Have U Ever Played A Sport Or Are Currently Doing A Sport? Im Curious.

Have u ever played a sport or are currently doing a sport? Im curious.

I swear, this is just bizarre—I was just thinking to myself what could the next anon question be, in what seemed to me like a trend of making the rounds of typical introductory questions, if this is indeed the same anon. May not be, I suppose. And so, I had thought: well, no one’s asked about sports yet. And lo and behold, the very thing: a sports question!

Anyway, to answer your question, I used to play tennis, and I’ve played a bit of badminton. All of this was recreational though. I’m not that athletic by any means.

personally i love rubbing salt into wounds

hits my head & dies & walks it off

@discjude Thanks!! And yes, I agree that a lot of neurodivergent traits do apply to Evil on the whole. Oddly questionable, but the Nevers are at least intended to be "outcasts," which the label "neurodivergent" is too often synonymous with.

I can definitely see the overlap of "undesirable"/Evil traits being neurodivergent ones, considering how book 1 Agatha was ostracized. It's also strange that she's (seemingly?) the one exception among the Evers because most Evers are either less developed, minor characters, or simply don't display (as many if any) signs of neurodivergence or mental illness. In fact, Beatrix calls Sophie "mentally ill" (colloquially) when Sophie starts to act out in book 1. I would guess Evers likely carry more stigma about these "flaws" anyway though.

This is more of a speculation since I don't have evidence for it, but apart from something general like rejection sensitivity, do you think Japeth could have SPD or be a Highly Sensitive Person?

Actually, I'm going to take a stab at "diagnosing" Japeth. Considering Aric and his proclivity for knives, that's probably a poor choice of words, haha. First, I'm just going to set aside sociopathy/psychopathy because every major villain in SGE has this to some degree, even if it was a one-off incident of behaviors and not a continuous trait.

I agree with you about over-attachment and over-sensitivity. Maybe the over-sensitivity could extend to rejection sensitivity, but that would probably fall under a larger condition, not sure which. If anything he exhibits is part of a greater personality disorder, I would say Japeth goes under Cluster B and possibly Cluster C while Rafal goes under Cluster A and also possibly Cluster C. And, Sophie and Rhian I would file under Cluster B too, in my opinion.

I also decided I wanted to bring in Evelyn because it occurred to me that her butterflies could be a symbol of being very attuned to sensation also, like Japeth's scims are. (Also, she is easily another one of the obsessive characters.) Could these creatures represent something like SPD, meaning Japeth could've inherited the disorder?

Or, alternatively, the creatures could represent something Cluster A, like Paranoid Personality Disorder or some kind of hyper-vigilance, that extends beyond her magic to her psyche.

We know "magic follows emotion." And I wonder if magic is also defined in a "form = function" way? For example, if Evelyn's brain demanded that extreme level of hyper-vigilance, if it went beyond espionage as an excuse for the surveillance, to measures for her personal safety as a reason, could the butterflies have adapted themselves to suit this purpose and assuage her, if she did feel paranoid or dysregulated during any given moment?

And does this mean magic-users (discounting mortals with ordinary fingerglows—I mean the Mistrals, the Saders, Nimue, and Merlin) are more prone to having atypical nervous systems/wiring? We did see the Lady of the Lady give into her extreme loneliness, and while she didn't exactly have a mental breakdown, she did seem unresponsive for some time, and there's always a chance that went beyond a usual depressive state.

And if that were true (form = function), could it apply to Rafal's shadow and his nervous system? My assumption is that when he's in his shadow form, he registers less as far as sensation goes because he doesn't have a corporeal form during those moments and can phase through things, I think, and yet, he can still interact with objects (the bodies of kidnapped students) of his choosing, selectively, which means he's still made of smoke-like or fine matter. I wonder if that form is his inadvertent way of tuning out the world? And if that were true, it would connect back to monotropism again or the ability to hyper-focus, with an "attention tunnel," dissociating from the world to the point that he genuinely wouldn't hear anything he wouldn't want to hear and only perceive the one object in his sightline because he's managed to close out all else. I guess my specific theory here is that his shadow is a method of entering a state of Flow?

Given all the others who are worse off, August should thank his lucky stars that he's a Seer and wouldn't be doubted for it. This may be a reach, but I think that if he were apart of our world, he would be accused of having Schizotypal traits (or something else in Cluster A but different from and less poorly than Rafal's presentation of it) and a case of Magical thinking (without the compulsions).

Plus, Soman semi-frequently describes himself as obsessive and as a control freak, and talks about how his creative projects, like New Novel, consume him—and while I certainly can’t assume anything about him since he’s a real person, I can't help but wonder if he has some traits that could be interpreted as neurodivergent, which filter into his characterization and get blown up, because, the characters are more "distorted" and larger-than-life. I don't usually get the sense that he exaggerates when he characterizes himself, even if his prose style can be melodramatic.

From my experience, few people tend to characterize "obsession" in a positive light, which is unfortunate. But, this also means, few people actively identify with being "obsessive" or "control freaks" in a sincere way, beyond it just being a throwaway line or a socially-acceptable instance of bragging. I'm probably just splitting hairs, but nowadays, I feel like when people say they're "obsessed" with something they aren't truly. Or, instead of that accusation, it could just be how they're using the word.

The question I have is usually: are you using "obsessed" as an intensifying verb or do you really mean it? It can't just be an activity that becomes "out of sight, out of mind" as soon as you aren't doing it during another moment of that day.

I, personally, feel like "obsession" can't be something that happens or unravels in a casual sense. It's never casual, like influencers who claim they are "obsessed" with a product to generate hype. The obsession, in my very subjective opinion, has to be something that either dominates your thoughts, consumes your waking life during more passive moments as you actively think about it when you're bored, waiting, or have nothing to do, or streaks through your head even while you're not actively thinking about it because of your associative powers funneling toward that thing.

Hopefully, the Evil/autistic allegory was subconscious. I can't say there's nothing wrong with it in and of itself. And I can't say it's uncommon either. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr is a novel on my tbr list and I've already heard from online reviews that the villain exhibits autistic traits. Maybe, it'll end up being another Rafal-like case once I read it, idk.

(And probably everyone, including neurodivergent people, have some form of internalized ableism.)

Even if the allegory wasn't the best move, for most of the trait-bearers to be villains, it's not a completely awful oversight given the overall message. To me, at least one thing I would say wasn't mishandled or unintentional was that we are told (even late into the story) that both Rhians are in the wrong, in general, and there's the fact that both Rhians are punished by the narrative, backing up the messaging—even if they were punished for what they did, if not for trying to "cure" their brothers.

Is Rafal an Allegory for Autism and Is He Autistic Himself?

DISCLAIMER: This is just one niche interpretation of the text that points to his being autistic, even if it were not intentionally written into the narrative. I am in no way claiming this interpretation is factual or that it is an absolute or “correct” reading of the text.

Therefore, feel free to disagree with me or add onto this! I will not be offended by opposing viewpoints at all, and it could be fair to say I’m just pathologizing him, if that’s the case, which may be true. I’d also love to hear other takes if anyone agrees with me, or suspects another form of neurodivergence, seeing as comorbidities are possible and one condition doesn’t rule out the existence of another as symptoms alone could themselves be attributed to other causes.

@hyperfixating-chic Thank you for bringing up the idea of Rafal having autism since I had previously suspected it due to some of his (potentially negligible) traits, and discarded the idea. Now, I see it as plausible and your thought about masking definitely helped everything else slot into place!

Currently, I'm straddling the line between:

Is Rafal an unintentional allegory for autism, or beyond that, does he have enough traits for him to actually be autistic?

With him, any traces of autism seem to present themselves in such minor ways that I might just be cherry-picking evidence to fit this particular image of him. Though, his autism could just be higher-functioning anyway. And, while he does have seemingly autistic traits, there could be other, equally plausible reasons for their existence apart from neurodivergence, such as his idiosyncratic personality. And, because he is fictional, we can’t truly be sure.

One side note: The word “autism” could be translated as “selfism,” as the prefix “auto-” means “self,” or it could allude to self-absorption. Yet, not all autistics are selfish and some may only appear “selfish” to others. However, this interpretation of the word happens to work in favor of Rafal’s autism existing, as he is selfish (and does possess a somewhat graceless mode of socializing).

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Evidence for his character being an allegory:

He's central to the order of the world he lives in, to the Schools running, continuing on, to pure utility, but does he have any social value beyond that?

Quick digression: I'm almost tempted to say that the worst thing someone whose opinion Rafal actually cares about could say to him is: “You're useless/purposeless." (And that is what I have him think about, or say at times, to Rhian, but if it were directed toward him, I feel like it would be something he couldn't brush off easily.)

Looking at his “value” and other traits:

He has virtually no relationships and thus, has little social currency apart from his School Master status.

He is viewed as an outsider in a sense by society (partly because of how far above everyone else he stations himself). But, if he didn’t do that as well as threaten punishment so frequently, would he be ridiculed behind closed doors? Even though he was admitted to the Black Rabbit, it was (probably?) because he was respected and feared, not because he was “welcome” in an amicable way, even if he was treated well. How do we know he wasn’t merely tolerated because he had to be, according to social conventions or mandated politeness driven by fear? Albeit, some Nevers probably did actually idolize him.

I believe there was even an assumption by others that he had a purpose for being at the nightclub, that he was there strictly for business, to scout out prospective students, not necessarily because he was there to join the festivities. Though, I may be misremembering.

He is irreverent and a “killjoy” to some, often upsets the status quo on large (leaving the School) and small (the trainwreck at the Snow Ball) scales, and often questions things usually accepted by most. He also doesn’t respect any authority apart from his own. This again is due to his Evil, in-narrative, as Evers are commonly depicted as rule-followers and traditionalists. (Neurotypicals, those who aren’t neurodivergent, generally do not question implicit social rules, even when there is no reason to keep to them or no reason for their existence.)

Rafal might only have been valued for his tangible, quantifiable contributions to society, as both a Never of prodigious talents and as an individual with a high-standing.

That begs the question: what about him as a person?

He is broadly viewed as unlikable.

To play into allegory, he is dehumanized, not necessarily for potential autism, but for his Evil, if it could be seen as a symbol of his autism.

At the start, Rhian, in originally wanting to eradicate Evil from the Woods and reform every soul, inadvertently demonizes him. And so do his students, when they sentence him to prison.

Sometimes, in-world, the Pen dehumanizes him (as well as Rhian) for his position as School Master. It reduces him to his role, strips him of individuality and selfhood because he is one of an indivisible pair, and it views him as replaceable, which, again, relates heavily to utility above all else, in how his sole purpose for being there and having his life preserved is pushing the tales and future forward.

So, while yes, he is respected and valued and held up as an exemplar for what Evil should be, how deeply does others’ approval run? Was anyone in-world willing to vouch for him or defend him as a person, for personal traits, apart from his skills and achievements?

(I’m not trying to suggest this in poor taste, but a real-world example of this phenomenon happening historically is the moral quandary of saving Einstein, who might've been neurodivergent. Einstein’s singular life as a Jew was prioritized over other lives, a plurality, during the Holocaust because he was a genius and therefore, a person of value. And, to generalize, sometimes groups only claim unlikable or "inferior" individuals as one of their own because they can benefit and get ahead from doing so. For instance, a Nazi could rationalize something absurd and say: "Oh, that Jew. He's a personal friend of mine. He's an exception, not like all those others. He's a good guy, and so, I'll help him escape Germany." Any “loyalty” from a member of the in-group is conditional. The moment that person of value crosses a line or becomes useless, it’s “abandon ship!” Or worse, denial: "They were never that great in the first place!")

Initially, to Rafal's students, he was a Folk devil, or their chosen scapegoat, even if their accusations against him proved pretty valid later on with the torture. (So, admittedly, he is deserving of a lot the narrative did to him, and can’t be defended completely.)

In fact, both Rafal’s own students and Vulcan (importantly designated as Rafal’s competition) seemed perfectly happy to see him fall. Thus, we can ask: did he suffer from a case of Tall Poppy Syndrome?

For reference, here’s a definition of the term I’ve pulled from the internet:

“Tall Poppy Syndrome occurs when individuals are attacked, resented, criticized, or cut down due to their achievements and success. The metaphorical ‘tall poppy’ represents someone who stands out from the crowd, excels, and reaches new heights.”

Maybe, he was only ever valued, not for who he was, but for what he could bring into the world.

Even if anyone post-Fall suspected that Rhian was the “Rafal” they saw, maybe they truly didn’t care. They still had a “him” in a sense that must have seemed just as good and serviceable as the original—if, again, they only valued him for the sake of utility.* It probably didn’t matter because no one was suffering from a lack of Evil School Master (yes, just the title, not the name) and likely no one realized they were suffering from a lack of Rafal (and balance). Him as a person probably meant nothing in their eyes, considering how he used and abused them.

So, here we have a figure, who was never that personable to begin with, who only succeeded in further alienating himself from potential allies and friends as stakes rose, who excelled in other areas rather than socially.

Could he have used his sorcery and other preternatural, prodigy-like abilities (considering his mental/physical age, if not his chronological age) to compensate for his ever-present social deficit? Possibly.

*Thus, we might be able to confirm he was always viewed, not for who he was, but for what he could do.

His death was caused by the failure to say the right, emotionally-weighted words in an emotionally-charged situation.

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Evidence for being autistic himself:

His default mode of speaking appears to be deadpan with little intonation and his emotional expression is overall low. He’s also rather impassive and placid compared to other characters as long as he remains in control and isn’t taken by surprise. Thus, I suspected he could have a flat affect (or blunted affect), unless he is deliberately seducing or appealing to another character he intends to manipulate to his own ends.

He has irreverence for existing traditions or established ways of doing things, given how he changed the date of the Snow Ball without warning, without consulting anyone, and with little concern for others because he saw his decision as fit to serve himself.

He seems to have a case of one-track-mind or monotropism when it comes to saving Rhian or attaining power for himself at any cost. His narrowed, obsessive focus tends to center on either Rhian, vengeance, the balance, or gaining control over his immediate surroundings whenever he is incapacitated; he has a need for order and control in everything he approaches. He also has a strong internal sense of justice, however perversely-aligned his may be.

He doesn’t distribute his attention widely, and (once) seemed to love his brother deeply and narrowly. He had no friends outside of Rhian, his twin, which could’ve been a given since the start. He had difficulty maintaining all of his relationships (or situationships) and had a marked lack of interest in forming relationships or friendships with others outside of Rhian because he often cut ties with people like Hook or Midas when he no longer had a practical use for them.

One of the greatest “sins” to some autistic people is lying, and it occurred to me that, a few times over, Rafal never lied. (This statement excludes the few exceptions of his Fala disguise, a thought not completely of his own volition which the Storian may have planted in his mind or implicitly suggested with its illustrations, and his general practice of withholding information.) He just weaponizes shades of the truth, unlike Rhian who did outright lie at times. Rafal instead misled, passively allowing people to believe what they wanted to believe about his moral character (oftentimes in the “fact” that he was trustworthy) without truly affirming their views of him or correcting them, as long as doing so continually worked to his advantage. He let them fall into their own delusions, and used lies of omission, which aren’t technically lies.

Although he is often driven by his selfish, insular nature, like towards the singular pursuit of power and becoming the One in Fall, I also suspected that he's often mind-blind in regards to others, sometimes willfully, if it’s not “errors” in how he processes the world. I would guess that he might experience difficulty in understanding and empathizing with others' perspectives, meaning he has trouble with “Theory of Mind.” As evidence, he uses the “wrong” wording when he attempted to placate Rhian at the climax of Fall before the fratricide scene since he’s not used to consoling or providing others with emotional reassurance or comfort. In addition, he seemed unable or unwilling to sympathize with Rhian’s perceived loss to him when he momentarily appeared to hold the Storian’s favor.

Rafal also strikes me as the type of person to devalue a form of emotional, Ever-like “data” he cannot read. If he does (or ever formerly did) suffer from mind-blindness, I have a theory that, possibly, because he could have begun with the inability to comprehend others' mental states, he found an alternate way to operate in and successfully navigate his world with, to thrive in it, consciously comporting himself as Evil, due to the easy potential overlap in autistic behaviors and being a conventional Never, in a way that was insensitive and cold enough to allow for any kind of social faux pas he could have made to be viewed as intentional on his part, assuming he spent most of his time around others masking his autism (covering up and compensating for deficits so as to be perceived as “normal”) even if such a label probably wouldn’t exist in the Woods. He also seems to dislike or barely tolerate any kind of flagrant sentimentality.

If the above point were true, then he would probably not only lack affective, visible empathy he could feel, imitate, and display through his facial expressions and body language, but also cognitive empathy. And this could be potentially because it would be convenient to him, to disregard and not take into account data that is ostensibly “meaningless” to him. Besides, I think there is a chance he’s taught himself to be persuasive or seductive when he wants to or “has” to be, in order to appeal to his victims. The other general possibility I had in mind was that Rafal could have learned to read people until it became second nature to him, with how he used suggestive manipulation on Aladdin to get the thief to steal back the lamp, proving Rafal consciously knew how predictable and pliable human nature could be.

In total, from what I can tell, he is able to manipulate others exceptionally well and lead them on, and yet, when it comes to actually relating to anyone, he seems to have difficulty understanding their points of view if he doesn't just flat-out disregard them in favor of his always being "right," which brings me to his tenacity, how he seems set in his ways, and leans towards extremes. Rafal seems like an all-or-nothing person, and either commits all the way to a cause, even bringing life-or-death ruminations into his internal monologue, or is apathetic and doesn't care at all.

Perhaps, Rafal suffers from sustained emotional dysregulation during certain plot points. He clearly has an inability to “let things go,” as is common with autism because when he was more than slighted by his mutinous students sending him to Monrovia Prison, his temper flared and he went to an extreme of methodically torturing every last child. And afterward, he continued to hold onto a grudge against that one particular class, until he was in closer contact with them, and gradually began to see himself and how he’d conducted himself as School Master from their perspective, literally in the shoes of the Never student Fala he fabricated.

He often has sharp lines of dialogue and witticisms the reader sees as comedic when his intention probably wasn’t to be, thereby meaning he could be unaware of precisely how he comes across to others, as hyperbolic as he is.

His quick wit and resourcefulness led me to think that he is at least partly a verbal thinker, evinced by the Vulcan shanty he composed and some of his scathing one-liners. Plus, he does muse philosophically on occasion in his narration, about matters like the nature of Evil, villainous purpose, and its role in the Woods, or how villains usually work alone while pirates, as a breed, are known to be more communal.

He also twists others’ words at times, uses the “Exact Phrasing” fairy-tale convention, and exploits loopholes oftentimes. I’m pretty sure he sees language as up to interpretation? E.g., he offers to pay a Man-Wolf his "weight in gold" and then, turns the Man-Wolf into gold to make an example of him, weaponizing literal meaning. Overall, as a reader, I feel as if I must watch out for the true meaning of his dialogue.

His reclusiveness, contrasted with Rhian’s desire for romantic love and companionship, and his general social withdrawal are quite prominent, and those asocial, isolative (or more destructively, “antisocial”) tendencies could, as well as being a preference, function as a coping mechanism. Perhaps, he feels better and overall more regulated whilst alone than in the company of other people, who neither give him peace of mind nor obey him, especially those whose every action he cannot control? And maybe, he needs room to breathe and think, and left the School at the start of Rise to shut out the offending emotional stimulus of Rhian’s words, about how all Evil-doers could be reformed to Good and that Evil lacked purpose. If he was emotionally affected by the brothers’ argument, the Aladdin bet, and the chaotic events of the Snow Ball, maybe he just had to sever himself from it all and leave it behind?

He might have Sensory Processing Disorder, which often accompanies autism. I’m not an expert, but from what I could see, there are hints of Rafal having an aversion to light, such as when, in his internal monologue, he remarks on Rhian's glass castle. Additionally, when he intentionally renovated his School, it was dark and dimly lit.

In the ice classroom, he sat at his desk for days on end, entranced by the mirror he enchanted to view the Doom Room with, like he was watching television, like it was some form of a singular obsession, and he did all that presumably without feeling any bodily discomfort. Thus, it occurred to me that, while this instance could be attributed to his invulnerability/immortality, he might just have trouble with interoception or internal bodily sensation. He rarely seems to sense or acknowledge dehydration, exhaustion, or hunger, and seems ascetic while Rhian is slightly more dependent on creature comforts.

One last qualifying trait could be Rafal’s lack of sensitivity to (external) pain as seen when the Storian slashes his palm open for the oath.

As far as the previous two points go, I’ve been questioning whether his potential difficulty with interoception could coexist at once with the artificially-induced traits of his Storian-bestowed invulnerability that later fades over the course of Fall, rendering him mortal, or conditioning over his lifetime as an Evil-doer, as Evil thematically seems to undergo more pain than Good does throughout the series. Even while vulnerable and mortal in Fall, he manages to walk on his limp, and contends fairly well with his broken leg, despite the pain.

If his invulnerability or his Never status does indeed coexist with his possible interoceptive difficulties, it could mask the deficit of sensation, instead being construed as simple invulnerability or the “mettle” of a tough, stoic, Never soul, as Rhian, who possesses the same invulnerability, reacted more towards the same source of physical pain than Rafal did.

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Counterarguments:

Despite all these signs, anyone could have all or most of these traits in isolation, which still may not add up to a complete diagnosis. Basically, this is not only a matter of totalling up traits. We don’t really know how his brain functions as he is fictional and I would bet that if he were real, he couldn’t be arsed to answer interview questions.

I don’t believe he was intended to be autistic, given the fantasy genre of the series and its vaguely historical time frame, even if all this could form a viable headcanon.

We can't entirely be sure that he has a social deficit, or if his manner and apparent “deficit” are displayed by choice or out of practicality.

The most generous (non-deficient) interpretation we can hand him is that he’s simply out of practice. After all, he almost never associates with social equals, aside from Rhian, whom he doesn’t view as an equal.

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In response to my one of my counterarguments:

Then again, neither was Sherlock Holmes intentionally written as autistic since the diagnosis didn’t exist during the Victorian era and hadn't come about until later in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's lifetime—although many people today conclude that Holmes is indeed autistic and use modern terms to describe him because Doyle based him off of an “eccentric” academic acquaintance, the medical professor Dr. Joseph Bell, who might have been autistic.

In conclusion, I could just be a bit delusional, and this speculation could be far-fetched. Do you think I’m reading too much into whatever may have been intended for Rafal’s character? Could Rafal be autistic, or if not, could his characterization indicate some other type of neurodivergence?

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Thank you for taking the time to read through my thoughts! I’m open to “peer-review.” Anyone?

Thoughts That Go Whump in the Night for Rafal

Note: I tried to find as many torture methods as I could that involved the bird motif. Do not search for these if you do not want visual representations of them.

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Caught in a snare trap like a dumb woodcock à la Hamlet.

Eyes plucked out by doves à la "Cinderella."

Bird-who-was-formerly-a-ghost-boy-now-reincarnated drops a millstone onto his head à la "The Juniper Tree."

Transformed into a bird and stabbed by pins on a windowsill upon landing à la "The Canary Prince."

Chased by geese in the park.

Hitchcock-style bird attacks.

Viking blood eagle execution method. (When the rib cage was broken and opened, the lungs allegedly fluttered like "wings.")

Gibbeted in a cage.

Cucking and ducking stool.

A mock-Icarus scenario, flying too close to the sun and overheating, perhaps afflicted by the drip of burning wax.

Tarred and feathered à la American Revolution.

Bound to a rock to have his liver feasted on by an eagle everyday à la Prometheus.

Pau de arara or "parrot's perch," a stress position. (Bird sellers use it for transporting birds.)

White torture. (A form of psychological torture and sensory deprivation—everything in sight is white. Would be halfway decent camouflage, actually.)

The whirligig. (It has a whimsical name, yet it involves a spinning cage.)

Strappado or "pigeon torture."

Live burial. (Self-explanatory. Fits the vibes of TLEA.)

Second Circle of Hell. (Whipped around in an endless cyclone, representing Rafal's wind motif. That motif is actually more present in the main series than in the prequels and it featured in an OTK flashback.)

Seventh Circle of Hell. (Preyed on by harpies.)

Stymphalian birds. (Sorry to the Stymphs, but they were originally man-eating in classical mythology.)

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I feel like all this shouldn't need a disclaimer, but obviously, don't try any of this at home, not that anyone could in most cases. These ideas are for strictly fictional purposes.

Also, suppose Vulcan could've used any of these? I have another post with less graphic mentions of torture here.

I've been reading a bit about the themes of justice and retribution in fairy tales lately, and I keep finding excerpts that sound like they were ghostwritten by Rafal, haha.

"Most parents today shield their children from the violent imagery found in Grimm’s fairy tales. But if you’ve had enough conversations with young children, you’ll find that they already think a good deal about violence and death and what it all means, so sanitizing fairy tales will not stop children from thinking what they naturally think. If children are nursed on fairy tales that have been sanitized to appease the sentiments of adults and not left alone to nurture their own spiritual development, it will damage their ability to develop a sense of justice, [...]"

"The thirst for justice is strong in children. To deny them drink is to deny them redemption. The next time my daughter pronounces a death sentence on a wicked sinner, I won’t talk her out of it. I’ll agree: they do need to die. [...]"

Source.

“For children are innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy.” ― G.K. Chesterton

"Modern crime fiction has nothing on the ingenuity, brutality and sheer bizarreness of the offenses committed in classic fairy tales. Moreover, fairy tales are ruthless. Our contemporary crime novels have the monopoly on moral ambiguity, true, but fairy tales take no prisoners and often offer no redemption. Mercy is not a hallmark of the genre and even the kindest, most benevolent maid-turned-princess isn’t afraid to take out her wicked stepmother."

Source.

"[...] revenge tends to break out whenever legal remedies are blocked, as when the evildoer controls the legal machinery or is otherwise above the law, or when public law enforcement is very lax."

Source.