Announcement

Announcement

I will be taking a long hiatus, and will probably resume posting old leftover Rise thoughts and Fall thoughts during the later summer months. I have plans to work on writing projects, and don’t yet want to be exposed to anything in Fall that could contradict my own ideas either. I also plan to reread Rise before I read Fall. Nor do I want to be exposed to spoilers. Also, I don’t plan to read Fall for a while even though I pre-ordered it because I like to postpone my emotional ruin, so it can occur at a convenient time, haha. Preferably, when I don’t have to worry about exams.

Also, I will start tagging posts with "fall of the school for good and evil," "fotsge," and "fotsfgae" once I return, if the posts are about Fall.

Headcanon: As a child, Rhian was loose-lipped. He eventually "grew out" of the habit. But, he used to be an open book, and was not entirely aware that others told him things in confidence. And, having no secrets to his own name, he sometimes accidentally revealed others'.

He was also a terrible gossip until Rafal practically bludgeoned the habit out of him, in a verbally intense lecture one day. When he was younger, he picked up the habit from the quibbling Good faculty whom he hung around with the majority of the time. And they say people who live in glass houses can't keep secrets.

Fall Countdown Day 5: the Pirate Captain

He looks younger than I thought, but that must be the result of the elixir of blood and gold, I guess. For some reason, I think I imagined him with a full beard, but the tricorn hat is definitely accurate to my mind.

Also, there’s that border motif like in the illustrations in Rise, flowers (cherry blossoms?) versus thorns. Though, in this case, it’s dead leaves (I think?) and gold roses. I wonder if there will be another Midas connection, or if the Pirate Captain and Midas knew each other at some point.

Also, this picture is considerably well-lit. Could it be symbolic? Did we ever get confirmation that the Pirate Captain is actually a Never, or is that just an assumption? And, did he ever show signs of being an honest or decent person? I think he's at least fair in upholding his side of promises, like when he dealt with Rhian and Rafal, but I'm not too sure.

At first I thought the recurrence of pearls worn by the characters in the Fall countdown photos was an artistic choice, and thought nothing of it. But, they could have a significance. Pearls (probably almost universally) symbolize youth, purity, and innocence, and are often worn by brides. And, the characters we've seen wearing pearls are James Hook and Kyma. I wonder if they become romantically-involved.

Additionally, I think Fall will likely contain themes around mortality and the downfall of youths. Also, there's the fact that they wear the pearls clasped around their necks. It's like an inevitable, inescapable "yoke of fate," like their fates have been "written in the stars," as some prophesied thing that will come true.

Fall Countdown Day 8: Rafal

Rafal, my favorite of all prequel characters! This is the day I've been waiting for! He's so handsome. Also, it was a good call to choose the same model for both brothers. I guess the coldness or the warmth of the make up can change how a person looks. Interesting.

Rafal has the same dark book, and his lighting is just as dark as Rhian's, so maybe that decision was more to maintain the cohesiveness of all the pictures in the countdown than to characterize individual characters. Also, I love the hints of green lighting! It's so TLEA-ish. Perfect.

There's also a bordering of entwined thorns and black leaves. (Feels like a callback to the dying Blue Forest in TLEA.) Fitting as well. And, his suit looks darker than Rhian's. Almost black in fact.

Also, throughout all these countdown days, I've been wondering if the stained-glass banner in the background or the geometric tapestry, usually seen behind the characters, represents a kingdom, or if it has any other significance. Is it a symbol?

I love that he has a dagger. I wonder if that'll be his murder weapon? It holds implications of killing someone both physically and figuratively close to him. (I might have predicted it in my fic, "Simony." Though, daggers are a common weapon, to be fair.) For a moment, I thought it was the Storian in his hand. Also, the handle looks gold. Could that imply any Midas involvement here? Could the dagger be used to draw blood for a magical ritual? The Storian drew blood when the brothers made their vows.

⸻

Background (I didn't cite specific sources. Most of these excerpts came from a Google search.):

"A dagger is a short killing weapon designed to stab only. It is double edged, tapered to a sharp point, with a straight edge and usually a blood line groove to facilitate removal."

"However, in the last hundred years or so, in most contexts, a dagger has certain definable characteristics, including a short blade with a sharply tapered point, a central spine or fuller, and usually two cutting edges sharpened the full length of the blade, or nearly so."

"A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. Daggers have been used throughout human history for close combat confrontations, and many cultures have used adorned daggers in ritual and ceremonial contexts."

"Most, such as spears, were intended to strike the enemy from a distance, but men also carried daggers for use in close combat. With blunt edges and sharp tips, daggers were exclusively stabbing weapons, often used to kill an enemy incapacitated by spears or arrows or, at times, in more stealthy acts of assassination."

"The dagger is a one-handed weapon that may also be wielded in the main hand and off hand. Daggers are known for their fast and aggressive attacks."

"The distinctive shape and historic usage of the dagger have made it iconic and symbolic. A dagger in the modern sense is a weapon designed for close-proximity combat or self-defense; due to its use in historic weapon assemblages, it has associations with assassination and murders. Double-edged knives, however, play different sorts of roles in different social contexts."

"Despite how fast the dagger is, it does less than average damage when used against enemies, due to its size."

"Despite its lower damage output, daggers are great weapons to use in one-on-one fights since you can get in multiple good hits in no time at all!"

Fall Countdown Day 4: Aladdin

Aladdin looks sulky here, so I wonder if Kyma broke up with him. He looks scuffed, disheveled, and dirty too.

I doubt he’s sided with the School Master brothers, but could he have sided against Hook?

I also wonder what he’s gone through to look this way. It’s likely he’s gone through something of an ordeal because his photograph is literally the darkest one we’ve seen so far. Was he stuffed in the prison hold of a ship? Or, he could have been held prisoner for not cooperating, as compared to Kyma who actually looks well, and is dressed better.

My thought is that, maybe, Kyma is smart enough to cooperate to benefit herself, or to gain the enemy’s trust, assuming the students were actually kidnapped by Hook. There is a chance they went willingly. But, Aladdin resists authority more than she does, and it probably doesn’t work out in his favor.