I Invite You To Comment Your Reasoning, If You Want?

I invite you to comment your reasoning, if you want?

Thanks—glad it was accurate to you.

Do you have any nationality headcanons for Rafal or others? Mine is vaguely Finnish, purely because I associate its renowned education system and high literacy rate with him although Rafal himself is a terrible educator a lot of the time. Also, the white hair fits.

Slightly niche Modern AU Rafal headcanon (Does anyone agree or have a different take?):

I had a random association and now, I'm almost certain Rafal would enjoy Russian doomer music, even solely for its vibes (assuming he is the fantasy equivalent of a Westerner who only speaks a Germanic language because most fairy tales in SGE are the Germanic ones. Honestly, one thing I wonder about, even if we have evidence of Spanish and other accents' existence, is how the Woods as we've seen them are rather monolingual, probably for plot convenience, but that depiction just strikes me as a little strange, like, too deeply suspect that their world is that unified, all by itself—unless the Storian is to blame as usual—maybe we're not meant to allot it any critical thought...), although I've looked up some English translations of this genre's lyrics and they are rather dark, so that fits him fairly well—unless being silent with his thoughts would be preferable.

Yet, one clarification to make: Even if the music might resonate with him, I think he wouldn't be a fatalist until much later in whatever character progression he'd have. Instead, I see him as a doomsday prepper, in probably a more I-will-live-against-all-odds, Western, literally every-man-for-himself, individualist sense as that might be more in line with his character in canon. He'd be obsessed with survivalism and TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World as We Know It) as a concept.

Here is an example of the music I found—I'm not sure if this is actually representative of the whole and I don't know much about it or the historical context though.

Also, here are some English lyrics from various songs under the cut that I just happened to like:

Again the spring has come, And warming rays of sun Are looking in my cell through window-panes Again the heart will ache The feelings will awake And memory recalls auld days

Those days will come to me And I shall feel and see The girl whom I loved so long ago That girl came and left That girl I can’t forget Her image’s always in my soul.

Vladimir prison-house Сold northern wind My transport came from Tver And all my evil deeds Lie on my heart like heavy weights

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Stab me with that stare as i walk by It's like poison in my blood It trips me up just like a stone I'm just sick of people, and they're sick of everything

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My ship is sailing straight ahead, avoiding the land The captain drunk and stubborn He'll protect it till the end Drowning to the right, drowning to the left Not enough lifeboats, there isn't help for everyone Swimming away, I'm swimming away somewhere straight, somewhere away

How do you think Rafal would behave/talk in a highly feverish/delirious physical state?

I have a WIP with this concept in it, but I’m not sure I’ll ever finish it. So, for now, I’ll answer: I think he’d be about the same, but turn more irrational and have a lower tolerance for everything, like a hair-trigger temper, and maybe, not be at his best as far as comprehension or coherency of speech go.

Perhaps, like this:

Rafal: Rhian. The noise down there. Get my students to shut up. I can’t take it. The first person who contributes to my migraine should have their tongue cut out… and be drawn and quartered to a discordant orchestra, so I can’t hear their screams above the music. Usually, I like the screams, but not now. Can’t now. It’s all too harsh. Grates on my nerves. Even without tongues, they’ll sound guttural. [with palpable disgust] But inhuman noise is better—easier to ignore and a reminder that I don’t have to be surrounded by live people.

Rhian: [sighs quietly.]

Rafal: Shame. Didn’t think it’d be you. Hmm, we can use Stymphs instead for your execution, yes? But set it up yourself. I can’t move. And bring me opera glasses. I have to watch, to make sure you do it p- [hacks out a cough] properly. Wake me up when you’re ready to start. And don’t get it wrong—

Rafal do you think you could fit in a jar

~[☆]

Rafal: Of course I could. I simply have no need to.

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I was on the fence about this one since we've only seen magic shrink characters in the context of it happening involuntarily, or as magic responding to identity or another source of magic. So, canonically, I have no idea if Rafal could shrink at will.

Thus, you could interpret his response here as lying to save face—if you wanted to.

The other option is picturing a sorcerer-sized jar.

I agree with the anon that said they want to study Rafal

He is rather peculiar lmao

(Rafal do you hear that)

I agree with you and the anon.

⸻

Rafal: [wonderingly to himself] ...I don't resent that designation.

Rhian: No murderous ideation?

Rafal: [confirms,] No murderous ideation.

Rhian: For once then. You are peculiar.

Rafal: What does that mean from you?

Rhian: [to his audience] And there we have it. What exactly? An enigma? We'll never know.

I love this take and the warm/cold juxtaposition. It reminds of some interpretation I once read elsewhere, that when he raised his hand to Sophie at the end of TLEA during his death scene, possibly to kill Sophie out of spite, it could've also been so he wouldn't be alone in death, implying that he wanted to take her down with him, so they'd be united again.

(Also, have you read Fall, or do you just like the old view of canon/continuity better like I oftentimes do?)

Anyway, Sophie and Rafal's TLEA dynamic always reminds me of a very particular genre of painting: "Death and the Maiden." (I have a WIP AU for this concept actually. Even Rhian and other characters have roles too.) Thus, the concept can easily be assigned to their dynamic, considering Rafal's physical coldness in TLEA and elsewhere, and yet, in some cases, Rafal is not in Death's role, like you said, due to his fear, which is interesting in itself, that he can be both.

Inspired by @wisteriaum's "dance with death" piece.

I'd love to hear the explanations or thought processes behind your answers.

And yeah, I guess I'm romanticizing/satirizing all this. What about it? /j