They Should Have Asked Who He Is. - Tumblr Posts
An addendum to my last post:
Perhaps, Rafal should've been the light, not the shadow (even if he was the "Evil" that was killed by the end of it all, as Rhian characterized, or rather, misrepresented him to the Kingdom Council), given this from the start of Fall:
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This is what the Storian told the last Pan School Master.
Somehow, this (characterizing the Evil as the dark, as the shadow only ever in relation to the light, and the Good as the actual soul, not a reflection, but able to exist separately on its own) is spun on its head here: the light (or alternatively, the object with substance and matter to it, not an insubstantial shade, not a projection, not a dark mirror, that casts the shadow) (Rhian) becomes/was Evil.
Rhian gets his own life, sort of. He's "freed," in a sense, unfettered mentally, not bound by the Rules of Good anymore.
In contrast, Rafal continues to revolve around Rhian, not always in the same way, not necessarily in the role of protector anymore—it's more like keeping tabs on Rhian, with the espionage plot bits—and his being obsessed with regaining his power/becoming the One. And, as Rafal becomes Good, he's more and more constrained in what he can do (about anything, for that matter). He was newly bound, shackled to conventional morality and the Rules.
(This particular line of thought also happens to recall Sophie's "Get your own life!" speech to Agatha in book one, about how Evil has to ruin others' tales because it doesn't/cannot have tales of its own.)
(Then again, the parallel plots work best as they are, with the shadow dead. So, I wouldn't necessarily make Rafal the light either. He just had become more reactive than active by a certain point, unfortunately.)
Plus, it's also bizarre, how, for once, I'm characterizing Rafal as the "dependent" one, in a symbolic sense. (Usually, that role automatically goes to Rhian.) Yet ultimately, there would be no story or conflict without Rhian, the "restless soul," and the energy he brings to everything that had been static before.
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In case anyone would be interested in this second part, I'll tag those from the last post:
@deadlynightshadeunderthestars @anobody277642 @rosellemoon @harmonyverendez @discjude @joeykeehl256 @2xraequalstorara @wisteriaum
(You can let me know if I missed adding anyone!)
Uh Oh: The Third Person Omniscient Narrator Of Your Life Just Started Repeating The Opening Paragraphs Verbatim