Updates And Round V Of Excerpts From The One True School Master Of Vault 41

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.)

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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?

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

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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.

since we recently saw evil rhian and evil rafal meeting, i'm curious as to how good rhian and good rafal would act together. hopefully less violent, lol.

thank you!

Rafal: [seated at his desk whilst reading the roster of new students] Rhian?

Rhian: Yes? [He looks over from shelving freshly-written storybooks.]

Rafal: Why did you move Aladdin from my list to yours?

Rhian: What? I didn't—it must've been the Storian.

Rafal: The Storian overrode our judgment... but we've never been wrong before.

Rhian: [pulls up another chair and sits down besides Rafal.]

[The two sit in tense silence and glance back at the Pen.]

Rhian: It's never steered us wrong before...

Rafal: True...

Rhian: Well, there's a first time for everything!

Rafal: [He accepts the rationalization after a split second.] So, we're wrong. After all these years. Improbable yet not impossible.

Rhian: We're only human, brother. It's only natural for us to err every now and then. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Rafal: And what of the balance?

Rhian: A singular student couldn't undermine the balance of the entire Woods. You don't doubt our bond, do you?

Rafal: No, I suppose that's right, but look at the latest tale. [He gestures toward the last page of the storybook the Storian is suspended over.] Peter Stumph was a promising Never and he still lost. Our side has won several times in a row.

Rhian: I'm sure it'll even out eventually. The tales are always like that. Evil's ingenuity will prevail another day.

Rafal: Fair enough.

Rhian: Moving on—

Rafal: Right, let the Woods keep flourishing... and yet, could you imagine what could've happened if we had allowed a mere student to tear us apart? Betrayal, war, death—upheaval might've reigned in our stead. Perhaps, the Pen was testing us... that isn't so hard to believe. The things that could've befallen us if... if...

Rhian: Oh, Rafal. What a thought! Nevertheless, I still believe in you. And so too does the Pen.

Rafal: If you'll have me, I suppose I may as well stay.

Rhian: Was leaving ever a question?

Rafal: No, it never was... I just... wanted to feel certain. To voice my loyalty aloud to you.

Rhian: It's settled then. Put your mind at ease.

Rafal: Good.

[And so, there they dwelt, in a manor devoid of restless souls, with the Pen watching over them for all time.]

Wizard Guessing Game

Somebody sent Tedros to the insane asylum (not literally) in TOTSMOV41. Guess who.

I'm sure you've all heard of: "Which witch is which?" Well, this is: Which wizard is this? Feel free to write out your reasoning. I'm curious.

Tedros’ head lolled to the side. “'Tis ungodly, my hears. Ears. Myne eyen hear. 's the Evil wizard, foul, foul." He laughed to himself as if he had witnessed a joke no one else was privy to. His head snapped to the other side sharply, his gaze unfocused. "No—foul fowl!” he burbled in a daze, approaching incoherence.

Ooh, I understand what you meant now! And I agree that the Rafal on Fall's cover looks younger, possibly compared to Rise's cover. When you said "man," I had pictured a more visibly adult man since, even if Rafal were 18-19 or in his twenties physically, I would still consider him marginally a teenager, or more precisely, an adolescent (brain-development-wise despite the immortality/actual, old age), yet an adult by modern, legal standards—just, an adult on the younger side of things.

I could see adult "Rafal" in the main series looking more like an adult, like in the illustration above (before aging), but actually, due to book one, I imagined him as a stooped, withered, old man, by that point in canon. Then again, I may not be the best judge, especially considering that he's wearing a mask.

Thanks, haha!

Yes! Exactly! And, I know for a fact, from EverNeverTV, that Soman never even had a name for Rafal until he wrote TLEA, so I'd highly doubt he'd have Rafal's backstory planned at all. And that's also why I see Rise Rafal and TLEA "Rafal" as approximately the same Rafal because, to me, Fall seemed to have course-corrected, in both twins' characterizations, just to make the final twist work.

Unpopular, possibly controversial opinion: "Rafal" in the main series is slightly more alluring to me than Rafal in the prequels. Sure, you could call him creepy, but he had a certain power and mystique about him that was distinct from the original's.

Sadly, I don't feel the same about Rafal in TLEA. He's a lot more brooding and moody compared to his scenes in the other books.

Allow me to remind you how weird and unhinged this man is:

"Ah, but there's only one way in this world to prove who you are." The Storian stopped its busy writing, sensing a pivotal moment. Slowly the School Master turned. For the first time, his blue eyes had a glint of danger. "What's the one thing Evil can never have . . . and the one thing Good can never do without?"

Absolute fucking creeper. You can imagine the sound he makes as he slowly turns around, like a creaking door. Gives me chills. I love him.

Also, he's rather funny:

The Storian plunged to the page: "Stupid girls! They were trapped for eternity!" "I suspected as much," said the School Master.

These two could've been a comedy duo. Too bad the Storian sucks.

Maybe it's also the way I'm writing him in Ever Never After. Kinda makes me wish I didn't have plans for him to revert to his original appearance permanently. I mean, it's a real fix-it fic.

I just...

MMMMMMMMmmmmysterious.

Cool! I've never seen this comprehensive of an interpretation of Rafal's "Fala" guise! And, I love how specific your references to scenes from Rise are! Well done on that count too!

WHAT EVEN IS A BOWL OF BROWN HAIR???

I'm obsessed with Fala, as in the identity "Fala" that the Storian drew up and Rafal ended up going along with. Maybe mostly because I love that particular part of the story and there is no illustration of that part. And my poor unimaginative brain cannot work out what on earth is even "a bowl of brown hair"? 😭 Most of my research just showed a bowl-cut, and the phrase doesn't appear to be something commonly used? So that's what I went along with, that "Fala" has a bowl cut like this.

His description made me think a lot... 😭😭😭

I wonder if anyone's ever done a visualisation for Fala or anything?

Good point about age/maturity! (Though personally, I still see prequel Rafal's illustrations as looking younger than a man, sort of.)

When I read prequel Rafal and TLEA "Rafal" as the same person (before the Fall twist) I would rationalize his more poetic side as being an aspect that emerged because he was either in love or playing at being in love, more something situational rather than an inherent personality trait, as he never felt overt, romantic love in the prequels, meaning, he never had reason to express that side of himself. Yet, thinking about TLEA "Rafal" as Rhian does make that trait more congruent.

I also chalked up TLEA "Rafal"'s composure as being part of his situation rather than his actual self as Rhian, but being Rhian explains it too. The way I saw it was that prequel Rafal is tossed around like a punching bag and has a marked lack of control a lot of the time, as if he has chronic Protagonist Suffering Syndrome. Yet, TLEA "Rafal" has the upper hand practically the whole time, which distinguishes him as less high-strung than prequel Rafal because, in his perspective, he knows he'll win, nearly without a doubt.

I'd never consciously thought of that, but it's mainly true for me too! I mock prequel Rafal more than I ever have TLEA "Rafal."

I wonder how much of TLEA "Rafal" is filtered through Sophie's perspective or the tonal difference in the prequels and main series, and how much of him is simply just Rhian/divergent character development. Though, I'm skeptical as to whether the Fall identity twist had existed as a concept since TLEA's publication date (especially since Rise Rafal overall seems to be cut from the same cloth as TLEA "Rafal." Where else could prequel Rafal's characterization have been drawn from anyway?).

Good for Alma! Tearing down facades left and right.

Unpopular, possibly controversial opinion: "Rafal" in the main series is slightly more alluring to me than Rafal in the prequels. Sure, you could call him creepy, but he had a certain power and mystique about him that was distinct from the original's.

Sadly, I don't feel the same about Rafal in TLEA. He's a lot more brooding and moody compared to his scenes in the other books.

Allow me to remind you how weird and unhinged this man is:

"Ah, but there's only one way in this world to prove who you are." The Storian stopped its busy writing, sensing a pivotal moment. Slowly the School Master turned. For the first time, his blue eyes had a glint of danger. "What's the one thing Evil can never have . . . and the one thing Good can never do without?"

Absolute fucking creeper. You can imagine the sound he makes as he slowly turns around, like a creaking door. Gives me chills. I love him.

Also, he's rather funny:

The Storian plunged to the page: "Stupid girls! They were trapped for eternity!" "I suspected as much," said the School Master.

These two could've been a comedy duo. Too bad the Storian sucks.

Maybe it's also the way I'm writing him in Ever Never After. Kinda makes me wish I didn't have plans for him to revert to his original appearance permanently. I mean, it's a real fix-it fic.

I just...

MMMMMMMMmmmmysterious.