Decay Sounds More Gentle Than Rot. When Something Decays, It Is Gently Taken Apart In It's Comfortable

decay sounds more gentle than rot. when something decays, it is gently taken apart in it's comfortable eternal slumber. when something rots, it's violently taken apart with agony. in this essay i will

Do you think Rhian and Rafal are identical or fraternal? I've been having this question forever. Some think they are fraternal ( because of the covers ) but they are not accurate, and some identical because of how they are described in the books.

Me personally I feel like they are identical, but that's just my opinion, others may feel differently.

I've seen some even do identical and fraternal fanart, which is amazing by the way.

But I want know your opinion and what/how you feel about the twin description.

I feel like we didn't really get their looks described properly, only hair color, eyes and that's about it.

Also how tall do you think they are?.

I already think they are a certain height, but others may disagree.

They are described as ' Tall ' but have no specific height.

Thank you for your time.

My stance is that I see them as fraternal in coloring but identical in facial structure, features, and overall physique and stature.

With the fanart, most of it that I've seen has been fraternal, especially with their complexions and hair. I suspect that a decent portion of the identical art might've existed before the publication of Rise, given that the ghost's human appearance (before he became a ghost swan) looked like Rafal's, so the prevailing assumption at the time could've been that the twins were identical, until the prequels' covers and descriptions overturned that.

And once, we only had the singular illustration of them together in book one, prior to the prequels, to go off of. Though, given the identity twist in Fall, I would say the representation of the twins in that sculpture in Evil's mural could've been unreliable. Who knows if "Rafal" (Rhian) "revised" history and modeled both sculptures after Rafal's face (albeit with his own blue eyes) instead of himself, so the two would match. Maybe, he liked symmetry in design. Besides, he probably wanted the image of his own likeness to fade from the Woods' collective consciousness.

Also, I observed something new! There are sea-green flames, which are quite similar imagery to Rhian's blue dragon flame.

I'm not really going into massive depth about eye color, but I do have some thoughts. Although Rafal's eyes were green in Fall, which I feel like must be the exception, not the rule as a descriptor for him, I usually picture him with light, sky or ice blue eyes, and there is a chance that his green eyes were just an error or a minor plot hole. (Additionally, there have been different variations of blue hues in the series by this point, like "ice," "sky," and the deeper "sapphire," so honestly, I'm willing to overlook the potential green error, and just attribute these changes in which particular blue his eyes are to the lighting of the environment, Rafal's mood, or even the mood of the narration itself and which pov the description is from.)

If both brothers had blue eyes, even distinct shades of blue for each, one deeper and warmer, originally, and the other colder and lighter, I wouldn't have minded, and the books could've retained an iota more consistency, even with the identity twist, given that both the living School Master and the ghost had blue eyes in the main series, which directly contradicted Fall.

I'm not sure if I have an exact height in mind for them. I could say 6' 1" though. With "Rafal" in the main series, I pictured him as at least a head or more taller than Sophie, who is short. I think Soman confirmed her height as 5" 3' given that he once said she was "Madonna short" on TikTok, so we could conclude approximately 5" 3' with a quick search. However, we don't know if this is with or without heels, so she could be taller with them on.

Also, Soman confirmed Tedros was 5’ 9.5" or 5’ 10", so I feel like Rhian and Rafal definitely have to be taller than that. Was there ever a moment in TLEA where Rafal was described as taller than Tedros?

How tall do you think they are? Does anyone else have a different view on all of this?

Young old man, haha!

Thank you for the dialogue! I love your dialogues! But I fear that I don’t get the joke either. I tried Googling the meaning of “double p,” and literally can’t figure it out. [facepalms] I’ve found “picture for proof” for the acronym though.

A sketchy thing that sort of turned into something? It's not exactly a card design, but I could call it that. The shading was more a shot in the dark and the resolution is low because it started as a really tiny drawing without a plan or anything.

What if a hot pirate-looking guy were to flirt with/ask out one of the brothers in front of the other? (Could be either one)

[I took a while to answer this one, so if you're still around, Anon, please let me know if you wanted a less evasive response. Given that it's Rafal though, I personally figured evasive would fit his character in this situation.]

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Rafal: I've seen men attempt to muster up the courage to approach Rhian and flirt. None of them ever succeed though, when I'm around. [lightly] They double back from whence they came when I glance their way...

Now, don't repeat what I'm about to say to a soul or you'll regret speaking to me at all, but—Rhian is actually one of the most sought-after bachelors in the Woods. I suspect it’s partly his looks and partly his position of power that entices potential lovers. Not that he knows. I intercept all love letters and fan mail before he ever sets his eyes on them. They usually arrive before he’s awake. He gets marriage proposals from complete strangers every week and it's infuriating. Thus, I send hexes back in reply to the return addresses.

[With disgust] The unfortunate side effect of my censorship is that Rhian's self-esteem suffers, but it’s better than the... alternative. And it's better than our getting swindled. That said, most pirates or others we don’t tend to see in person at all because they know I'll be there. So I tend to be a deterrent far more repelling than the hexes alone ever could be. [Rafal looks absurdly proud of himself.]

Indeed, we don’t see any suitors but the most intrepid and stupid—Rhian's "type," alas... Like the vulture who swooped in during my leave of absence and took my place. If it weren’t for me, this School would probably be overrun with men and women alike seeking Rhian out, the pests. Fortunately, we don't go on excursions off School grounds. Ever.

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Rhian: [shrugs] I’ve certainly seen people, and amongst them, pirates, stare at my brother, but no one’s ever said anything to him directly. I have a feeling I know why though... and I think Rafal's been keeping something from me, now that I think about it. Our wastepaper basket is always full of shredded envelopes with their addresses blotted out in ink. But all Rafal said when I asked about the envelopes was that parents were complaining about the School's mortality rates, like they always have, no matter what reforms I initiate.

lots of #GlassShards in my boots but thankfully i dobt feel it so much

Alec Benjamin Songs That Fit the School Master Brothers

Note: Some songs are about couples. Obviously, interpret the lyrics platonically. Links to the songs are embedded in the titles.

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"Let Me Down Slowly"

Rhian to Rafal when Rafal deserted the Schools.

"The Book of You & I"

Fairly self-explanatory. Rhian would be the speaker the majority of the time.

"If We Have Each Other"

The last stanzas fit the most closely:

The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad If we got each other, and that's all we have I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand You should know I'll be there for you When the world's not perfect, when the world's not kind If we have each other, then we'll both be fine I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand You should know I'll be there for you

"Hipocrite"

Fala about the Evers at the Circus of Talents.

"Match in the Rain"

Their relationship decay and fire imagery. "Intuition" could be a stand-in for "paranoia," on Rafal's, or really, both brothers' ends.

"Devil Doesn't Bargain"

If Rafal lectured Rhian about his failed romances.

"Oh My God"

The moment when Rhian sobs at the end of Rise, after Hook has poached the brothers' students.

"Demons"

Rhian as the speaker, to Rafal. Rafal kept him Good. Rhian took Rafal for granted. (Well, admittedly, both took the other for granted.) Though, they did balance each other, even if they hadn't known the truth of their souls.

"Mind Is A Prison"

Rhian and his soul's possession of him, the all-consuming rot taking over. How he sometimes once overthought what the Good thing to do was, during the early days of his ruling with Vulcan as Rafal's substitute. Also, in Fall, this would be Rhian in the Doom Room, hanging on the wall alone to be found by the Pirate Captain and Hephaestus, abandoned by Rafal.

"Alamo"

Midas about the brothers, specifically about leaving Rafal after Rafal's betrayal.

"Outrunning Karma"

Vulcan and Hook to an extent, but mainly Rafal. Waiting to die in a sense, trying to prevent the inevitable, gone to fight in the war regardless. Also, this could reference Rafal racing through the night after the storybooks to Gavaldon.

"The Knife in my Back"

The fratricide scene.

@wheretheoceanglows Thank you for the recommendation!

"One Wrong Turn"

Ignore the specifics of the song's storyline. This one elaborates on the nature of predestination and preventability, which could be applied to the Storian and virtually everything. And, the lyrics remind me of the proverb: "For want of a nail":

"For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail."

"Gotta Be a Reason"

Rhian post-Fall as the general, probably feeling futile because his next chance at a supposed True Love is a girl.