#sge rophie

[liketwoswansinbalance]

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.

⸻

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.

⸻

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'.

⸻

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!

[kiera-mistral-fahey]

Ohh, poor Agatha and tedros.🥺🥺🥺

tw: blood

this is the what if sophie didn't destroy the ring vision. Sorry i had to :/

[plushpinkfox]

the rophie rebuttal

well, here we are. i posted this to the website yesterday and i thought it was well-written so i’m posting it here too! tell me what you think :) and the website-speak starts... now!

hopefully this makes sense! please please please comment if you need me to clarify something. i worked for a long time on this rebuttal and it’s sort of all jumbled in my head. also, the quote used that doesn’t use page numbers in its citation was taken from an e-book because i didn’t have access to my paper copy at the time, but i still included the chapter number. sorry about that! this is a long one, and i hope you enjoy. again, please ask questions if you have them!

and here we begin.

rafal doesn’t understand sophie at all, and that (among other things) is why rophie is a terrible ship.

let’s draw attention to two passages describing what people think sophie feels. one by rafal, and one by agatha.

rafal’s will be the one evie quoted in her defense, just so i’m not putting words in anyone’s mouth:

“Because once upon a time, was just like you. I tried to love my brother. I tried to escape my fate. I even thought I’d found-” He caught himself. “But it only led to more pain, more evil. Just as every time you try to seek love, it leads you to the same. Your mother, your father, your best friend, your prince….the more you chase the light, the more darkness you find. And yet you still doubt your place in Evil. For thousands of years, Good gas told us what love is. Both you and I have tried to love in their way, only to suffer pain. But what if there’s a different kind of love? A darker love that turns pain into power. A love that can only be understood by the two people that share it. That’s why you held our kiss, Sophie. Because I see you for who you really are and love you for it when no one else can. Because what we’ve sacrificed for each other is beyond what Good can even fathom. It doesn’t matter if they don’t call it love. We know it is, just as we know the thorns are as much a part of the rose as the petals.”

but i’ve handpicked a few for you all to peruse for agatha:

“But it hasn’t killed us,” said Agatha calmly. “And the reason why is staring at us, crystal clear. I’ve been searching through Sophie’s memories, just like I have yours and mine. And the difference between Sophie’s memories and ours is that she wishes she’d done the right thing all those times she didn’t. She wishes she’d been Good again and again and again. That’s why she’s my friend. Because I know what’s in her heart, beneath all her mistakes. And this future here? To return to a boy she doesn’t love and destroy everything she’s been fighting for? To throw away the friendships she’s given her life to build? It’s the darkest kind of Evil. And that kind of Evil… That’s not Sophie.” She squeezed Sophie’s clammy hand. Sophie smeared away tears. Tedros tensed, veins straining against skin. “Agatha, if you’re wrong… imagine if you’re wrong…” “She’s not wrong,” Sophie rasped. “I swear on my own life. She’s not wrong.” – (Pages 420 – 421, A Crystal of Time)

and also:

“We chose each other, Sophie. We’re best friends.” Sophie looked away. “A princess and a witch can never be friends. Our story will forever prove that.” “No, our story proves a princess and a witch have to be friends. Because each of us has played both parts. That’s who we are. That’s why we’re us.” Sophie still couldn’t look at her. “All I ever wanted was love, Aggie,” she breathed, voice breaking. “All I ever wanted was a happy ending like yours.” “You already have one, Sophie. You’ve always had one.” Agatha smiled through tears. “With me.” – (Page 633, The Last Ever After)

when rafal talks to sophie, rafal says he understands her because they’ve gone through the same thing. he says everybody has abandoned him as well. everyone left him behind and he tells sophie she’s gone through the same. he tries to make her believe that nobody loves her but him (which is also a sign of a.buse). but the issue is, that’s not really true.

rafal has spent the entire book trying to make sophie believe that she is just like him. the entire reason she falls into the “depression” is because rafal has made her believe that he’s the only one she can count on. he lies to her and leads her back to him again and again. the whole reason for their “fracture in communication” that evie says ends their relationship is rafal. this is prominent especially in this quote:

“Not consciously, perhaps. But her soul spins towards Good the same way yours does towards Evil. Maybe she even thought in your heartbreak and anger at losing your prince, you’d turn your back on me too and destroy my ring. Good would have its perfect Ever After, clean and efficient, all because of a princess’s secret talent.” Sophie’s face calcified. “So she wanted me to end up alone.” “Indeed,” the young School Master smiled. (Chapter 26, The Last Ever After)

here, rafal is lying to sophie. he tells her that tedros doesn’t love her. but more importantly he tells her that agatha doesn’t love her. he says that agatha was just using her all along. the reason WHY sophie feels no remorse for her classmates, and no guilt or joy or happiness at all, is because rafal lied to her and told her the only person who she ever thought loved her actually hated her. so when you say the crack in their relationship is because of sophie’s depression, that’s not the entire truth. if you dig deeper, RAFAL is the cause of sophie’s depression and therefore the cracks in their relationship. he lied, and he faced the consequences.

on the other hand, agatha has proven again and again that she loves sophie for who she is. because sophie ISN’T AS EVIL AS SOMAN SAYS SHE IS.

bomb dropped, i know. let me explain. i’m going on a tangent and i don’t care.

as the first quote tells us, agatha (and us, the readers) have seen how time and time again sophie is willing to sacrifice everything for agatha. she let a fairy-tale life go for her in gavaldon, and she let agatha go with tedros so agatha could be happy. she even sacrificed her LIFE for agatha in the first book. and that’s not very… evil, is it?

we’re told that nicola is the one who is halfway between schools. but if i’m being honest, it seems like sophie fits that description more. if we look at the rules of good and evil, sophie has been both of them. she has helped and given for good, and she has punished and hurt with evil. so even though soman says she’s 100% evil, he’s proven over and over how it’s not really true. and agatha KNOWS this.

agatha defends sophie again and again because of what she said in a crystal of time. she knows sophie wants to be good. she knows sophie’s heart aches when she does something to hurt agatha. she loves agatha. she loves her so much she will do anything for agatha. and agatha understands her and loves her in return. all of her, because agatha knows the true sophie.

rafal doesn’t understand this at all. if rafal understood this he wouldn’t be so adamant on killing the only person that makes sophie truly happy. rafal says in the first quote that sophie is just like him. but it’s not true. sophie is not just like him. rafal wants to believe it, but the books prove that it’s not true. you may wonder what agatha has to do with all of this, and she’s really just brought up here for the comparison to rafal. when you say rafal understands sophie, he’s really just seeing what he wants to see and believing what he wants to believe. agatha is the only one who truly understands sophie, and it shows and is reciprocated.

rafal doesn’t understand that sophie loves agatha and will do anything to protect her, and that means he doesn’t understand sophie’s core motivations to do anything as a person. he doesn’t get that even though sophie’s heart is evil, she still has the capability, and more importantly, the DESIRE to do Good things. he just keeps going on and on about how similar they are because he’d do anything for a happy ending.

and the funny thing is, sophie would do anything for a happy ending too, including lose her life. but she’d do it for agatha, not for him. rafal doesn’t understand sophie at all.

also, other than the age difference (which is still important even if rafal acts and looks like a teenage boy despite them not having a described physical relationship), the other traits of abu.sive relationships that pop up over and over in rophie’s portrayal in the books were not mentioned or given a rebuttal at all. instead, you posted the traits of a “happy” relationship and gave evidence for that. even if they “trust each other” and “can be themselves around each other”, rafal still controls sophie, isolates her from her friends and threatens them, grabs her without permission, and harms the people she loves. i don’t know about you, but that sort of outweighs “trusting each other” to me. and he certainly didn’t trust her enough to go around the school herself or heal her own hand without his help.

rophie is, at its core, a bad, toxic ship.

[excaliburssword]

Hot take on the SGE ships (part 1??)

So, sometimes I can really get carried away with the SGE ships, but I'm just gonna summarise this one down so it doesn't end up longer than the years the earth has existed 😭

Please note than none of these are in order, and all are situated out as my own opinion.

!! MAJOR SPOILERS ALONG THE WAY TOO !!

Tagatha

I guess these two are appropriate for each other, even though the toxicity of their relationship (I might post about this later) really unbalanced some things.

All in all, I'm fine with Agatha and Tedros as a couple since I seriously can't find someone else that would be appropriate for them, plus they'd make a quite capable pair on leading Camelot

7/10

2. Hophie

-This may offend many, but I just can't find it in me to even ship them 😭

First of all, it seemed like to me that Hort was continuously trying to force Sophie into dating him at least from books 1-3, and halfway through book 4. I ended up putting myself in Sophie's shoes, and found it to be actually quite annoying for someone who likes you whom you can't return the same feelings for repeatedly tries to date you.

0/10 (sorry).

3. Hestadil

One of my fav couples in the series. They were suitable for each other from start to finish, and really developed their relationship over time!

8.5/10

4. Nicphie

Eh, they're alright I suppose. Tbh it can end up as a really cute relationship if developed properly, kinda like enemies x lovers.

7/10

5. Hicola

I actually liked this ship more than Hophie, and that's saying something, given Nicola was only introduced in book 4 and started dating Hort in the exact same book whilst we knew him and Sophie since the very beginning.

Still, I wouldn't quite ship it, since it was a little too fast for me.

5/10

6. Rophie (Rafal and Sophie)

If Rafal wasn't realistically thousands of years old, I would've shipped this with my whole heart, aside from the fact their relationship was a little manipulative.

Firstly, like said before, Rafal is extremely old, making it hard for me to process this ship since he's basically an ancient creep that's hitting on a teenage girl because of some prediction/ prophecy.

Secondly, I'm not sure if it was just me, or he truly did love her, but it seemed like Rafal was trying to gain control of Sophie and manipulate her into doing his bidding.

Aside from all of this, I loved their relationship and ate it up in only 2 sittings! It was like a spicy relationship that kept me entertained for the majority of the time.

9/10!

7. Rhophie (Rhian and Sophie)

Given all of my opinions on the other ships, it even surprised me when I told myself I'm actually okay with this one, when it was literally one of the most toxic and manipulative couples in the whole series.

But then again, (DON'T COME AT ME) as much as it wasn't Rhian's right to rule Camelot, I just think that he was a better king than Tedros for many reasons. Plus, I even felt sorry for him when he died towards the end of book 5.

I would've loved to see him ruling a kingdom (doesn't matter which one) with Sophie! And don't even get me started on their dynamics during ACOT! You may think I'm psychotic, but it is what it is 😭

9.5/10

8. Japaric

I'm okay with this one. They're in fact, so evil, they deserve each other 😭

8.5/10

This is it for now, but I might do a part 2 later, or talk a little more in depth of some of the characters/ships 😁

[bellatrixnightshade]

School for Good and Evil: Rafal's character

(These are about the books, because I didn't see The movie, and these are just my opinions)

Soooo Rafal would technically be the character I like: mysterious, etc. And he is a very interesting character in the story. But honestly I am ambivalent. What bothers me?

-well the whole kissing Sophie when he was "School Master", she a student thing,plus he was in his older form at the time. It was probably not the book's intention to show that in a creepy way but still... I don't feel comfortable about that you know? Another reason why I just can't 100℅ ship Rophie, as least as it is in the story.

- I obviously don't agree with fratricide, etc. And at least in the beginning I just felt Rafal was using Sophie? Yes, maybe later, he truly cared about her, but in the beginning--

-okay so he is thousands of years old-- but I wouldn't mind it since he changes forms. But to make it more APPROPRIATE and his relationship with Sophie less weird in the first book and stuff, instead of "School Master" couldn't he be like a spirit king who is punished in that form for the whole fratricide thing? And guard the Storian, etc. Like King of Evil. And then since spirits really are not bound by material forms it would be different. Or Sophie has a spiritual form herself. Or she isn't a student and not a minor.

-I felt like A redemption plot for Rafal could have been good. Like he sacrifices himself for Sophie's true happiness and says that no, she WILL be loved by others,especially Agatha. That he thinks this will actually reverse the whole killing my brother thing and all the crap I did in the past (but it requires giving your life)

So yes,I think Rafal without all the things I mentioned above would actually be a character I would love and I think I would definitely ship Rafal and Sophie IF things were different- like the ideas I mentioned it could have been.

Sorry it's long lol!

[thegreatidk]

SGE as Reaper

Ragatha

Redros

Rophie

Rort

Rester, Ranadil, Rot

BONUS: The Rool Master

[elizaeden]

My personal, biased, two-sentenced take on some SGE ships

Hestadil: Consider me in. They so perfect for each other and you can’t argue me about it <3

Tagatha: Canon sweetness. They surely fit but no hard feelings from me. 

Hophie: Not really my thing, but I guess it’ll do. They may be happy together.

Agaphie: Incest alert. Just kidding, who even remember this whole sisters-plot?

Rophie (R IS FOR RAFAL, DON’T YOU DARE CHANGING IT FOR RHIAN): My guilty pleasure. My mind knows it’s toxic, my heart doesn’t care.

Rhian/Sophie: There was that moment when I was sorry for Rhian. But no. 

Jaric: Japeth - I love Aric, Me - That’s interestin’ but what’s also interestin’ is that I don’ give a f*ck

Lesso/Dovey - Is there any fanfic about it yet? Because I’ll sure read it if there is.

Tophie - No. They were made to be buddies who pretend they hate each other ^^

Kiko/Tristan - My main problem with this ship is that Tristan wanted to be a girl, so there’s kinda no Tristan but Yara. And then okay, maybe, if Kiko stop being presented as clingy :( 

Nicphie - Maybe in some nice, modern au. Don’t really get the whole chemistry between them in the books. 

Bogden/Willam - They’re sweethearts. So yes.

Sending lots of love to all the other SGE fans <3 

[liketwoswansinbalance]

TLEA likely could've been darker in at least one way, if it had been more accurate to our real-world science:

If SGE’s magic didn’t work how it did, I bet Sophie’s ears could have popped, and maybe burst her eardrums. Plus, Rafal could have inadvertently killed her (and doomed himself!) once he’d reached some terminal velocity of mortals while flying with her.

Probably, he could stop her from bleeding out though (or would it be internal bleeding?), and the ring would save her, too, I think, as the immortality went "both ways."

Aside from some "recovery" or the potential ring fail-safe, just think of the angst and hurt/comfort potential!

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Facts about The One True School Master of Vault 41

Tedros and Japeth-related things would entail too many major spoilers, so this is probably all you’re getting for now:

Rafal confesses to Sophie that he breathed part of his soul into her toward the end of the second Great War.

Rafal reads his own obituary. And also sees the multitude of vandalism that accompanies it.

Rafal attends a rather depressing, actually, positively dismal Ever tea party. Agatha insults him, despite the fact that he has better table manners than her. They mock each other. And he chokes on his finger sandwich. (But, I suppose genocide weighs more on the morality scale, in terms of minor infractions and major transgressions that will send Pollux rolling in his grave like a roast pig on a spit over subjects which mustn’t be discussed at tea parties.)

Agatha unnecessarily feeds her savior complex and plays chaperone.

Sophie is fashionable and traumatized. Business as usual.

Agatha commits a burglary.

Rafal trains the Nevers in classical dance. (I promise it’s vaguely plot-relevant.)

Agatha trains the Evers for war.

Sophie performs an archival search and reads Fala and His Brother.

The fic is still largely unwritten, so things may be subject to change later on.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Round VIII of Excerpts from The One True School Master of Vault 41

I'm only dropping a few short snippets from the draft (currently at around 178 pages—I haven't been doing much with it lately since the last update) because they connect in a very incorrect, misleading way, which I find funny, even if I already know the context with the redacted parts. Sorry (or not sorry)! Things aren't what they appear to be, and that's all I can say for now.

⸻

[When I re-read this part, it occurred to me that I had possibly written an unintentional but legitimate burn.]

[...]

Rafal stared at her in the mask. “What are you wearing that for?”

“I-I felt strange, looking in the mirror. And well, the mask makes me feel less like you…”

[...]

⸻

Rafal had made up his mind. He would execute his plan, no matter the consequences.

[...]

⸻

[...] Sophie really was timely. Or perhaps, she was watching him [...] The thought almost made him laugh.

[...]

"Death to the School Master!" He raised a fist, and led them to class.

"DEATH TO THE SCHOOL MASTER!" They chanted in unison.

All according to plan.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Books 1-3, Oversimplified:

Rafal: I knew it. You're Evil!

Sophie: And whose fault is that, darling?

Rafal: ...

⸻

Agatha: I hate you and you're an idiot!

Tedros: Well, I hate you and... wait, hang on, I love you.

Agatha: Great. Now what are we going to do?

Tedros: I��

Agatha: Stop talking. That was a rhetorical question.

Tedros: Wonder what Sophie's up to these days...

[liketwoswansinbalance]

I CAN’T BELIEVE IT.

All this time, I just thought I’d completely made up a false, very subjective “theory” that Sophie’s behavior and appearance shifted to become colder and calcified in TLEA because Rafal had acted out some kind of lie of omission and breathed his soul into her (and I wanted to come up with yet another plausible reason for Sophie to distrust him in TOTSMOV41.) And then, I come across this page, at random, only to see this description of “a strange warmth,” which could just be physiological warmth, some product of strong emotion on Sophie’s part. But it also could be interpreted as the same warmth James Hook felt with Rafal’s soul inside him! (In truth, I doubt that, at the time of publication, this moment was meant to signal this particular interpretation based in the prequels, but I’ll take it because it happens to be convenient for me.)

Also, if I stopped to acknowledge Fall, another question arises: did the quality of Rhian’s soul transform along with his appearance, to more closely resemble Rafal’s soul? Why and how could it be warm and reassuring? Rhian’s soul, while Evil, was unstable in Fall. So, maybe more than his appearance metaphysically shifted over time to match Rafal, making him more than an near-exact replica of his brother visually, down to a soul level, seemingly.

The only inconsistency here that doesn't fit is he kisses her hand. Thus, I doubt any breath actually gets into her lungs.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Round IV of an Excerpt from The One True School Master of Vault 41

Let’s just say I was inspired by Soman’s short story, “The Prince’s Club.”

⸻

“Yes,” she reasserted. “You’re dead. I know it. I’ve proved it again and again, every single time I’ve doubted it. Just because my senses are telling me you’re real doesn’t mean I can trust them or you. This hallucination will not undermine the truth. You can’t exist. You only exist in my head. You’re a product of my mind.”

Rafal decided to defer to her for the time being. “Well then, while I'm still here, as long as I last, for my temporary stay in… your head, why argue? Why not make the most of the time we have? And, why bother to send me away? Am I not fit to hold a simple conversation with you?”

“You inhabit my dreams and nightmares,” she scorched. “That’s it! I’m still not awake.”

“Really? What is it that you dream of, when you dream of me?”

“Ah, well… it usually vacillates between you kissing me and me killing you,” Sophie confided.

“What else? Go on,” Rafal prompted, treading lightly. “ I want to know.”

Sophie hesitated. “All right.” She looked away from him, and began her recitation.

“There have been others, far more bizarre ones, I suppose. Er, in one, I refused your ring and you jumped to your death. You’ve fed me to Stymphs, you’ve imprisoned me in an enormous bird cage, you’ve chained me to the ground by my ankles, and I don’t know why, it was not the worse one by far, but I wept, and you told me to shut up because you had a migraine. I kept sobbing, and finally, you handed me a pike and told me to run you through the head because you couldn’t take it anymore. You’ve driven a letter opener through my throat because you weren’t having enough reading my mind as it was and thought you could pry open my vocal cords and cut out my tongue. You’ve… ahem, taken me down with a literal scythe, you’ve flown me into the center of the sun… and uh, you’ve serenaded me with a lute while wearing these horrendously obsequious pantaloons. I was wearing a lovely, lavender hennin, decked with tulle in that one. Some of my classmates pelted you with spoiled fruit. And, in another, I stood by while Tedros carved out your eyes and then turned you into a stone statue for Merlin's Menagerie. I cleaved off your ears because you hadn’t listened to me about getting a haircut. Agatha did not partake in your mutilation, but she did cheer exuberantly. Can’t blame her though—it wasn’t the real Agatha. Then, I planted a pomegranate tree in your honor. That nightmare was rather lurid. It still haunts me. Come to think of it, your hair does fall into your eyes. I think it would look better if it hit a bit higher above your brows. Yet another time, you were unspeakably upset for no particular reason, stamped your foot until you opened a rift in the ground, tore yourself into two like you were made of gingerbread, and then, the split parts fell through the earth. I was also mad because you’d eaten the honeycomb for one of my beauty routines, but I didn’t get upset like you did,” she accused. “Another night, I tied you to a bedpost and gagged you with a satin pincushion. You looked quite comical, but wouldn’t stop mumbling. My nails were bloody and I had torn cuticles for some reason. I think you ruined my manicure. And all the Old villains and the New students besieged you and got a good whack in while you were restrained, and the whole bed frame creaked until the bed collapsed on itself. You’d broken free from the binds, splintering the wood. You blew them to ashes. Then, you put me in a glass bauble. Everything looked colorful and distorted, and I think I must’ve died of suffocation because I don’t seem to recall the rest. One night, we sat atop the framework of a gallows where the waxen corpses were still strung up, with very fine sewing thread, no less, and you told me you thought my glass slippers were a laughingstock and that I was no match for Cinderella. Then you smoked a pipe. We went ice-skating, and you fell through the solid ice and simply disappeared. Or was that the one where you drowned in a pit of ashes, compressed into diamond dust that I used to decorate the borders of my stationary with? All that aside, I laughed and then some force sucked me down after you, as if it were a portal to Hell. Agatha grew wings and tried to save me to no avail. I swallowed the glacial water and, and, um… then I woke up. And… uh, that’s most all of them. The recent ones, at least.”

She pinked egregiously, and glanced back at him nervously to gauge his reaction.

Rafal wore an exaggerated scowl, to keep his laughter at bay, and he’d bitten down on his lip hard, dribbling blood. He wiped the blood on his sleeve.

Sophie curled her lips at the sight of yet another stain, but it didn’t truly matter because his jacket was already doused in blood.

Rafal cleared his throat breathlessly, and tried to speak, but no words came out. He started again. “Hmm… well then. That confirms you’re a Reader.” Disarmed, he scratched his neck as it reddened.

“Yes,” she agreed awkwardly.

⸻

Any reactions anyone? And did you catch the references I made? I’d love to get concrit on this one.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Updates and Round V of Excerpts from The One True School Master of Vault 41

Draft 0 of TOTSMOV41 is at 171 pages or 54,527 words! (A lot of it is just notes, not actual story, so my bet is that it will turn out shorter than I may've led you to believe (still could be wrong though) but it's getting somewhere since I've last done some transferring of my notes into one, cohesive document.)

Not-so-fun fact about it: Rafal temporarily goes blind and deaf.

These contextless excerpts are shorter than usual, but I just realized I had written a trope I like in which couples indirectly, unintentionally clash, which I find funny and ironic.

Another fun fact: The song on my TOTSMOV41 playlist that vaguely fits the vibes around the time of these moments would be "All That Glitters" by Earl. I just discovered the song today! (Eventually, probably after I publish the fic, I'll post the fic's playlist.)

⸻

Should she have gone for something even harsher than what she'd written in a flourished, calligraphic hand?

I would snub my date if he ever dared have rotten breath. It would be pure humiliation. In fact, I'd address it directly, as an announcement to all, so I could gain in my social standing while I simultaneously lower his. No man with poor hygiene deserves me.

No, not Evil enough of a response, Sophie scrutinized. Just petty. Back to square one. She sighed.

⸻

Rafal thought he should change his shirt before their tower meeting tonight, but he was out of clean laundry and the spell to steam the blood out of his clothes would be too taxing on him in this state. Agatha wouldn't care and besides, they had work to do. But Sophie...

He took his black shirt to the sink and tried to scrub out as much of the blood as he could with a stiff brush. By the time he was done, there was one, even darker, rusted patch of blood blooming on his shirt and some flecks on the sleeves.

More mess—if only he weren't useless without his sorcery!

He clenched his fists in frustration, suddenly aware of his raw, cramped fingers and ragged, poorly groomed nails, ready to lob the bloody shirt out the tower window entirely, but no shirt with "Aggie darling" and her heightened suspicions around would be worse by about a thousandfold. He'd be a dead man walking as if he weren't one already.

Thus, he picked up the balled-up cloth from the sink in defeat. Wet shirt it was then. What other options did he have?

⸻

Incidentally, Agatha turned up with a waterlogged crystal ball that overshadowed the sorry sight of his stained and torn shirt.

⸻

If anyone wants to know the symbolism behind this, I'll gladly explain it! Also, if anyone wants to, I invite you to guess at it.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Round VII of Excerpts from The One True School Master of Vault 41

Someone has “revenge” on the brain. I thought the first excerpt might be funny and could stand on its own out of context. The actual context makes it funnier, in my opinion, but I unfortunately can’t spoil it because it involves possibly the most insane shock in the entire fic.

Admittedly, I’m slightly proud of myself for managing to not burst and to hold back on revealing the plot twists, particularly with major events #2, #3, and #4. Otherwise, there'd likely be zero surprises left.

Though, plot twist #1 is sort of foundational to the premise, so I gave it away! (Sophie is nominated for the position of School Master.)

Also, a strange observation about my own plot occurred to me: contrary to what I or others might think, the plot is actually quite simple. Or, at least, from my view at the moment, it is. I’d originally thought it was complicated, but no. Actually, it’s simple masquerading as complex because there are complications thrown into the story, like wrenches, via a few different elements/events. So, that’s something, I guess?

If I could summarize the plot in one sentence, it would be: three souls enter a crystal ball, and some of them emerged scathed, changed, or both at once.

That’s probably the easiest way to put it, without spoilers.

Anyway, here are the excerpts (from two entirely different sections of the fic):

⸻

That was it. To say it irked her was to put it mildly.

Assuming they were both alive by the end of it, the first moment she got after all these crises were over with, she was taking him for a haircut, whether he liked it or not!

She would march him directly over to the finest salon she could find in the Woods, posthaste, like a prisoner if he resisted—all for the sake of a nice, neat trim.

So be it if it ended up botched. His Doom Room had done the same to her. So what did it matter?

⸻

Rafal glared at Agatha as if to signal: don’t let on that you’re hurt.

“Why are you both limping?”

Agatha stole a quick glance at Rafal who found himself turning to stare intently at a Stymph on high.

He shook his head with the slightest motion. She couldn’t know what it had cost them, or she would intervene.

The movement caught Sophie’s eye, and she turned her attention to Agatha for the truth.

Agatha shrugged wordlessly.

Sophie narrowed her eyes. “Well, it certainly wasn’t bird-watching, that much I can gather.”

Agatha shuffled, and Rafal observed her shove one foot behind her other ankle, but in her gaping, oversized clumps, one sock slid down to reveal an inflamed, red welt.

Unfortunately, Sophie traced his sightline to Agatha's foot. “Agatha? What happened?”

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Aesthetic for the 1st Chapter of The One True School Master of Vault 41

It's probably too early for this, but I had an idea, and ran with it.