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.

Here’s to vaguely hinting at the vibes my unfinished Fall prediction fic, "When Lightning Falls," will be drawing from! I hope it'll turn out flammable.

Source: “Crazy=Genius” by Panic! At The Disco

Note: I have edited the lyrics slightly, to twist them to my own purposes.

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Rafal: Rhian said at night in my dreams, “You dance on a tightrope of weird. Oh but when I wake up you're so normal that you just disappear. You're so straight like commuters with briefcases towing the line. There's no residue of a torturer inside of your eyes.”

Rhian: If crazy equals genius. You can set yourself on fire. But you're never gonna burn, burn, burn. You can set yourself on fire.

Rafal: But you're never gonna learn, learn, learn hey! Rhian said…

Rhian: Darlin' you know how the wine plays tricks on my tongue. But you don't seem to change when you stuff all of your feelings with drugs.

Rafal: Other boys you may have dated serrated your heart with a slice.

Rhian: But the cut of your love never hurts baby, it's a sweet butter knife.

I feel like he'd say that. It's such a mood.

At long last I've done another Rafal drawing. Just a sketch this time, along with Rafal's characteristic, staggering apathy.

that’s enough emotions for a whole year. ciao

The Creation Theory and Context for “When Lightning Falls”

If anyone has been around these parts long enough, yes, this theory was dredged up from an old post’s comment section because it’s relevant to my upcoming Fall prediction fic, “When Lightning Falls.” And, yes, I'm aware that it could definitely be outdated by canon.

Note: One thing about the fic that is different from this theory though: Rhian is Good and Rafal is Evil. The Storian’s manipulation, puppetry, and intentional inciting of confusion don’t apply in the exact same way in the fic as they do in the theory. In the fic, the brothers were just created as replacements for the old School Master, to fill the role. That is the purpose they were created for. And, their purpose in life is to serve the Storian as School Masters. I will elaborate on that in a bit, if that comes across as unclear.

Also, in the fic, Rafal starts out only detecting a slight tear in the Storian’s veil, the elaborate illusion he’s been living in. I headcanon that, even as a child, he was the discerning, perceptive sort, and that almost nothing got past him. Unlike Rhian that is. Because with Rhian, you can pull the wool over his eyes, and he wouldn’t blink. It’s not Rhian’s fault though. He’s just moral and trusting, and thinks others are like himself.

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Now, without any further ado:

I think magic is not dependent on soul purity every time. There are probably other unknown factors involved, like bloodlines possibly? I think in the case of canon, we just happen to see the exceptional cases, like Sophie and Agatha. They are pure, but they were created from magic, so of course, they would be more powerful than most. Partly, because of their souls' potential, and the unusual circumstances of their birth, I would guess.

This leads me to theorize that Rhian and Rafal must have also been the result of an unusual case.

(Thank you to @mariiwhalegirl for the prompting/inspiration!)

Before reading Rise, I thought vaguely that the brothers could have been born from magic, or that they were descended from an exceptionally magically-gifted bloodline. Now, these ideas are still possible, but since we don't know about any other pairs preceding them, we could assume that they are the first, created for the purpose of Balance. That's what I think after reading Rise. Because, all other Good-Evil pairs in the series were born after them.

They're more powerful as sorcerers than the average person (and maybe, less humanly flawed—however we decide to interpret that—hold onto that thought for a bit. It will come up later in this theory).

They are also more uncanny than the average family tree, which could have some black sheep members of the other side in it (where the branches have toxically mixed), but surely not of the same birth or even from the same generation. Like the few Evers in a Never kingdom, or the few Nevers in an Ever kingdom. But those are natural outliers.

I also remember that a lot of the time, being taken by the School Masters (this was probably from Aladdin's pov) was an honor, no matter what side you were destined for. It's almost entirely too much of a coincidence that the brothers’ job as School Masters, a job which existed before them, became their job. It's just too fitting.

So, with that, I propose that the Storian could have created, not borne them, for the sole purpose of taking on a job where naturally-born Evers and Nevers had previously failed.

They could be the only people in the Woods without real parents. No connection to anyone except the other of the pair. Besides, the aged man we saw in the prologue of Rise was only one man, not a Good and Evil pair. Using an already existent person, and removing their mortality didn't work, so maybe, a more enduring solution had to come from elsewhere, which led the Storian down the path of creation.

The Storian must have thought the brothers were the perfect fit for the job, like a god thinking their creation is flawless. But, the Storian probably forgot that despite everything and its creations' seeming invincibility, they were still human, still fallible.

The Storian must have thought no information would overturn its design of the system with not one, but the two School Masters intended for the role. Specifically, a system where the roles are reversed, and the two humans don't have the faintest idea that they are supporting the wrong side, if Rafal is Good and Rhian is Evil. That is still debatable.

Or, it might not have mattered who is which, Good or Evil, because the point was for their loyalty to their blood to override their loyalty to their side. So, by design, being loyal to a side that isn't theirs, that belongs to their blood (their brother), and never knowing this could keep them and the Woods in Balance.

They would be unwittingly supporting the other side, not their own, and thus, the risk of supporting their true side over their blood would be diminished, out of the question. Since they would never support the other side they believe isn't theirs. Since they are supporting their blood in a way by supporting their brother's true side.

To clarify, I mean, in supporting Evil, Rafal would be indirectly supporting what Rhian stands for, without realizing it, and Rhian would be doing the same, supporting Good which could be his brother's true side.

In fact, Rafal's seeing through the veil, the Storian's ruse, could be the reason why the Storian tried to distract him with fairy tales about himself, to get away from the real issue, and the hidden system falling apart. It could also explain why the Storian lashed out and cut Rafal's arm because now, Rafal's started on a dangerous and unstable train of thought, when he started questioning his Evil status and Rhian's Good status.

And, the Storian can't get Rafal to forget it, so letting it pass, or allowing for Rafal's self-destruction, whichever comes first, is the easiest way to wipe the slate clean. Except, maybe only one brother died by the end of the fated war, so the Storian's creations were harder to get rid of than it realized or ever anticipated.

(And, letting your creation think he’s going insane with paranoia usurping the seat of his mind is far less work than explaining yourself as an immortal deity. So, the problem will solve itself in time, albeit messily, and it will end in mortal tragedy. But who cares? As the Pen, it’s not your life at stake.)

So, the Storian could have spun an elaborate web of, not lies, but misperception to maintain the Balance. But anything built on an untruth isn't designed to last. Not that the Storian cared about its creations.

The Storian must have either decided to start afresh, like with a Noah's ark of destruction in some symbolic way by tearing down the brothers, or by triggering a specific sequence of the fated Great War. Or, it has mistakenly self-sabotaged itself and its Woods by letting its sentient creations become too self-aware, breaking from their originally-established, intentionally-switched roles.

Also, the Noah's ark thing: we've seen the Schools rising out of the sea (probably the Savage Sea?) in the trailer for Rise. I mean the new castle Schools, not the original manor by the way. So, that could be a parallel?

Also, there's the Abel and Cain parallel I've mentioned before. Abel and Cain are recognized as the first children borne by humans. And, Rhian and Rafal could possibly be the first children not borne by humans in the Endless Woods. That's why they could be an unprecedented, and thus exceptional case.

Lastly, it (the Storian’s system) could have been that the only way for Good and Evil to coexist stably: With an Ever to support Evil and a Never to support Good in such a high position. They would just have to be unaware of it to follow through with the job the Storian assigned them.

Basically, the theory here is that the Storian not only puppeted the brothers as they were, but that they are artificial souls, designed to be puppeted by their Master. They would be Masters in name only.

In actuality, they'd unconsciously be slaves to their creator.

In the end, I would call this theory: "The greatest trick the Devil Pen ever pulled was convincing Men that they were loyal to their own side."

And, Rafal did call the Pen "the little devil," so why not?

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!

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.