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.

I was thinking of the naming conventions in the prequels, and it occurred to me that the characters could easily be cast in the roles of the original myth of Venus being married off to Hephaestus against her will. (The only factor that doesn't fit is that the brothers have an obviously platonic bond. So, disregard the actual type of union involved.)

Rhian = Venus/Aphrodite (assuming this whole sequence would occur while he's both desirable and desires romantic love for himself)

Rafal = Vulcan/Hephaestus

Vulcan or Hook = Mars/Ares

The Storian = Jupiter/Zeus

This set-up would mean that Rafal would catch Rhian and his forbidden lover in an impenetrable golden net. And well, I like the image for its comedy potential. Rhian would blush when he's caught red-handed at the enormity of his own deeds, of "cheating," like in Rise, but it would be worse than what went down with Gavaldon's barrier and Marialena since he'd literally be in bed.

Of course, the brothers couldn't be married like in the myth as I explained before, so their bond would have to be platonic and yet still legally-binding in some other way, like how it was sealed by the Storian in canon, or in the myth, sanctioned by Zeus. The whole scenario would dissolve their trust while being more operatic than usual.

And then, the Storian and all the rest of the Woods would gawk and laugh at Rhian, humiliated in a storybook, as, in the myth, Hephaestus drags the net with the lovers tangled in it to Mount Olympus, to shame the adulterous pair in front of all the rest of the gods.

And Rafal's character has a fair bit of overlap with Hephaestus' (the mythological god's, not the Ever's). He's the gruff, bitter, surly, unsociable man, cooped up in his stithy, or rather, in Rafal's case, his study in the tower.

if you were an animal, what animal would you be?

I'm not sure, but I would think a safe bet would be an indoor cat. I'd likely have no obligation to socialize with, obey, or be petted by anyone, and wouldn't be exposed to the elements.

The Facets of Rafal as Music

Since I've incidentally done a music post for Japeth, I've decided to do one for Rafal as well!

In certain contexts, I believe syncopation is villainous. I'm not an expert, but I believe I've identified the musical pattern I associate with Fala.

Syncopation in music is the type of rhythm that goes back and forth in a certain way, like skipping stones or a pendulum motion, but it's more irregular and off-beat.

Alternatively, you can think of the syncopation parts as the harmony or the walking baseline of the music. It very much evokes footsteps and the sly, trickster archetype in my opinion. There are alternating long-short!, long-short! parts, "delayed" and sustained. And I feel like it's capable of mimicking an uneven, doddery walk, shuffling along, like Fala's limp in Fall. And music like this is used in cinema for this very purpose. I oftentimes picture one heavier foot being dragged forward.

If the images I used weren't clear, here's an actual definition for reference:

"In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is 'a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm': a 'placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur.'"

Since this is somewhat of an abstract concept, it may help to listen to some examples I've found to illustrate my point with. At the very least, if I've misidentified this pattern, all these songs have a similar vibe, at least during certain excerpts of them.

Tip: try listening to the sound beneath the main melody of the songs, not the changing, overall variable parts but the stable, underlying constant, as Rafal is mostly constant and faithful, which works for him symbolically. Basically, I want to draw your attention towards the lower parts, the baseline, like I said previously—I'm not sure how to describe it exactly, but for a musical term, you could also call it the accompaniment.

"Good Omens Opening Title" (The original version. Specifically, listen to the heavier, less angelic, more apocalyptic parts.)

"Good Omens Opening Title" first piano version (Easier to hear the pattern with one instrument and less complexity.)

"Good Omens Opening Title" second piano version (Even blunter and more abrupt than the first piano version. Jarring and more "firm." Must be something about the lack of a slur, if it's not outright staccato. It's the notation, the "articulation" here, if you recognize my meaning.)

"The Entertainer" in a minor key (Chances are you're heard this one in a jollier, major key before as it's a popular piece. This darker version I chose is slower, so it's easier to see the pattern.)

"The Entertainer" in a minor key again (This is played at a faster tempo, but it's still worth the listen to me since it aptly captures the darkness and drama Rafal lives for.)

"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (It's easiest to see the footsteps plainly in the blue bars.)

"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (In this second version, you can see the pianist's hands bounce back and forth, kind of like clockwork at one point. Again, evidence of the pattern.)

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Not jaunty enough to truly qualify as syncopation, but hopefully, you get the idea. See the second version linked just below this one for the actual syncopation, to compare.)

A movie clip with a calliope (Listen to the background music from [31:29-32:05]. The song is still "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." However, this version has a more distinct syncopation to it. Sure, it's lighter, airier, and played at a faster tempo, but you can still observe the same pattern.)

"Below the Surface" piano version (The walking pattern yet again, very prominent, done with a heavy hand. Also, the stakes seem to rise as the song progresses.)

In summary, while I usually imagine that Rafal's hypothetical villain theme would be far smoother, especially in regards to his seduction of others, Fala's theme would be jauntier, by virtue of its being a disguise and there being more mischief wrapped up in it by default. It'd go clunkity-lunkity, like some kind of a gremlin figure while Rafal's usual leitmotif would be trance-like, hypnotic, mesmerizing, something with spades of tension and build-up.

My examples for Rafal, not Fala, are:

"The Carnival of the Animals - Aquarium"

"The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act I, Scene 1: No. 6, Clara and the Nutcracker" (Start at [3:58]. It's like he's luring you in.)

"Le Banquet Céleste" for Organ

"Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 - III. Allegro ma non troppo" (Start listening to the smoother part at about [2:27]. There is downwards motion and swelling.)

"Serenade for Strings in E Major" (Only the darker, winding parts towards the beginning and end are relevant.)

The quality to some of these music choices I'd like to point out is how there's usually swaying. It's tenuous, wavering—there's undulation and a general air of unease, instability, unpredictability, and yet, it's still a bit like the pendulum motion from before, just looser and loftier, less grounded than Fala is.

Essentially, music like this tends to remind me of Rafal and of characters who function like him. It can be ominous or steady, methodical foot-stepping that's constant and regular, like pacing around a tower chamber, steepling fingers, being locked in thought, crafting schemes.

Thus, I rest my case: syncopation, slurring (the smooth quality), oscillation (the wavering quality) and "evil" go hand in hand, as something sinister is audibly afoot.

Any thoughts, anyone?

One of your best moments? And one of your worst?

A more recent one is that I got 100% on a final exam for an English class, and my professor called my essay "astonishingly brilliant." I was ecstatic.

Unfortunately, I'm not willing to admit a worst moment though most of them revolve around phobias and my failure to suppress an emotional reaction or counteract others'.

hits my head & dies & walks it off