Rafal Leaving And Vulcan Arriving Are The Two Destabilizing Conditions OfRise. (Also, I May Be Mistaken,

Rafal leaving and Vulcan arriving are the two destabilizing conditions of Rise. (Also, I may be mistaken, but don't these two events happen in close proximity to each other? Months might have narratively gone by, but I think the pages must have been close? Not sure.) I know this is obvious, but I feel like this particular quote applies well:

“All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.” ― Leo Tolstoy

And the prequel duology is both. Just food for thought. Many stories, literary or not, are both, and it's interesting to see where and when such divisions intersect.

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.

If the third-to-last Fall countdown photo isn't another major side character, then I guess Rhian and Rafal could be the third-to-last and second-to-last photos, or the final two. But, what could the final day's photo be if not one of the brothers? I would guess the Storian, or some personification of the Storian. Also, it could be Soman himself, like in the QFG countdown, but we already know that Soman said he wouldn't be in this countdown. What other possibilities are there though if not another minor character or the Storian? The other question I have is whether the May 1st photo will be the last countdown day, or if there will be a photo for the day of release also.

Fall Countdown Release Day: the Mermaid King

Oh, I should have known it would be Soman! I guess his alluding to a secret project before was this photoshoot for the countdown.

Fall Bingo

A final collection of predictions. I haven't gotten my preordered book yet, but when I do, I will read it eventually, and fill this out.

Please do not comment any spoilers!

Egads, looking at Google docs, I bet I have over 50 pages worth of posts, mostly observations, praise, and critique, from rereading Rise and reading Fall alone.