liketwoswansinbalance

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If Rafal had a slightly on-the-nose District name (think: "Glimmer," "Clove," or "Thresh"), then I think "Redux" would be a good choice for him. (Or "Revenant.") It has no immediately obvious nature symbolism unfortunately, yet it's a relatively obscure-enough word that it could pass as a part of the Dystopian Noun Naming Convention™.

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^Rafal-coded Jungian archetype. (Not going to bother to explain unless someone requests it since I've been busy.)

One other note: One of his worst character flaws must be avoidance, and yet it couldn't be procrastination. If he is (likely, to some degree) Antisocial, he wouldn't procrastinate because psychopaths just don't. They never do anything they don't want to do and would have no reason to procrastinate, supposedly.

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What's something that you heavily disagree with??

Hmm... multiple, closely-related things come to mind. Keep in mind that I am human, biased by default and probably defensive as all (or most) humans are, and that no one has to agree with me. Anyone is allowed to argue with me. I will not mind being questioned or examined. (Also, why this question? Just curious.)

Anti-intellectualism. I can somewhat understand people who may not trust experts or science. They probably have their reasons or personal proof not to. However, I would (in most cases) not trust anyone who subscribes to anti-intellectualism. I'm not sure, but I think I would not think highly of myself if I were forced to live a simple life and do "ordinary" or manual labor type of things. Nothing is wrong with any of these things. I just think I would not be content and would feel unimportant in my head. I would probably judge myself, even if I wouldn't want to criticize others.

Mob mentality. Dumb mobs that are too sure of themselves sound very scary. I wouldn't know, but in theory the entire idea is just... not good. Dangerous. Unstable. With this, I have the vague idea that if there's anything in this world to be feared, it's not necessarily (or not always powerful) individuals but more so when deindividuation strikes and affects swaths of people at a time. I wouldn't say rule by one person would automatically be better, but I have a distrust of any image where unorganized crowds exist or when any decision is unanimous.

Actually, that adds another item to this list:

Certain unanimous decisions. Basically, groupthink. The fact that people sometimes suppress the truth or necessary fact just to get along.

^They do not feel right in certain contexts. If everyone agreed, I might feel like something about the situation were wrong? Are those involved brainwashed? I think I don't trust collective judgment. I'm not sure whether this is learned or instinctual, but I know for a fact that multiple psychological concepts prove me right in that people collectively or gathered en masse are... far from ideal, let's say.

Relatedly, extrajudicial punishment and vigilante justice.

Anarchy as a concept probably? No laws? No regulations? I would not trust a world with free rein, knowing human nature is imperfect and that we live in a fallen world. I know we are a selfish species and that we need order, social contracts, various things, etc. to keep the less ethical than average few(?) in check. I claim we are selfish because I doubt that for most people selflessness comes easily in an all-loving way. For instance, do you prioritize your family, friends, or your community/nation over the rest of the world or anyone you do not know personally? Many people do this, so I’d argue we all possess a degree of selfishness, even if it isn’t obvious.

EDIT: Silly but—I was re-reading this and realized that I might be starting to sound like TBOSAS Coriolanus because I've been reading some fics lately. So, correction: my reason for thinking humans need laws and the thought of (reasonable) consequences is not as bad as his. I promise I do not think humans are brutes. I just think we sometimes can lose sight of what's right and that we need need reminders or tools in place to remind us of (self-)restraint, to remind us, that, just because we can justify anything to ourselves in our own minds, we still could be acting with bad conduct and should not. If we are clever enough to create beneficial laws, we should be good enough to follow them.

Lastly, lack of education/simplistic morality? I'm not sure how to put it, but I'm aware certain conditions are more likely to cause violence to break out. I think this is true statistically and am not trying to cast judgment, but I personally do not approve of unprincipled, animalistic, immoral, immoderate, reckless, or unrestrained people, especially those with zero impulse control or who live by their ids. I think everyone should be taught conscious decision-making, if possible and if they are capable.

If someone lives by their first thoughts, executed by their hands like thoughtless children, I would definitely not trust them. I also hate the thought of brutality or primitiveness in general and I don't like how people mistrust intentionality. Yes, anyone can have bad intentions, but sometimes, I believe deliberating over intentions or acting with intention is proof that something (a course of action?) has been thought through. It's one step above being animals, children, or potentially, uneducated. Of course, having intention doesn't automatically makes someone more moral, but being able to pause, think, and decide could prevent a lot from going wrong, or prevent people from doing the above and taking justice into their own hands, especially if they are misinformed or acting from very personal or unfair motives. I believe the world would be partially bettered if criminals or criminals-to-be did not act on impulse or with unclear heads.

Essentially, anything that puts emotionally-charged or hot-headed people (plural) (especially those with grudges or vendettas) in charge of anyone's lives is kind of disarming to me. And while it may not be immediately true, I see assembled people as more dangerous than one outspoken individual—unless the one has widespread influence over many.

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I love this! Maybe I'm your target audience for this post...

Might I add one?:

The Storian, switching Rhian and Rafal's roles via the rot, probably: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't. There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so" (Hamlet).

The Best Shakespeare Quotes that suit each SGE character:

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here." - (The Tempest) :Rafal in TLEA.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown." -(Macbeth): Rhian II

"The course of true love never did run smooth."-(A Midsummer Night's dream): Agatha, Tedros, and Sophie

"To be or not to be, that is the question." -(Hamlet): Rhian, as he contemplates killing Rafal in that one moment during Fall.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merley players." (As you like it) : One of the Saders.

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The Texting Styles of SGE Characters

I found this in my drafts. I can't remember if this was inspired by something, but have at it. I'm open to suggestions or requests for other characters not yet listed, especially if anything seems out of character.

⸻

Sophie: Texts cinematically and a e s t h e t i c a l l y . Sometimes writes a select word in all caps to be strategically dramatic as well, mainly because most texting apps don't allow for emphatic italics. Sometimes uses emojis. 💃🏼 Expounds on things with flair, like her usual, in-person monologuing. Sometimes does cutesy things, but can be disingenuous. Spams Agatha with long, vent-worthy blocks of text whenever anything goes wrong. Intentionally obscures of the subject of her discourse temporarily, to amp up drama and keep tensions running high. (Almost the opposite of Rhian II in terms of withholding information and clarity. She can use misinterpretation to her advantage.)

Agatha: Texts how she speaks. Uses abbreviations like bc and lmao. Simple and straightforward. Uses “This reminded me of you” in reference to the grotesque or for humor purposes.

Tedros: Often uses text-to-speech dictation and also makes voice notes because he thinks everyone loves hearing him talk and because autocorrect absolutely mutilates his non-standardized 14c/Arthurian spellings. Uses memes incorrectly. Also: “This reminded me of you” but unironically.

Rhian I: Alternates between two texting styles: crisp professionalism and proper grammar and punctuation or preteen girl with a crush and an abundance of emojis. Waxes poetic occasionally. Leaves himself voice memos or texts to-do lists to his own number. Uses air drop (even though it's insecure) to send School-wide messages.

Rafal: Never spares a second thought coming up with a proper greeting unless it's Sophie. Alternatively, he has “do not disturb” perpetually turned on for everyone but Rhian. Texts "too formally," like an old man, with proper grammar and punctuation. Texts like people email as he uses paragraph breaks. He did not realize he could swipe to see dates, so he just manually writes out the date for every conversation for his own reference. No one has bothered to inform him. He signs off with "RM" every time and later finds out he can create an automatic text message signature as he would do for emails and enables it. It saves time. Has autocorrect turned off. To communicate anything quickly to students, sometimes, he just drops a curt message in the subject line of an email and leaves the body of the email blank. Blocks people with seemingly no provocation. Rereads the texts from James or Sophie in secret when they are gone to remember their words verbatim and then deletes the evidence.

Rhian II: Also has autocorrect turned off. Never sends walls of incoherent text. Intentionally makes his texts digestible and quotable. Texts how one might speak, with short, cumulative thoughts. By taking care to directly name subjects, he ensures that everything he texts will make sense and reflect well on himself, even if screenshotted and taken out of context/leaked. Occasionally makes strategic but understandable or reasonably realistic typos to appear like he's a common, everyman type of fellow. Always "corrects" himself afterwards. Texts unknown numbers at random for the express purpose of campaigning.

Japeth: Cold sends links with no context. Gets himself blocked because he seems shady. If he ever sends voicemails, they're just of creepy silence since he intends to threaten/intimidate without actually being caught or leaving proof of his writing style/voice.

Aric: Monosyllabic replies usually or just "ok."

August Sader: Leaves everyone on “read.” Calls them instead, obviously.

Peter Pan: Keyboard smashes.

Midas: Takes ages to respond, but always does, and leaves people on “read” in the meantime. Otherwise, sometimes responds with headlines or Wikipedia articles as a sarcastic joke format.

Hort: Spam messages, like, 42 times in a row…

Kiko: Sends flowery ~Good Morning~ memes and uses emojis created from letters and punctuation marks.

Merlin: Literally doesn't own a phone. Probably lives off the grid. Idk, let’s say he uses smoke signals. /j

Nimue: Does have a phone, but has no contacts.

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😄

I would die of happiness? How? Laughing and choking on spittle?

your 12th emoji is how you'll die

☕️

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have you guys done that “what kind of reader are you” quiz and if so what did you get

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Every poll on this blog is about fictional characters only. This request was sent to us and we made a poll in response to it. Send any Blorbo-related question you want to our inbox and we’ll make a poll on which people can vote with their own Blorbos in minds

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What do you do when you're feeling lazy??

Procrastinate. And, occasionally, said procrastination is productive.

At times, I need the immediacy of time pressure to spur me on. But, I have the foresight to try to get things done sooner sometimes. Do not follow this example. I do too much at the last minute and haven’t completely reformed.

To partially “remedy” the laziness, rinse your eyes out with freezing water. At least it helps me regain an alert mental state.

If that doesn’t work, perhaps your brain needs oxygen or rest? Try stretching or jumping jacks if that is the case. Or, check on your other physical needs. (One of them could be sleep. If you can’t get sleep right away, lie to yourself that you’re not tired and get as far as you can in that moment.)

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Beautiful Person Award. Once you are given this award, you're supposed to paste it in the ask of people who deserve it. If you break the chain, nothing happens, but it's sweet to know someone thinks you're beautiful inside and out!🌸

Thank you! I’m not sure how you came to this very specific conclusion, but I appreciate the gesture.

Anyone who is reading this also wins the award.

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What’s your mbti?

INTJ

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If Rafal were stalked:

Rafal: I’d take flight and go where no one could follow. Or, if I cared enough, I’d make the stalker my quarry, hunt them down, and kill them, if I can’t first threaten or blackmail them into doing something useful for me.

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Rafal likely had a Celestium, and while I know no one was truly thinking rationally in Fall, he could have saved his own life by “leaving” yet again. He could have just quickly popped into his Celestium, assuming no one would be able to follow and emerge after Rhian’s been pacified or has cooled down on his own. Done, solved.

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More college advice?? I'm going soon and I'm very excited!

If you are studying in the humanities (or any field likely) I would advise actually reading the feedback you get from your professors or others. Trying not to be defensive in the face of criticism will probably benefit you more than dismissing feedback would. Second, if something you do not understand or do not know how to interpret comes up, send an email or ask your critique-partner or professor the next time a chance arises. It's better to know for certain then be left with an eternal question. You might even get more elaborate feedback from discussion or suggestions of what to do next for revisions or another essay.

Keep in contact with professors, even after a semester is over. You might better your chances of getting a letter of recommendation from them, and you might enjoy each others' company.

Don't necessarily believe others' (or a singular person's) opinion of a professor you haven't taken a class with yet. Impressions can be subjective. In relation to this, start out, carry on with, and end on the right foot. If you skip class, professors could notice your absence and that could form a bad impression/lasting reputation for yourself.

Work up the nerve to ask about opportunities or internships. If professors have office hours, you could go even just to introduce yourself and show interest in the class or their research if they sit down and tell you about it. Try to distinguish yourself from others by being original in your own work as well and you'll probably become less forgettable to professors. Don't reveal any negative character traits to them, yet it's not at all shameful to not know something. They will probably happily explain to you what you don't know if you ask.

If no one else in a seminar or discussion-style class is participating and just stares, you can ask questions or just try to contribute something. You can think of such a deed as "getting your money's worth." And besides, everyone else might be thinking the same and could be afraid to ask. Being a passive participant is fine, but you're more likely to gain a good reputation in professors' eyes if you provide insights/observations, answer them as they want you to, to "play along" with a thought exercise, or even just attempt to say something relevant. Or again, if you have something to contribute, whatever it may be, even if it's not a perfectly-formed thought, you might distinguish yourself by simply trying.

If you want (new or a greater number of) friends, try to meet and decide on them or make them earlier rather than later.

Take all of this with a grain of salt though. I'm not sure if I can generalize, but I think most of these could apply to most students.

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Okay so I know you ship Rophie and not Jafal BUT technically that was Rhian…sooooo…

Yes? I kind of want to know the complete thought.

And yes, I know. Personally, I just ignore the Fall retcon (yes, I do consider the identity twist to be a retcon, given everything that was established before) part of the time because I read the books in publication order, not chronological order, so (unfortunately?) Rophie just appealed to me more than Jafal did since I was exposed to it first and got attached. Mentally, TLEA Rafal is nearly the same as Rise Rafal to me, but Fall Rafal is an entirely other matter, given how his character went a bit awry too quickly (in my opinion).

Also, it’s a little hard to fathom that Rhian, who is almost always unambiguously(?) depicted as gay, would actually love Sophie, unless their dynamic were all a charade, so I like to think of TLEA Rafal as the actual Rafal, as, his dynamic with her in TLEA seemed more sincere than just using each other.

In addition, some of the characterization in Fall that led to the outcome of the actual Rafal’s death and the main series events felt “off” to me. Perhaps, I’ll elaborate in the future. I have some thoughts in my drafts. Essentially, Rhian with a corruption arc probably would have been fine, but I felt that he changed too quickly for the change to be plausible, unless we amount the rot within him to something akin to possession or soul manipulation by the Storian or another external force. We’ve seen shades of the rot and his capacity for Evil, which could have justified the change in character, yet I would have preferred to see him continue with his old objectives, carrying on with what he wanted in Rise while using more intentionally villainous means. That could have at least made sense.

Literally, he seemed to have just dropped his old, Rise motives entirely (What happened? It was a 180 degree face-heel turn?!), and TLEA Rafal is still (seemingly) much closer to the actual Rafal than Evil Rhian was.

I think they have different styles of villainy and that while Evil Rhian had potential, I’m not sure if he’d be so competent at imitating Rafal or even that competent as a villain since Rafal almost did win in Fall, even if Rhian had the public on his side. There’s the rub—Rhian had emotional appeals and lies and reputation while Rafal (sometimes) had long-range planning, a different brand of cunning, and actually uses the truth selectively without outright lying most of the time. The Rafal in TLEA, aside from concealing his true identity (as we only could know in retrospect, given the retcon) used villainy that matched prequel Rafal’s modus operandi better. TLEA Rafal's tactics were more Rafal-like than Fall-Rhian-like, unless Rhian changed significantly enough during the centuries-long time gap between the prequels and the main series. Then again, while he was alive in Fall, I suppose Rhian had less practice with his newfound Evil than the version of himself left after 200 years. His TLEA characterization is just slightly hard to believe, given the rather "sleazy"/wheedling Rhian we were shown in Fall.

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Another point in favor of my German!Rafal conspiracy agenda headcanon(?) is the fact that there are many common nouns in SGE which are capitalized. Who started that, I dare wonder?

It could have been the Storian originally, but we see Japeth's dialogue do the same with Truth and Lies for Soman’s Greater Thematic Purposes, so who's to say this isn't just a general cultural feature or development of the people of the Endless Woods or a thing invented by Rafal as he could have been alive when, idk, spelling and grammatical rules were still being instituted and/or standardized? Would he have held any credentials or grounds to have been part of whoever ruled the Woods' language(s) back then? If there were a council? Possibly, but I doubt it. Still, bear with me.

I think even he could rival the Brothers Grimms' tales, Der Struwwelpeter, and even some of those gruesome, colonial primers for children that I think came about with the Puritans. Potentially, he could ironically wax poetic, maybe like:

A is for axe to cleave off a head.

B is for bed where thou doth lay dead.

C is for crisp to which thou are burnt.

D is for bounden Death that willen thee hurt.

E is for execution. Thou dare'st ne'er be late.

F is for flaying ill sycophants thou can’st not berate.

Although with what violence he could devise, I don’t think he would really spend time on rhymes. He did come up with “Doom Room” though, the barest proof I have, aside from the whimsy of his shanty.

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I love characters with tunnel vision. False dichotomies. The sunk cost fallacy. Characters who are convinced of their utmost rationality and can even lay out their entire philosophy in logical, impersonal terms and convince others even though the whole of their actions, rationalised to hell and back though they may be, are spurred on by something entirely emotional (and this doesn't stop them from being right on the money about some things). Characters who are at once the most and least self-aware people ever. Characters who know the ins and outs of their psyche like a map they've memorised but can barely tell when they're experiencing a feeling.