Please Read Or Skim The Descriptions Below The Poll And Approximate As Best As You Can Before Voting.

Please read or skim the descriptions below the poll and approximate as best as you can before voting. (If you disagree with any of my character interpretations, feel free to comment.)

Hephaestus (or Kyma) - Can and will set their pride aside to help others. E.g., Hephaestus held back and did not stand up to Vulcan in order to save his fellow Evers and spare them from further punishment. He took the selfless way out, instead of going after personal satisfaction. Both he and Kyma care for others, and in doing so, save themselves, too. Yet, they also seem willing to sacrifice themselves. "All against Evil" mentality.

Hook (or Midas) - The "neutrals." These two get their own category, slightly outside of the Kyma to Rhian spectrum. Will save himself first if he has good reason to neglect others. Is willing to betray, lie, and cheat, yet cares for those specifically aligned with him. He cares for those on his side (sometimes, meaning only himself) and that excludes everyone else, the masses. Has an "us vs. them" or "us against the world" mentality.

Rise Rafal - Mostly "Good," or if not Good, honorable on some level, but cannot set his pride aside. Slightly narrower than the Hook category. Deserts and tortures everyone with almost no qualms. Yet does possess a conscience. Has a cynical mentality of: "I will save myself and hang everyone out to dry, to fend for themselves" or essentially, the classic: "Every man for himself." Assumes the worst of human nature, under normal circumstances—unless someone gives him reason to believe they will do Good. Also: "So long everyone. I only care about myself, and will do nothing for you." Plays defensive sometimes, but only for himself with few exceptions (like protecting Rhian). Overall: "Me and my personal gain against the world" mentality.

Fall Rafal - Inclusive of the above description. Plus: Will actively, preemptively hurt (or endanger) others, when necessary (could be "necessary" in his mind). Uses people, and sometimes, treats them as disposable. Escape Clause: If he's feeling particularly vindictive or sadistic, as events take a turn for the worst, the definition of "necessary" will widen to accommodate him. Salient addition of the: "I'm always right" mentality.

Fall Rhian (or Marialena) - Self-serving to a greater degree than Rafal is. Believes other people are Good, that humanity is fundamentally Good (or that it can further his cause), and leaves himself vulnerable... He will lie, cheat, and deceive to save his own skin. Plays dirty. Will actively, preemptively hurt. He cares for himself, and will harm and tear down others if it will benefit him. "Me with the world until the world hurts me" mentality.

coffee or tea (neither) | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla (both) | spring or fall | silver or gold | pop or alternative (both) | freckles or dimples | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields | thunder or lightning | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet (both. The pair of them would make a nice, high-contrast color scheme.) | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild (I'm also assuming this refers to food. Depends.) | opera or ballet | london or paris | vincent van gogh or claude monet | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens | masquerade ball or cocktail party

Thank you for the tag!

I'll tag anyone who sees this, who hasn't already been tagged, if they want to do it.

This or That

I was tagged by: @steamcaptain

Tagging: @writing-biting @eggymcdegy @perphella @fire-rose @portalcartoon

coffee or tea | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla | spring or fall | silver or gold | pop or alternative (either) | freckles or dimples (both) | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields (both) | thunder or lightning | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees (both) | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten (either) | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild | opera or ballet (neither)| london or paris | vincent van gogh or claude monet | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens | masquerade ball or cocktail party

Clean Template:

coffee or tea | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla | spring or fall | silver or gold | pop or alternative | freckles or dimples | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields | thunder or lightning | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild | opera or ballet | london or paris | vincent van gogh or claude monet | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens | masquerade ball or cocktail party

What do you think would have happened immediately after Rhian stabbed Rafal if Rhian had missed, or Rafal was able to somehow see it coming and move out of the way? How would have both brothers reacted?

I think both brothers were too far gone to back down by that point, and I doubt that either could or would come to their senses. Rafal was still prideful and unwilling to compromise on what he wanted or let go of potential power, and Rhian was already off into the deep end of practically being possessed by the rot and the Evil within him, meaning, short of a miracle, he probably would've been unswayable.

So, perhaps, if anything deviated from canon, the fratricide scene could've been drawn out into a longer seemingly inevitable, final struggle. Thus, whoever would've won would've won—unless they arrived at a stalemate, but I don't believe they were evenly matched by Fall's climax. Plus, if we reference August Sader's words to Agatha about how villains are often the people closest to the protagonist, I have a theory that Rhian literally became Rafal's fairy tale nemesis, even if it was never directly stated in the text, since we've seen a progression of Rafal gaining a limp, losing his flight, and becoming weaker in Fall while Rhian grew into his Evil and power (the blue dragonfire) and became stronger, suggesting that the same outcome could've occurred, even if it could have been delayed.

Question if anyone's interested:

If anyone has access to a digital copy of Rise of the School for Good and Evil that they are able to copy and paste from, could you do me a favor and paste the complete text into an online text concordance analyzer?

I'm really just curious to know what the primary words used are or if it's possible to track the order and frequency of thematic words like "love" or "prophecy" throughout the different sections of the book. It would be like: Rise: At a Glance.

What's your favorite color?

Something like #D7E0F5 or #E1F5EA? I'm not sure if I have a favorite, but I tend to like cold colors, even if I like warmer colors in certain contexts.

the wrong stars are out tonight