can't wholly fault Rhian.

I don't believe Rhian sees Rafal as a flawless person, even if he may have looked up to him like he did Vulcan-like, villainous men, or considering how he ended up assuming Rafal's identity. While he does struggle with insecurity or feelings of inferiority in the face of Rafal's questionably "better" points of "superiority," Rhian also has exhibited arrogance due to having the moral high ground (in Rise) and has, at times, viewed himself as the superior brother as well. Rhian has also directly criticized Rafal at certain moments, so I think his somewhat recurrent comments, like whenever he thinks about the nature of Evil or corruption in Rise, would suggest the opposite of viewing Rafal as flawless. If anything, he's definitely aware Rafal is deeply flawed, but still remains alternately envious and disdainful regardless. It's more than likely that Rhian's (probably initial and later redeveloped in Fall) image of who Rafal is in his mind doesn't quite align with who Rafal is objectively.

I think Rhian was upset by a multitude of factors. Some include the perceived inferiority around Rafal, excessive competition on a larger scale in the environment he could never escape, and being repeatedly hurt by others and taken advantage of, to the point he decided to become his "abusers," some amalgamation of everyone who ever wronged him, to prove them wrong, that he wasn't willing to take anymore ill-treatment.

Yes, I view them as morally-grey. Their actions (and even "impure thoughts") disqualify them from truly being "pure."

Rafal, i want to trap you into something and have someone play you. Trap you in a card maybe? People use you to gamble and they need to free you by magic.

Trap you in an RPG where my friends will play you and keep having you die against enemies? And then you respawn?

Fun right?

Rafal: [blithely] I'm certain I could free myself from your traps. Besides, I've died and "respawned" enough for one lifetime already. Though, I'll definitely keep those ideas in mind for my enemies. Like you. [He grins and his hand glows with sorcery as he says, mockingly,] Fun, right? We'll "play" whenever you're ready.

Good versus Evil is a commonplace literary theme beyond the world of SGE, and could be likened to mirror-image symmetry, which is often seen in Soman’s juxtaposed images throughout the series. Yet, I was thinking: is there a literary equivalent for rotational symmetry and what would it look like? I think it would have to involve greater than two elements in play, each a few degrees removed from each other instead of a pair of direct opposites, but I don't have an example of this in practice.

In addition, one of the most prominent instances of juxtaposition in the series to me, by the way, is how the brothers treat their respective Deans, and how Rhian’s reaction is far more passive as he just lets Mayberry go:

And across the bay, there’s this laughable bit:

(I'm sure Rafal is not the only soul who finds it funny. Something about the timing and this being the last line to a section and the well-deserved comeuppance of the moment just read as funny.)

More Songs that Remind Me of the Prequels

This time, I thought my choices captured the high-energy, tense vibes of the story more than every lyric being true to the plot. Thoughts or additions, anyone?

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"Problems" by Mother Mother - Could reflect how the twins are irreconcilably different, emphasizes their contrast. Mostly reflects Rhian's deflating pov throughout the plot?

"This Love" by Maroon 5 - Has to be interpreted platonically. Reminds me of Rafal continually leaving, if he were represented as the woman in the song.

"loneliness for love" by lovelytheband - Rhian's pov again.

"Somebody to Die For" by Hurts - Captures the melodrama well. Not entirely true to Rafal's character, but it could represent his misguided savior complex and how his "villainous purpose" was stated to be driven by some kind of underlying love or warmth in his soul for Rhian, originally.

"GOSSIP" by Måneskin - Vaguely reminds me of the Circus of Talents and the duplicitous Evers of the time.

"The Bidding" by Tally Hall - Fits the vibe of the worldly and well-traveled Rafal, ceding some smaller arguments to Rhian, like how he mentioned he had before in Fall. Also, this in part fits how Rafal seduces other characters and strings them along.

"Innocently Annoying at 3AM" by Elysewood - Casually morbid and captures Rafal's characteristic coldness and probably how he can be accusatory toward Rhian. The brusqueness, the abruptness of the delivery of certain lines is really good, like, I can superimpose my interpretation of what Rafal's voice would sound like onto this at times, when the speaker cuts himself off.

"Falling from the Sky" by Kailee Morgue - About falling charades, masks, and being two-faced. It's very Fall Rhian-esque, or it could be addressed to Fall Rhian.

This reblog is fairly late. Sorry. It's been rotting in my drafts for so long.

Someday, I have got to finish my long Adela Sader analysis post (which is more predicated in canon than this AU), but for now, I will say: it may not have entirely been her fault, how things went askew ever since Rafal obtained knowledge of the prophecy, because Rafal's own genre-savviness betrayed him when it came to his "true" identity.

Evelyn, here, could be a goddess of something like duplicity and hypocrisy in the men below, and of course, Rafal has a low tolerance for anything short of "the" (read: his) Truth, meaning he'd viscerally hate what Evelyn stands for, even if he's easily all in favor of duality and complexity himself.

In the context of this AU, I think, at the time, I just felt like Adela wouldn't know Evelyn too well personally, (and there's their clash of the hearing the present ability with seeing the future) so of course, Adela would pick Rafal, the more sensible option in the petty "war" and maybe, the rationale backing Rafal held up better too. Who knows? No one can know her mind. (I probably didn't have that much reasoning to begin with since I was going for symmetry and a vague sense of familiarity in who sided with who.)

Haha, I'm glad that end satisfied you.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if he never proved that trope wrong. I mean, he does sacrifice himself for Rhian in canon during one life-or-death scenario while all along he struggle to display the slightest bit of high regard for Rhian during their everyday lives. So—I don't know what to tell you. Rafal's supremely awkward like that, by my interpretation too.

I am sharing the funniest dnd character idea I’ve ever had bc I know I’ll never get to play them and I refuse to keep a joke to myself

What Rafal's Physical and Immaterial Coolness Could Represent

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As a forewarning, this post is more... observational and has less of a singular, hard-hitting point to it. (Also, see Conan Gray's "Fight or Flight" song for reference, as, most of this post occurred to me in relation to that very song, if you interpret parts of it as representing Rafal's internal monologue on the subject of Rhian's substitutes during Rise.)

Also, this is a long post, so it's going under a cut.

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Why is Rafal's immediate response to personal hurt avoidance of all things? Isn't that kind of a heightened, overly instinctive, clearly "uncool" reaction to have?

And yet, strangely, we still classify it as in character for him. His leaving was, arguably, the most iconic and true-to-self thing he did across both prequels. So, I want to ask: why is that?

That he just up and left seems apathetic and could be construed as part of his cold, cool nature, of course, but still—when we look at what his reaction truly is: he chose flight.

(Flight as opposed to the alternative fight, freeze, or fawn responses.)

FLIGHT! Like, can you believe it? This man, who's so headstrong and willing to stare down anything, chose flight. Let that revelation sink in. (Maybe this is more obvious than I think, but I can't believe I hadn't thought of this weird discrepancy before. Flight!)

Anyway, to explain Rafal's reaction to (potentially) having been emotionally hurt by his argument and corresponding bet with Rhian at the start, I'm going to reference a theory from an old post, as it has suddenly become relevant once again.

In short, the idea is about how Rhian's expressions of authority are personal while Rafal's are nearly always impersonal. Rhian is a master of social dynamics, considering how deftly he lies in Fall to gain favor from others and influence their views of him. And, this makes sense because he once cared so much about how he was perceived, as we take into account his original self-consciousness and his high-minded, conscionable tendencies from Rise. He is the one who wields interpersonal power as Rafal, correspondingly, wields impersonal (often more tangible and brutish) power.

If anyone would like more elaboration, here's an excerpt from that old post:

The strange thing is, in Fall, Rafal admits to having conceded a lot of the time to Rhian in the past, in the face of smaller, pettier arguments, a trend which also represents his yielding to Rhian's (supposedly nonexistent) authority in the early days. That tendency seems self-contradictory of Rafal, but perhaps, even Rafal's authority is situational. He's capable of exercising it over everything and world, but not over his own brother. He can't rein Rhian, the inevitable force, the "fatal" (to invoke both death and "fate") tides of change, the Prime Mover, in. Meanwhile, Rhian is the inverse of that. Rhian cannot exercise authority over everything and the world, but he can do so over his own brother. Besides, Rafal, often by sorcery or by outright manhandling, manipulates and exerts his physicality over others and his environment while Rhian rarely does. And yet, Rafal (from what I remember) never so much as lays a hand on Rhian during Rise (in Fall, everything changes and escalates). I don't yet know why this is, but I think this observation is true most of the time. At least, I haven't thought of any exceptions yet. The working hypothesis I have is that Rhian (being the brother who chose to stay in the comfort and limited confines of the home, according to the Bettelheim text's ideas) only initially felt comfortable to do anything there. To act, and exercise his authority in an intimate, narrow, personal way. By contrast, Rafal (the more worldly, well-traveled, and inconstant brother) wants to gain independence from their stifling "home" life, under the Storian, and, as a result, upon his return, could've felt like a stranger in his own home and with Rhian (who's also changed in his brother's absence regardless). Thus, while Rafal can certainly exercise his authority impersonally, he doesn't feel at ease exercising authority over the familiar because it could be too close for comfort, too unsettling, unsettlingly different and the same, like he can't shed the disbelonging that drove him out of the fairy-tale construct of the "home" as a safe, childhood refuge in the first place—when Rhian first questioned his very core purpose and Evil's existence.

Thus, again, Rafal's ability to wield power is, without exception (I think), always impersonal.

The closest he comes to Rhian's brand of power, which involves acting on a smaller scale or more on an individual, one-to-one level and being intimate, are his interactions with Hook and Midas. And, despite those seductive instances, Rhian is still the master of all the smaller scale exploits, like with Hephaestus and the Pirate Captain rescuing him from the Doom Room where he'd been "abandoned," whenever these acts are in fact intentional.

Yes, Rafal possibly unwittingly, by being more open with his victims, has broader appeal, but that side of him isn't all pure strategy, done with intentionality. Part of it is just how he is. Rhian, unlike his brother, strikes at something inside people that doesn't just rely on scare tactics and classic, one-dimensional intimidation. In Fall, he gains a creepiness factor and the ability to lie convincingly, importantly, without blushing.

Also, I want to commentate a little on Rafal's novel instance of blushing during Fall, which was quite unlike his usual self.

First, here's some context about physical coolness, the socially-perceived "cool factor," and how blushing can only ever be sincere and is valuable because it is involuntary from Quiet by Susan Cain:

I suspect Fall aimed to establish Rafal as more "trustworthy," and as more subject to having humility thrust upon him, than he had been in Rise, when he had previously been insurmountable.

Yet then, after that "invulnerable," unaffected precedent he set about himself, he started blushing, signaling that he suddenly began to care, and that the opposite was true of Rhian as Rhian changed throughout Fall and became more immune to his old, constant feelings of shame that originally must've formed his moral compass.

Also, Rafal gets more points towards being an actual sociopath! He just partially lost his former, low-reactive temperament when he turned "Good."

One other thought of note:

Has anyone ever headcanoned Rafal as having an avoidant attachment style? To complement that, Rhian would probably have an anxious attachment style.

Essentially, the traits of these attachment styles are Rafal and Rhian personified.

Rafal:

Rhian:

Do you think/Feel Rafal or Rhian is a psychopath? Or they just flat out monsters.

No, I do not believe either of them are psychopaths (or completely cold-blooded monsters), even if Rafal did exhibit some psychopathic or ASPD-like traits during Rise. Both brothers have/had displayed consciences at times and seemed at least capable of affective empathy. Whenever I claim a character is "psychotic" or a "psychopath," I am usually using the colloquial meaning, not diagnosing them. Also, I'm not an expert and they are fictional, so I can't really confirm anything about them. Despite all this, there is a chance the Pen robbed Rhian of his humanity, which could mean he became a psychopath or an otherwise remorseless person in Fall.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think, jointly, prequel Rafal and main series "Rafal" are the only character who ever manages to rival the sheer volume of outfits Sophie has. Tedros and Agatha don't even come close.

Thus, I wanted to ask:

Okay so I've got this weird question (fun to ponder tho)

How do you think Rafal would react if Sophie slapped him?!

(Both the prequel Rafal and the TLEA Rafal.)

And perhaps the prequel Rhian too. Although I'm mainly curious about Rafal (since he has more of a connection with Sophie, I think.)

Ahaha! This is absolutely a fun one on this very fine day, Anon. Here goes—

Because prequel Rafal most likely wouldn't have a connection to, a care in the world about, or any feelings toward Sophie, she could just be another student to him. And if she slapped him, a blatant show of disrespect to her School Master, I think his first impulse would be to send her to the Doom Room, or to react explosively, retaliating with sorcery. Maybe, he'd slam her to the wall. We've seen that happen with the pirates and he has a short fuse.

If he stopped to think about why she'd slap him, if he were in a more tolerant state of mind, say, as Fala in his disguise, he might be able to reevaluate whatever he said to her to have earned that slap. (Probably, he would have said something about how she's worthless as an unconventional, Everish, and superficial Never, who only cares about appearances, who is a disgrace to her side because she wants to find True Love, and who'd never amount to anything, I'd imagine.)

And, maybe, just maybe, she'd actually break through the ice with the slap, or by following it with some critical yet truthful jab about him, thereby reaching his humanity and inspiring some self-reflection on his part.

Yet, I do not believe Sophie reaching him or succeeding in cuing him into recognizing his flaws would be the most likely outcome. I'm not sure what other fault-finding he'd do with her, and we know he just loves disproportionate retribution, which is why I'm most inclined to say: torture it is.

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TLEA "Rafal" is the more uncertain answer.

He does have feelings for her and has exhibited sadistic and masochistic traits. (Remember the moment when they kissed after Sophie returned? He seemed to actually enjoy his bleeding lip for some reason.)

So, this may seem controversial, but he might redden and could potentially feel aroused and/or disoriented/dazed and be unable to react, frozen in place, considering that she opposed his authority, and that he hasn't been contradicted by anyone in about 200 years.

Besides, regardless of whichever of these would occur, I don't think he'd be able to keep a clear head in this particular instance.

If that aroused thought process happened, I think he would try not to lose his cool or get flustered, and would flee the scene abruptly, leaving Sophie to wonder how he took the slap (and unfortunately, worry for her life and what could possibly be in store for her, if he came back).

I'm not sure if her slapping him (probably due to his daily proposal ritual, him telling her to address him as "Master," or something equally controlling and irritating to her) would change their power dynamic. But that possibility does exist.

If their dynamic changed, maybe he would yield to her more often than he already did in canon, or could involve her in more major wartime decisions because slapping him definitely would've exhibited even more of her force of will and agency to him.

If their dynamic went in the opposite direction, he might become paranoid that she lifted a hand against him at all, and try to monitor her more than he already did, exercising his authority over her more oppressively.

Another fairly realistic option would be their having a verbal argument or a shouting match. But, it could be one-sided, if Rafal just decided to endure some kind of berating from her.

He might just allow her to get away with yelling at him while he either defends himself, calmly, maintaining his composure without yelling. Or, he could take everything in stride, or at least silently, and listen to her, seemingly unperturbed or perhaps, wincing the whole time at her sharp tongue? Internally, he could be very pained by all the horrible, hurtful things she's saying, that he would probably deserve. Another route is that he could, strategically, agree with her and yield to her, to regain her favor, but that could be too transparent of him.

Eventually, Sophie would run out of fuel for her vituperative fire and halt her tirade against him, and she might be a little remorseful or blush, but he'd let it slide because it's her. And he needs her.

He'd probably accept any apology, half-apology, blame-shifting, or non-apology from her, just to stay on her good side. And if he were able to swallow his pride, he could give his own speech as he's wont to do, appear to understand and even empathize with her societally-oppressed, downtrodden Evil soul and heart, and apologize himself, like any good Evil "activist" would.

(Personally, I like to interpret TLEA Rafal as The Ultimate Evil Activist™. So, er, take that however you want.)

I think he'd hold himself back from violence against her if it crossed his mind because he probably has the self-control to know that aggression would only worsen his chances with her, no matter what satisfaction it could bring him in the short term.

Alternatively, he could seize her and initiate a kiss against the wall in the same forceful way Sophie did to him once.

If not that, shock is another option I can go back to. He knew, to an extent, that she viewed him as "all-powerful" even though he wasn't. Maybe, he'd be impressed by how brazen she was to slap him at all. He'd never admit that to her, I think, but he'd probably glow inside about the fact that he's (why not credit himself?!) influenced her enough (ahem, provoked her enough) to become more violent, even if it backfired against him. Plus, he could harness that violence of hers during the upcoming war and redirect, train, refine it, towards a more productive cause. Their victory. Because, that violence is also an indicator that his plan for her to embrace Evil wholeheartedly is succeeding, even if his parallel plan to court her is simultaneously failing. (Picture mental fist-pumping, like: yes, yes, yes, basically.)

So, there's a chance he'd remain expressionless. However, he could display shock on his face if he weren't able to control his emotions, or he could grin like a pathetic, love-sloshed idiot, much to her disdain or ire at not being taken seriously.

Whether or not he'd recognize and agree that he was in the wrong due to whatever he'd done to earn himself the slap, he could also try to make it up to her, whether his apology is sincere or not. I'm sure that in either case, he'd resort to personally bringing her (or materializing from afar) more and more opulent gifts—because, what more does he know about her that he could use to his advantage? Not a lot, to be fair.

Maybe, the gifts would appease her while he temporarily stays out of her sight, so she doesn't get mad at him again?

The least likely scenario, in my opinion, would occur if he truly didn't know whether slapping were a thing that "normal young people" did while "dating," and he took the slap as a sign of things going regularly, if not badly.

To be fair, he's watched Ever courtships for years (and he surely must've observed Agatha punch Tedros in the eye over the Gargoyle debacle), but this is Evil's Love—something unheard of, something never before seen. Should it be held to new standards? If so, what standards? What should he expect? What should he set, if the standards are up to him to determine? Should he really hope to imitate the Evers' love on every front? He's had zero successful past relationships, so how could he know?

If this happened, I bet he'd obsess over the meaning of Sophie's slap.

He might have to process it and puzzle over what exactly went wrong for days before he returned to set things right with Sophie. And if he did that, he'd potentially inadvertently abandon her in the tower for those several days, leaving her to wonder if she's going to starve there as her punishment, or die from "the plague," assuming he forgot about everything else and his obsession took hold of him.

(And leaving her alone could be a strategy itself, whether intentional or not, so she would begin to crave his presence again.)

This would also mean, he'd have deal with far more external complications because the assumption that he'd desert Sophie for a short period, the way he did to Rhian for six months in the prequels, would mean he'd also desert his war-training responsibilities, leaving the Old and New students to fend for themselves, and perhaps, to devolve into anarchy—if he's not quick enough to return, provided that his Deans failed to maintain order and discipline during his absence. In fact, I could see Aric actively undermining Lady Lesso's efforts, and encouraging vicious hallway brawls and overall barbarity with Rafal gone.

Also, his love was never "enough" for his brother in the past—that could easily spiral into self-doubt, even if his ego would protect against it. Then again, he's likely more sensitive to rejection if it's from her specifically since he actually values her opinions of him. I feel like he'd just brood in the no-longer-Blue Forest, sit there and do nothing but cycle that thought around and around, because, his plan, his plan that he's had for 200 years, his last hope, is currently falling through all around him, all due to one slap, and what if that means all hope is lost!? All that work for nothing. A terrifying prospect. What then? He'll have nothing if he doesn't have Sophie by his side.

I think he'd know better than to think that so quickly though. Dramatizing things just entertains me.

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Now for Rhian.

Rise Rhian could easily say something about the inferiority of Evil, and that could've insulted Sophie indirectly because I don't believe he would, while still Good, stoop to insulting her directly.

He'd probably just assign her a benign punishment, like dishwashing duties, or confine her to her dorm, given that she is a student and technically one of his wards, even if she's a Never because in this case, she acted against him, not the Evil School Master. So, perhaps, it wouldn't turn out like it did in book 1 with Lady Lesso. If he had no jurisdiction over the Nevers though, the punishment could be the Doom Room, if the decision fell to Rafal. And Rafal would not give a student preferential treatment if they slapped his brother!

Now, if Rhian were sympathetic enough to Sophie and her ongoing suffering in Rafal's School, he could cover the incident up and spare her. Let's face it: while Good, he seems like the lenient, bleeding-heart sort. Maybe, to him, it'd be the right thing to do because she seems kind of fragile and vulnerable. And she's Everish, which could appeal to him emotionally.

Then again, Rise Rhian has poor judgment, so maybe he'd stall and overthink deciding on any course of action, and wouldn't know what to do with her. He might not even feel like he could bring himself to discipline her, and might just continually obsess over it, as the indecision eats away at him. And, in the moment, maybe, he'd just flush red and tear up a little because she's been so cruel to him!

Fall Rhian, on the other hand, would probably insult her and do it so scathingly well. If she slapped him... she'd probably be a dead girl walking at that point. Could he incinerate her? Very possibly.

Midway through Fall, Rhian might just assign her a demanding punishment or task, really, of the same nature (and severity?) as Midas'.

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And that is all I have for now. If there are any outcomes I haven't thought of, feel free to tell me what you think!