Wizard Guessing Game

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.

@maraneedscoffee Thank you! They're more entertaining to me when they bicker.

No, probably not. Even if he might care for other birds, they're not part of his "domain," I'd say. It's swans specifically that he sanctified as off-limits.

Possibly, but if they did end up together, I'd probably make something like the tale of Cupid and Psyche happen to Sophie because gods are really fickle, even if some actually love their mortal lovers.

No, she wouldn't snap because Rafal's been making her do Evil things in roundabout ways, without her complete consciousness of the acts. That's conflict #1, I suppose.

First, she's technically complicit in everything he does because she doesn't stop him. Second, sending her off to act like a sibyl, fall a presumably peaceful, stable empire and take it for him is another outlet for her to channel her Evil into. She will likely be mad when she catches on, and yet, at the least, he's been, quite kindly, giving her functional immortality (because he doesn't have a replacement for her), in the sense that he's put wards over her, and has kept her from being executed for treason under that mortal emperor. She does succeed by the way, and he lets her have some sway when they craft new laws for that empire:

"We should deem it illegal to not bathe regularly."

And how is that useful to my conquests? Soldiers don't always have access to water sources. Installing a statute like that would slow me down on all fronts.

"It would enable me to concentrate on my duties far more effectively without having to tolerate the unwashed masses, would elevate the empire's status as clean and purged of all disease, and besides, you could just summon rain if need be. You could drown anyone who doesn't follow the law."

Fine. Request granted, but I'm including an exemption for the men-of-war, the old, and the disabled. You don't associate with them anyway.

"Fair enough."

What, no groveling before me on the floor? Mortals these days...

"How about a simple 'thank you.' That should suffice. I'll compose you an epic if you're about to have an aneurysm over me."

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

Actually, it may not be completely controversial. I agree, mostly because prequel Rafal is just more sane and less "romantic," and I would be willing to bet his mystique is partly a result of pov differences, and more specifically, psychic distance (the literary device).

When we finally get Rafal's pov in the prequels, he automatically loses part of his mystique because we're no longer able to view him from the outside in.

We understand precisely what goes through his head, his every machination—which, when we know his intentions, he comes across as less sinister and omnipotent. He's simply being resourceful and doing what he can under certain constraints in the prequels. He has limits.

Similarly, in TLEA, when Sophie gets closer to him, he also becomes less "other" and more humanized, having been brought down from cloak-and-dagger, shadowy, recluse figure to close-to-an-adolescent-boy-level in characterization—as if his TLEA and prequel selves make him out to be just some overly morbid, moody, broody guy, actually less omniscient-seeming as he appears to be from the girls' earlier perspectives in the other books because he never was. We just didn't originally know that about him.

We could also say "familiarity (or psychic proximity) breeds contempt" because I would go as far to say, the reason why we mock him now, aside from his creepy demeanor, is because he's become more human as we've gotten to know him better through the more recently published books. We're arguably too close for him to remain an enigma (in the exact, same way) anymore.

And since Ever Never After is told from Alma's limited, third person pov (correct me if I'm wrong) it could also be why he's retained his original mystique in your fic thus far!

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.

Hello.

How would Rafal feel about someone putting makeup on him?

Someone being me...

I think he would be driven to seek out revenge of some kind if you did that, simply due to the fact that he's petty. Though, he might have the self-control to not murder you, if you didn't humiliate him in the process.

If we're thinking of Good Fall Rafal, he might just chastise you, but not resort to severe violence. And, psychological warfare is still fair game. It always is.

@maraneedscoffee According to a few sources, in ancient times, swans symbolized "grace, beauty, love, fidelity, purity, transformation, wisdom, and royalty." Several of these apply to Rafal, especially fidelity, and transformation, as it relates to his being a god of deception.

Black swans specifically symbolize "death, destruction, suffering, the devil, chaos, and the dark side of ourselves. However, they also represent uniqueness, rarity, unpredictability, personal power, blessings, transformations, and the ability to overcome adversity. Becoming a victor instead of a victim."

Yes, I would say he could manipulate the sky, lightning, the winds, and precipitation. His name is Mistral after all, which refers to a dry, cold wind that accosts the mediterranean regions.

Also, according to beliefs in certain regions of the world, winds turn people insane, and invert their behaviors, bringing on twice the level of irritability, like the Santa Ana winds superstition for instance. They are also called the Devil Winds, harkening back to the hot breath of Satan apparently. The European equivalent is the Foehn, causing illness and melancholia, even increased traffic incidents and suicide.

Ha, thanks!

Additionally, if some version of the tale of Cupid (Eros as his Greek counterpart) and Psyche happened, Evelyn Sader could easily be Aphrodite/Venus, meddling.

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

back by unpopular demand: me