Rafal Has Baba Yaga Morality

Rafal Has Baba Yaga Morality

I can't quite contain or explain my evil ways Or explain why I'm not sane All I can say is this is your warning

This one is less of a theory and more of an observation. It's also partway a "defense" of Rafal, but not really.

Note: The "you" referenced doesn't refer to anyone in particular. It's just the pov of a would-be victim, or the collective, generalized "you" that would form an audience.

⸻

Rafal has very "Baba Yaga," "The Scorpion and the Frog," "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat," "It's exactly what it says on the tin" morality, but that's not to say he's at all predictable. He's predictably unpredictable. He is the poisonous frog or bird, draped in naturally bright colors, that is very obviously toxic.

And no one believes him or his outward "labels" when they wrongly give him the uncalled for benefit of the doubt (probably because he's intentionally attractive)! And it usually works out in his favor! Which is a strength in a way. It's only the rare Good he does on occasion that leads people to believe otherwise, or think too highly of him, when really, he's flawed and human, humanly grey.

From there, we know he has the capacity to be both lethal and kind, like the figure of Baba Yaga in the tales:

"Baba Yaga is an ambiguous figure in many folktales and legends. While sometimes she is depicted as a cannibalistic, child devouring witch, other times she is a benevolent sorceress who assists the hero or bestows knowledge."

His morality is variable. He can be both Good and Evil when the situation calls for it. He is adaptable, flexible, and not 100% consistent like Baba Yaga is, not any one thing or role.

I've never read the source material, but this quote I've seen exemplifies him well:

“He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.” ― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

As for the tale of "The Scorpion and the Frog," referenced in TLEA, he often doesn't lead people on. They do that all on their own with their assumptions and he reaps the benefits. Oftentimes, it's others' own faults for screwing themselves over. They know cognitively that he's Evil, but the fact doesn't actually register in their brains.

And that is a feat in itself, in their world, in the world he lives in. It is absolutely commendable in a perverse way, so I must applaud him at this point.

Despite not bothering to present himself, despite not caring about presentation (on a conscious level, if that's the lie he tells himself?), and despite presenting himself as the worst, at his personal worst, his poorer nature, he still surprises people with his humanity.

But, what they should never be surprised by is his Evil. You do not forget what a spear is capable of just because it's used as a walking stick for however long. You do not suddenly trust a ravenous, wild animal because it appears domesticated.

He steps forward as his worst self, his craftiest, least trustworthy self, that is artful and guileful and who will outwit you, who will outfox you, and you still trust him, while not managing to feel insane for doing so. Somehow, you're compelled to trust him, if only because he's so magnetic and attractive of a force, like a certain type of true Evil sometimes is, that charisma. He attracts people and doesn't repel them. Again, it's not always consciously his fault—it's just a quality to his very being.

And, if you still lie to yourself and think he's not using you after that, after glaring, flashing, blaring warning signs, you have only yourself to blame.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Yet, in this particular case, even the first time, you haven't been fooled. You were never fooled. You just thought otherwise, awarded Rafal the benefit of the doubt, and played the fool.

You've only chosen to believe what you wanted to see and have led yourself astray. Because, he never fooled you. He was not the active agent in that last sentence. Read that line again, I ask you. He never fooled you.

You built your own illusions of him, in your mind, by your perceptions. You've painted Rafal differently than how he truly appears in his true form. You've laid your own bait, set your own trap, made your own bed, dug your own grave. It's often not entirely his "fault." (Unless, he's in conscious manipulation mode.)

That is why you are the author of your own misfortune, and he is not. He is "blameless," in that one regard. He is not whom you've made him into. Thus, never trust him is the moral here. And that is what everyone should know, if they ever want to beat Rafal at his own game.

Except Rhian. Rhian should have been the one person to trust Rafal, unlike all the rest. But the opposite happened. All the rest trusted him, and Rhian did not. (The irony!)

"And so it is written." You got exactly what you told him you wanted (if we go by "exact phrasing" logic, like with a rogue genie) or, alternatively, you got what he told you you'd get. He just outmaneuvered you.

The fascinating thing is: he never lies about what he is and whom he truly believes himself to be: Evil. It's his true nature (discounting his arc in Fall for a moment).

People can only blame themselves when they expect him to miraculously rise above and set his best foot forward. It just isn't what he does. And that's just like how the scorpion acts with the frog. The frog naively believed the scorpion would betray its own nature. But the scorpion is a scorpion. What else can you expect? Each of Rafal's victims had been too soft and idealistic about him.

He is an honest villain, a constructive villain, not a destructive one, as I once sort of coined the term, in an earlier post.

Once, in the Doom Room, Rafal even told Midas outright that he could offer Midas nothing, truthfully, aside from trying to get Midas home to Gavaldon. Probably, because in that moment, honesty would have served him better than a lie could have.

That is one thing I find strange and that I somewhat "admire," if you can say that about a clear-cut villain. For all he does, he is (almost always) straightforward and open with his plots. (Unless he withholds information, but that is not lying. Instead, such behavior falls under strategic lies of omission, a completely separate matter.)

It must be another trick up his sleeve, a weapon in mental arsenal. He is often open, clear, and honest about his intentions, say, with James and simply letting him die after he's served his purpose, at least. James wasn't kept the dark.

The point still stands. Rafal doesn't represent himself as something that he's not. Sure, he is a trickster, but he doesn't deny it, or lie about it.

He never leads people to believe he is someone he is not, or when he does, how much of it can you blame on him when everyone already knows he's the very public figure of the literal Evil School Master?

He owns his identity, (or what he sees himself as)—which is as close to the truth as he can realistically get because it's all he knows. He's not an omniscient being.

He does the "best" that he can, and he's usually not wrong about souls, others' souls, that is. Not his own. Apparently. But, few literary characters are capable of complete and total self-awareness, and Rafal is no exception to that. If he were 100% self-aware, the story wouldn't work. That said, I think he was more self-aware than Rhian, initially.

To reference the trickster archetype in relation to him again: he can really swing either way. Everything is up to his whims, impulses, or calculated designs, at any given moment, even if he appears to play "fair," meaning, usually, that he plays with interpretations, loopholes and the like, while staying within certain constraints.

He's not discreet like Evil Rhian had been for a stint. He had been proud of his Evil, to an extent. So, perhaps, that grants him a little leeway or likability. At the start, he simply isn't ashamed of himself, for working situations and people to his advantage (until his conscience catches up to him a little). His Evil is the high-flying banner he and his Nevers unite under; it's their common purpose/drive, to live and to strive for.

But, it always bears repeating: His reputation always precedes him as the Evil School Master.

So, again, you can't blame him for anything Evil he's done, can't pin it on being unexpected because it's always expected. You let your guard down. You can only justifiably be surprised when he does Good, and let that temper and moderate your expectations. (And the inverse of all this is probably why we sometimes might have expected too much, not too little, as is the case with Rafal, from poor Rhian.)

If Evil is what all have come to expect, like what James Hook expects from Rafal: a cold, soulless person, driven by deep villainous purpose, and Rafal doesn't directly tell anyone otherwise about his nature, no one can argue Rafal didn't play "fair," by those technical standards.

They knew exactly whom they were dealing with, and (unconsciously?) chose not to believe the man himself, the one who should know himself best.

By the Rules of Good or Evil, you expect him to be unpredictable, and you can call him out on being unpredictable because he's known for it. Known to commit atrocities, even when you seem to have trust between the both of you. That's why you can never tell.

I don't think Rafal actively encourages or cultivates trust in other people (unless it's a case of his deliberate manipulation). Part of the facade others perceive could just be his "trustworthy" aura.

And, people still expect better from him, implicitly! But how wrong they are. If nothing else, the misplaced trust probably stems from the aura he exudes as I can't think of another reason at the moment.

Because, like always, they put their trust in him—he didn't force them to hand it over—so, they have exactly themselves to blame, when they underestimate him, or think they can beat him.

That's why, in the end, I feel like the phrase: “It takes one to know one” applies really well to Rafal because he continually saves Rhian from being taken advantage of by men a lot like himself, considering how he constantly takes advantage of and uses others.

Now, I'll just leave you with this parting thought: as a villain, Rafal weaponizes the naivete and stupidity that is already there, already present in his victims. So, when Rhian sheds his naivete, he can no longer be used by his brother.

TLDR: Rafal is everyone else's "Vulcan" in a world full of trusting "Rhians."

This was inspired by other dialogue I've seen, so the concept isn't entirely original. Also, as a warning: this contains mentions of sex.

⸻

Texting in a Modern AU:

Aladdin: What's your body count?

James: ??

Midas: 0? How should I interpret the question?

Rafal: Hold on. Let me think.

Aladdin: Betcha it's 0. lol

Rafal: ...I've lost count.

Rafal: Although, I never cared enough to know all their names to begin with.

Aladdin: Wow. That's a lot of chicks.

Rafal: Most of them were mortal men.

James: They WERE? 😳

Rafal: I wouldn't endanger my own Stymphs' broods.

Aladdin: Endanger? Wait, what? Are you a sadist?

Rafal: Yes. I thought everyone knew.

Midas: 😬

Midas: Oh. Wait. Nevermind. I think I know where this is going...

Rafal: Why would you think it was Stymphs though?

Aladdin: Man, I really didn't think YOU of all people were a sex fiend. You don't need to feel ashamed for sleeping with a lotta people tho. Most guys would be impressed.

Rafal: What do you mean "sex"? I thought we were discussing murder.

Midas: Yep. Called it.

Midas: That tracks.

James: Ditto. :/

A Hypothetical TOTSMOV41 Scene I've Talked Myself out of Writing

There's a scene in the draft of TOTSMOV41 in which Tedros punches Rafal in the face while wearing heavy, wide band, royal rings (I did a little sketch of the results here), and I'm soo tempted to have Rafal's first, instinctual thought be: how ineffective. And I could have him mock Tedros for the punch in such a condescending way that he'd just be asking to be punched again at that point. The subtext would drip with: look at me and what a fine target my perfect jawline would be—

Rafal would be evaluating the effectiveness and the actual impact of the punch, as if Tedros were one of his ineffectual Never students, thinking to himself that brass knuckles would've been better than mere rings. Should restock those in Evil's arsenal. Hmm... as if he weren't just punched in the face. Like, how non-reactive would that be?! It would not be immediate rage, but he would be operating on autopilot, due to all the other terrible things the narrative had subjected him to by that point, like he's blatantly apathetic.

The whole thing could be an absolutely scathing review of Tedros' punch, which he just finds pitiful, running through his mind, and besides, this pain is nothing in comparison to everything else that's happened to him as of late, so the pain doesn't even really register, at first, and he has a high pain tolerance anyway and he hasn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks, so what?

Thus, he just. Defaults to Evil professor mode. He's going on about the wind-up or the velocity of the act, and everyone's staring at him like he's grown a second head, and then, partway through, he realizes. He's instructing his sworn, mortal enemy. He's literally giving this young idiot pointers!

The idea strikes me as funny because it poses the question: what if Rafal were in teacher mode at the time? Alas, the whole thing is just so unlikely that I think I'll have to scrap the idea.

Unless—he's in a disoriented and dazed enough state for this type of thought process to occur, which could very well be true, considering the previous, slightly horrific things that happened to him. And yet, I think he's the type to always be alert, to land on his feet, to hit the ground running, etc., which again, wouldn't work too well for his character, unfortunately. And, well, there's probably enough humor in that scene already (depending on how potential future readers will take it?) so nevermind.

I want to maintain the integrity of his characterization, but the comedy potential to be had here could be such fun to exploit (and he is sort of known for being under-responsive/unfazed)! So, instead of all this, which could potentially detrimentally slow down the pacing, Rafal will likely just get an awful, sardonic remark, as per usual. Ah well.

It could've been great otherwise, but this Rafal-lecturing-Tedros scene might not work for the greater purposes of the story. Rafal is probably too self-aware and not quite "absent-minded professor" enough, and this scene wouldn't have fit the tone, so that's why I'm scrapping the idea and posting it here instead. (If I can manage to have it both ways, with the sardonic comment and his lecture, I may put it in, but the current outline/draft as it is will likely not use this at all.)

How would Vulcan react to Evil!Rhian? And how would Evil! Rhian react to Vulcan.

Give me your honest and true opinion on it.

I believe that if Vulcan met Evil Rhian, he'd probably run for the hills, flee in order to preserve his life. Can't possibly use his "Duckling" anymore now that Rhian’s corrupted. And Vulcan was seemingly the first in Rise to recognize the rot within Rhian after all, so we shockingly owe him some credit to his intellect, for once.

Though, on the off chance that Vulcan reacts with stupidity and not cowardice, he would likely be stupid enough to not comprehend the change in Rhian's demeanor (or alternatively, stupid enough to challenge Rhian as a usurper of the Schools, regardless of any warning signs). Thus, he would fall into the trap of needling Rhian until he very quickly provokes Rhian, consequently, getting himself burnt to a crisp. So, get vaporized Vulcan. Hah.

As for Rhian reacting to Vulcan, I think he wouldn't fall prey to this loathly man, this horrid interloper, this trespasser. He'd probably think he does Evil better than Vulcan ever could, considering that Vulcan is so superficially, outwardly, flagrantly Evil that it robs him of all actual menace. Meanwhile, Evil Rhian is far more subtle about how he goes about doing anything, keeping his reputation with the Kingdom Council intact as he seizes power.

Trial run prompt thing: Does anyone get what I mean (in the way that I'm describing it or similarly) or does this sound strange?

It's nice to see someone articulate this actually, hence the fact that is is a reblog, of course.

(The thoughts of substance are in the tags, this time.)

does anyone feel the layer of plexiglass between themselves and the rest of the world or is that just a me thing

You look SO COOL, Rafal! But can you live up to that incredible outfit, or are you still a stick-in-the-mud?

was this an excuse to draw rafal in a cool outift? yes. will i make this a series? great question. might do a poll