What If A Hot Pirate-looking Guy Were To Flirt With/ask Out One Of The Brothers In Front Of The Other?

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.

The fool brings the whump onto himself.

He probably lies to himself, thinking: I'll sweep up that mess later, I won't lose my balance, I'm invulnerable and the Storian will protect me.

Wrong, WRONG, WRONG. 😈

If only you knew just how wrong you are. You don't know what you've gotten yourself into until it's too late to fix things.

Plus, the abbreviation of my fic’s title, SAS, looks a lot like “SOS,” which is fitting. Very fitting.

Also, the fic has reached over 2000 words so far! And, oddly enough, there's zero spoken dialogue this far into it, which is a first, considering that my fics are usually very dialogue heavy. Instead, this one is proving to be very action heavy.

Does this one even need a caption? That’s one sexy sign!

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

Dear Rafal:

As some spirit swans shapeshifter angel possession thingy do you create souls and ship them off to the real world?

I have a case where I know someone very well and he just seems to be very similar to you. (cough cough)

Also if Rhian was a girl (or some genderbend AU) would you let me be her gf?

Rafal: [peers down at you from the sky through slitted eyes] I'm not a "thingy" as you claim. Nor am I possessed, and if you'd like to see a man possessed, turn no further than downwards, at my aging mirror image. He's bound to die eventually and I doubt he'll be joining me. [He grins.]

As for your query, the answer is no. Not currently. When I did involve myself in... low, earthly affairs, every mortal soul I had a part in creating was apparently deficient in some way or another. Always, it was: [said in a mocking tone] this one's imbued with an excess of "spite" or "hubris," that one is just plagued with "instability," and a third was impacted by a so-called "disregard for its own species" and a "malcontent temperament"—why should I care?

Amid those general issues, the few souls of mine that had been placed in the Woods were reported to be "cursed," what we call our failed projects, those who can't descend to the Woods and live "ordinary lives." They had to be reworked by my colleagues, who discovered that many of those restless mortals held unconscious, fully-formed vendettas against pirates, Seers, and blond men. Don't ask.

All of my creations have been scrapped thus far, including a potential distant relative I devised for my Stymphs: the razor-beaked, flesh-eating sparrow. It was marvelous, and I'm sure my living students would've found it just lovely. Unfortunately, Heaven didn't approve of my vision for a new and greater Woods, which is pointless, seeing as the Blue Forest is already populated with killer, puffball rabbits. My Woods would've been built upon cautionary tales, to whittle away at the simpletons who believe that as long as they're Good, they "deserve the world" as they're constantly told. The Evers were always entitled as they always received the benefit of the doubt automatically, a privilege my Nevers will never live to get for themselves. It's why they must take what the world deprives them of, which I can understand to an extent. [resentment creeps into his voice.] After all, I nearly got what I wanted, only for it to slip through my fingers. So, instead, my Nevers are trapped with a daft leader and just languish under a losing streak, as far as I can tell.

Besides, my title isn't "guardian angel." Heaven wanted to assign me to a post as a patron of travelers and physicians, but I declined, and took up record-keeping duties since, for the time being, I don't wish to see anyone. I'm not content with menial tasks, but there haven't been any other offerings worth my time, aside from staging a coup, whether it be a coup d'état or coup de grâce for a certain someone, well... I haven't decided yet.

However, I do hope that my brother's still around when the Second Coming rolls around. I'd be all too satisfied to see the dire look on his face as he trembles when I tap him on the shoulder. Then, I'd drag him to a punishment equal to his worldly crimes in whichever circle of Hell happens to be his final destination, all while the rest of the apocalypse roars around us... Something to look forward to, I suppose. The other angels tell me not to be so sure, or that I won't want justice by that point. But however long it takes, I'll be here. Waiting for my moment in that dying sun.

[Rafal likes to think he's moved past earthly proceedings, but in reality, he's still probably bitter, begrudging, and unforgiving (so far), and would prefer to think of himself as beyond trifles like mortal lives that aren't his. He probably just needs time to settle and accept his death. Eventually, he'll reform further though, and grow into his Goodness.]

Rafal: Who is this case of yours? [You don't have to elaborate if you don't want to.]

Do whatever you'd like with Rhian. I'm not his protector any longer, and he’s more than capable of "defending" himself. Just let me take his soul once he dies, and we'll have a deal. [He extends a hand pulsing with sorcery to you to shake.] A contractually-sealed deal.

@harmonyverendez If you're interested, I made this to help me visualize the heights I had in mind:

And, if I'm remembering this correctly, Tedros would have more muscle mass proportional to his body than Rafal would have because I think Tedros was described as "lithe" and "muscular" and that Rafal was described as more lean and "sinewy."

Also, I'm unsure as to whether Agatha is taller or shorter than Tedros. Does anyone know the canon answer to that?

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?