#Little Rayla's terrifying

[ruthariandbluecookies]

Runaan, sharpening his blades: I know over two hundred ways to kill a man

Little Rayla: You could glue an open jar of rats to his face and then set fire to the other side of the jar, so the rats have to eat their way out through his face.

Runaan, thoroughly freaked out but determined to keep a calm demeanor: 201, though impractical

Ethari, also freaked out and not afraid to show it: WHAT THE MOON RAYLA, WHERE-NO, WHO DID YOU LEARN THAT FROM?!?!?

[ruthari-preacher]

Random shit about season 6:

Runaan was shirtless and it was great

Sick Soren was not what I was expecting

Damien looks hot

That was his name right

Aaravos's backstory was amazing and was NOT expecting him to have a daughter

VIRENS FUCKING DEAD

Refuse to believe it

Runaan

Those mushroom things were adorable

Gren was so adorable 🥰

THEYRE MARRIED AÀAAAAAAAAA

Aaravos said the word daddy

Claudia pulled a motherfucking Izzy Hands

I'm sorry but we needed more Terry

Their mum was honestly right to leave and I will stand by that. What happened with Viren must of been terrifying for her

I can't remember names but I really liked the future elf dudes sister

Shirtless

Soren and Corvus were such cute little buddies

Stella and sneezles are such fucking match makers

I was honestly kinda half expecting the frozen ship to be a ghost ship just because of the fact that door kept swinging closed again

It was wishful thinking

Runaan taught Rayla that lullaby and you can't convince me otherwise

Shirtless Runaan

The mushrooms to me were the equivalent of the seaslug and those pompom stick together things

This season really rolling out the angst isn't it

Loved Viren from the first episode

Ruthari even though they weren't even on screen together apart from the flashback of them smoochies

I'm done for now

[zuppizup]

Breathe

Rayla shifted nervously, trying desperately to ignore the hollow pit of fear in her belly. The sun was slowly rising over the frozen landscape, bathing the entire sky in soft pink light. If anything, this should be pretty or exciting, but all she felt was dread.

Being on the ground, something solid beneath her feet, she felt like she could stand a fighting chance against most obstacles, but out there, in the endless sky…? Well, that was something else entirely.

“You’re going to love flying, Rayla,” Callum spoke hurriedly, checking his pack over one last time. “The wind in your hair, fresh breeze all around… the freedom.” He sighed, sounding excited and happy.

Which she should at least have been trying to be too. The last thing she wanted was to ruin his good mood.

“I feel free enough up here, thank you very much.” Swallowing past her dry mouth, she leaned a little closer to the edge, trying to drum up even a little of the enthusiasm that was radiating off Callum. Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm herself, she once again tried to push the fear and anxiety from her mind. “It sure is a long way down.”

“Well, look on the bright side, that’s a long way for you to fall while you figure flying out before you hit the ground.” Callum closed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder as he stood up to join her.

Rayla glanced at him, then back to the endless clouds before them.

Were they birds down there… or dragons? They just looked like circling specks; it was impossible to tell exactly what they were from so high up-

“Hey,” Callum stepped a little closer to her, his hand moving to caress her chin, tilting her head up and away from the terrifying drop.

Rayla swallowed as she gazed up at him, all thoughts of cliffs and falling and wings suddenly vacating her mind as her heart raced in her chest.

“You’re going to be fine, Rayla.” Callum smiled softly at her, his thumb gently moving across her skin. “I’ll be with you the whole time, alright? There’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” despite how lightheaded and shaky she was at the feel of his hand on her face, she couldn’t help but laugh at his confident assertion. “You’ve never been afraid of flying.”

Callum scoffed, rolling his eyes. “What? Of course I was-”

“Sure, people who are afraid of flying regularly jump off cliffs on their first day-”

Callum swallowed, his hand trembling ever so slightly. “I was way more afraid of losing you.”

“Oh,” It came out barely above a whisper, Callum’s big green eyes and soft smile all she could focus on in that moment.

Callum held her gaze, sighing softly as his thumb continued to stroke her face. Taking a little shuddering breath, he leaned in closer to her and Rayla closed her eyes, her own breath catching in her throat. He kissed her softly, like a gentle breeze across her lips and her mind spun just from that. A moment later he leaned back, just a fraction, his hand still on her face and a soft smile on his lips.

“Together?” He asked, his voice soft in the small space between them.

Feeling like she could finally breathe, Rayla smiled back at him. “Together.”

[jelzorz]

181.

The Celestial Elves seem nice enough. Callum doesn't know what to make of them: they are secretive, reclusive, hoarding their knowledge and artefacts from the rest of the world under the guise that it belongs only to those worthy enough to wield it. It's a a lot of gatekeeping that he doesn't really agree with, especially as a human who can do magic, but it's that that makes them curious, and it's that that gets them this far.

The very top of the tower is freezing. It opens to the heavens like a flower, and Callum is breathless already just being up here, but he's breathless again at the sight of the stars. Beside him, Rayla lets out a trembling gasp, her fingers finding his instinctively as the stars spill out before them like salt against the darkest grain of wood.

It's beautiful. It's terrifying. It's awesome in its truest meaning, and Callum grips Rayla's fingers, suddenly all too aware of how small they are in the midst of the endless night above.

Astrid, the elf who led them here, gestures vaguely above them, at the stars who peer back. "If you want answers to your questions, you have to find them," she says, "and if the answers are anywhere, they'll be up there."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Rayla. Her breath shakes a little as it leaves her, and it's not just because of the cold.

"What do you think it means?" asks Astrid, cryptic as always.

Callum purses his lips. "I have to go up there, don't I?"

Rayla grips his hand tighter still. "Up there like up there? How far up? Is that even safe—"

"It's what I have to do," says Callum, glancing at Astrid. "Isn't it?"

Astrid smirks, her blindfold shifting with the motion. "If you want to know how to defeat the Stars, you have to ask them yourself. Who knows? Maybe they'll tell you."

The metaphor doesn't go unnoticed. It occurs to Callum very late how very like hubris it sounds, and something in his gut churns with memories of stories he'd read years and years ago: a boy who flew too close to the sun, a warrior who tried to fly to the heavens on a winged horse, a man who thought he could cheat the gods.

"Callum," warns Rayla, her fingers ice cold as they cling to his. "This doesn't feel right."

Callum twitches his lips ruefully and looks up at the heavens once more. "We've come too far to back down now. I have to try."

"It could be a trap."

Astrid snorts. "It's a trial," she says matter-of-factly. "Those who want the knowledge have to prove they deserve it. The Human Mage over here knows it, don't you?"

Callum sets his jaw. He looks Astrid in the eye of her blindfold, knowing she can see in spite of it, and sets down his staff. "It's not a trick?"

"No," says Astrid. "It's a test."

[temerity14]

Welcome to temerity has ADHD and procrastinates even fun things! Lightning round of 12 Days of TDP because I forgot. Every. Day.

#12, fave season: minus the way the sunfire plotline dragged on, S5 with S6 being a close second. I loved the secondary villains and the rayllum growth, it was just really good.

#11, fave quote: I have many, but; "Horses need hay! I am bringing hay to the horses! Hungry, hungry horses!" Soren is just the best.

#10, fave lore: The magic system in general, it tickles my brain in a very nice way and I love anything with runes or other languages

#9, fave extra content: oooooh..... gotta be Bloodmoon Huntress and Dreamers Nightmare (i will not choose between them). i love the way you can see where aspects of their characters come from, and Kim'dael is perfect and Broyals are life.

#8, fave episode: frozen ship. no words, it's pure amazingness.

RFSDOJSOIFJOISEF I MEAN LOOK AT THIS

#7, fave fandom moment: Oh wow, I haven't been here for long.... uh. I can't think of anythign, so I'm just gonna say the community in general. It's just really sweet being part of something large-ish and everybody's super nice (here, anyway. cough cough reddit grow up)

#6, fave scene: WHY MAKE ME CHOOSE? oh, wait - the talk Amaya and Rayla had in the bookery. beside it having the rayllum sepia montage (which is beautiful btw wonderstorm is amazing), I just love the way they drew parallels between Rayla and Amaya and how weirdly caring Amaya is while also being terrifying. I maybe cried a little when I watched it.

#5, fave fanwork: Again, why must I chose? This is cruel and unusual punishment (ignore the fact that this is voluntary). hoihioajhfoafisof......... probably The Encyclopedia of Elves. It's got a lot of fascinating depth and is what really tipped me over the line into wanting to make my own fanfiction.

#4, fave ship: Do I even need to say it. Rayllum. They have corrupted my braincells and live rent free in my head and everything about them I adore. couldn't find an image to convey my complete and utter obsession so have a S3 collage instead

#3: fave character: THEY'RE ALL MY CHILDREN DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE NOOOO I LOVE THEM EQUALLY. I REFUSE TO MAKE A DESISION ON THIS ONE.

[m4rs-ex3]

people always make silly little lists of characters' crimes which i love but i'm gonna do smth a lillllll different

tdp character trauma log 🫶✨

callum

lost his father at a Baby age (the perfect age actually; young enough to be very emotional and impressionable but old enough to have to process it)

was thrown into a drastically different + high-key terrifying environment at Baby Age

lost his mother--his comfort person, his only connection to his og life (besides amaya), and also just an amazing individual--leaving him alone in said environment

was constantly belittled for being bad at the thing he never asked to be

lost his stepfather aka his only parent left and experienced an array of regret over what he didn't do while harrow was alive

almost watched his little brother down/freeze to death

was betrayed by his childhood friend

endured a severe dark magic sickness + traumatizing fever dream

almost choked to death

watched his whole world jump off of the highest point in the world

almost died plummeting off of the highest point in the world

was abandoned by Love of His Life for several depressed years

was literally fucking possessed

was taxed with the decision between becoming a vessel for the most dangerous individual in the world to destroy everything and hurt everyone he loves OR essentially ending his life (a conclusion he himself had to come to)

was under the impression that Love of His Life was dead (and he never got to tell her what he wanted to)

almost died pt 3

almost died pt 4-5

bound and brutally beaten + electrocuted (?)

watched the most important person in the world to him mercilessly tortured within an inch of her life

almost lost her AGAIN and had to destroy his entire moral compass in order to save her

tortured

almost died 6: choked pt 2

rayla

where do i begin

well first off grew up in the silvergrove and hey moonshadow elves i love ya but oh dear god -promotes "strength" and stoicism over discussing your feelings and admitting to your weaknesses -so bound (literally) by duty and oaths that faltering results in either being good as dead or dead as dead -ETC

equipped with a debilitating phobia of water--a fear most would see as bizarre and silly and exceptionally irrational--in a culture that as previously mentioned shuns fear to all hell

was left by her parents and (despite them having a perfectly good reason) never really healed

almost drowned which was not helped by the phobia

almost ravaged by an ancient vampire

an ASSASSIN who has to KILL PEOPLE but is a WHOLESOME SWEETHEART

haunted by her "constant" mistakes; her strengths get wholly overshadowed by her weaknesses

told by the father figure she revered that she is a stupid baby useless idiot (roughly)

was flatly told by Father Figure he expected to kill her (to which she's just like "fr prolly" good god girl you are fucked)

had to not only sit and listen to, but conform to horrid stereotypes she's been haunted by since she was a kid

nearly slowly lost a hand (and just straight up accepted like ik this isn't the point but i feel the need to address when she does some insanely broken shit)

saw a person wither to dust before her eyes i feel like we forget about this

almost died like pt 4 ish i literally cannot keep track what counts and whats too minor a near death experience and why do i have to ask these questions

watched the love of her life (shut up harry styles) suffocate in his sleep in her arms

almost died pt 5-8 ?

i once again don't even know where to begin this time with her ghosting. linking this post again but tldr she didn't do anything wrong, she believed she did, her society not only confirmed these suspicions but god they pinned her with so much more, and she was told that actually no and what the fuck is she supposed to do with that u just told her everything she knows is wrong and that she actually has worth and she is not keen on that mindset

almost died 9? i include this one bc soulfangs are terrifying

cooly came to the conclusion that she deserved to die for her parents mistakes (and fully intended on doing so)

almost died jumping off the highest point in the world

suffered from persistent nightmares

almost drowned (the phobia once again did not help)

was nearly killed by the dead former co-workers she feels responsible for killing

forced herself to leave behind Love of Her Life and if you don't think that was the hardest fucking thing in the world for her

spent two, miserable years alone, getting beaten down again and again (mentally and physically,) plagued by her vendetta, haunted by all she lost, never knowing comfort, never knowing love, and probably so much worse that we don't even know woohoo!

thought that, after years of painful wondering, the parents she desperately wanted back were killed right in front of her

almost died pt who even fucking knows

almost died

almost died

almost died

almost died

almost died

was absolutely fucking brutally tortured (within an inch of her life) 😚✌🌸✨✨

almost died horrendously (she rlly couldnt catch a break that day)

had to choose between pushing her trauma to the absolute limit or hating herself for not protecting her friends

almost died

ez

motherless

couldn't make friends (for a reason no one would believe)

that's why yo [daddy] dead. dead as hell. what shoes [he] got on what shoes [he] got on in [his] casket

almost drowned/froze

had the pressure of surviving as an orphan ANDD being a fucking king forced upon him at the same time

felt responsible for thousands of lives

was imprisoned

was almost motherfucking impaled by scary adult

all that? yea he was like 10

therefore

grew up weird like his brother and rayla

probably almost died a lot of times

imprisoned again & was threatened and bared witness to his brother + his closest friend tortured (+ almost murdered)

almost murdered by someone he once trusted

prolly a lot more idk i was gonna include soren n claudia but i am so fucking exhausted THESE KIDS ARE SO FUCKED OML 😭😭

[firefly-suite]

one thing i cannot get over and i probably never will is the look on callum's face when he sees ez (+ zym, ofc!) flying into the battle. like, i don't have a screenshot of the moment but he is terrified.

like everything from the context of their last interaction, them being the last of their family omgomg i have FEELINGS about this. like ezran was willing to sacrifice everything he stands for so callum wouldn't die, or have a fate worse than death and callum was willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone he loves

AND THIS IS AFTER CALLUM LEFT EZRAN TO HELP RAYLA AND RUNAAN LIKE ezran still did that

i think its a little obvious that ez is my favourite character haha but i just love the pair of them

[runaankisser]

Sorry in advance if I’m awkward or anything I’m terrified of requesting stuff:’)

If you’re still open to TDP requests, Mayhaps Runaan and Ethari (bonus points if also Rayla but I don’t wanna ask too much-) somehow managed to take the reader in? I had a human reader in mind, but I won’t die if it’s not!

(I wish I could be more specific, I just have moonfam brainrot and no idea which direction to point it in. But if you do this anyway, thank you so much!! I really appreciate your writing.)

- 💙

The human in the woods

Word count: 802 Including spaces: 3957 

(i just wanted to apologize for how long this took)

As the bright moon peaked through soft clouds, a young moon shadow elf giggled as she played with a couple of adoraburrs. The moonlight beamed on her while she walked through a grassy field. Although, something caught her eye. A young girl, in the distance, was standing near a tree, looking lost. 

As Rayla got closer, she realized two things, this wasn’t an elf, this was a human! A short, malnourished human girl, with bruises all over her body. Rayla continued to walk closer to the girl.

“Hey! You’re a human!” Rayla says loudly, reaching out her hand to touch the human’s ear. Y/n flinches roughly at the sudden movement. Rayla’s eyes widen in surprise and she jerks her hand back.

“Uhm… where's your parents?” The young elf says with curiosity. Y/n looks up gingerly and shrugs, looking saddened. “You don’t talk, do you?” Rayla says, tilting her head slightly.

The elfling looks at the human with remorse. “You aren’t the only one without parents, mine had to leave me so they could guard the dragon prince,” she says with a smile, trying to relate to the famished child. 

“Well I guess I do have parents. Runaan and Ethari take care of me! You should meet them!” Rayla rants, her eyes shining at the idea. Y/n looks at the elf, fear and curiosity filling her eyes. The young girl flinches and gasps at the feeling of a cold, 4 fingered hand grabbing hers.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y/n slowly followed Rayla, practically being dragged behind her. As they walked, the elfling continued talking about her home and perhaps they could take her in.

Soon, the pair came across a large tree. Y/n’s eyes lit up with surprise as runes glowed a soft purple. 

“This is the silvergrove,” Rayla said with a proud smile, pointing down as the illusion melted away, revealing a village decorated with soft lights and silver architecture. 

The moonshadow elf grabbed y/n’s hand once again and led her to Runaan and Etharis' home, being careful to avoid the other elves. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Rayla and y/n arrived at the house, Ethari was waiting outside. His eyes widened in surprise at seeing a human, a child! 

“Oh moon! Why is there a human here?” Ethari stuttered, looking at the elfling desperately for answers.

“This is… uh I don’t know her name. She's hurt though!” Rayla says nervously, referring to the malnourished, scratched up girl. She tightens her grip on y/n’s hand.

Ethari stared at the young human, feeling sympathetic. He lets out a sigh and tells the pair to come in. “You know Runaan won’t be happy with this when he gets home,” The moonshadow elf says.

“You can sit over there,” Ethari says after leading them to the kitchen, then goes to get a first aid kit. Y/n nervously sits down on the edge of the chair, clearly on her guard. Soon, he returns with a small box, filled with herbs, ointments and bandaids. He bends down and reaches over to her knee with a scratch, frowning as she flinches. “It’s okay, I'm not going to hurt you,” he says softly and gently rubs an ointment on her wound. 

“It’s okay! This will help heal it,” Rayla says, trying to reassure the human. Y/n whimpers quietly and flinches again as the stinging ointment is placed on her open wound. 

After a while, Ethari finally finishes patching up all of the humans wounds. “Little one, do you have a place to go?” He asks softly, trying to keep the child calm. Y/n does not reply, she simply looks down and slowly shakes her head. 

“Can she stay with us? Please! She can sleep in my room!” Rayla pleads, doing her best to look cute, wanting her new friend to live with her. Ethari lets out a sigh and looks down, deep in thought. 

Finally, he says, “okay, but just for a bit. Runaan won’t be happy with a human in our house.” 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time skip, 5 months.

 Ethari was wrong when he said y/n would only stay for a bit. The young human would stay forever, now family. At first, Runaan wasn’t happy with her in the house. But he soon gave in. 

The smell of mushcup filled the air as the morning sun slowly rose. 4 pairs of feet thumped down the stairs, small giggles followed them. 

“Good morning you two,” Ethari says, mixing the ingredients for mushcup. Runaan was at the table, drinking his morningberry juice, looking tired. 

They both sit down at the table, the human mumbles a small thank you, still quite shy. Y/n was grateful to know that she belongs to a family, a family that won’t hurt her anymore. She was finally happy.

[arcadianmoonshadowjedi]

Rayllum Month 2024:

July 9th - “I Still Love You”/Reconciliation

After a day of crossing and barely surviving the frozen sea, Callum and Rayla found a small Island where they could set up camp and rest for the night before they reached the Starscraper. They were huddled in their only remaining bed roll against the shadowpaw with Stella and Sneezles snuggling in between them, all keeping warm off the little campfire in front of them. Callum was initially reluctant since it’s been over two years since he’d slept that close to Rayla.

“It’s either we both stay warm together under one blanket for the night or one of us freezes to death, which I’m sure neither you or I would want that for each other,” Rayla had told him when he got all flustered about the one bed roll that didn’t sink in the sea below them.

The two sat awkwardly close together trying to keep warm under the blanket, barely muttering a word for a while. But then Rayla went into deep thought. It’s been around two months since she came back and while Callum at first didn’t want to be near her, they eventually started to patch things up. They’ve been getting closer to each other even more but things still weren’t exactly what they were between them. There was still this gap they couldn’t overcome in their relationship. They were stuck at one point and weren’t really getting anywhere.

“Callum,” Rayla started, taking a breath, looking down as she thought of the right things to say. Callum looked up at her, holding Sneezles in his lap and stroked the tiny glow toad’s soft head with his finger. “Callum, I know we haven’t really talked about everything. You know, me leaving and all that,”

“Rayla,” Callum uneasy, raised his hand trying to stop her.

“No,” She interrupted. “I have to get this off my chest,” She let out another breath before she continued. “It’s just... You know… well,” she sighed. “After the battle of the Storm Spire, when I’ve having these nightmares about Viren, I saw him capture my parents. But he also captured you,” she spoke the few words shakily as her lips began to quiver. “I-I was so terrified of losing you or Viren threatening you, I,” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sniffled and she felt Stella give her a comforting hug, chittering compassionately. Callum looked straight ahead, felt his chest heavy and unable to express anything. She never told him about these specific nightmares before, only that she was afraid that Viren was alive.

Rayla wiped away her tears and continued. “I never meant for my leaving alone to hurt you, I was just so terrified you being in danger if I ever found him. But now, I know that I messed things up between us, like I mess up everything else,” Rayla could no longer control her sobbing. She lifted her hood on her head and hid her face between her knees, with Stella still trying to give her comforting squeezes.

“You know,” Callum started, heaving as he tried to control his emotions. “When you left without me, I was so hurt that you were gone. But what hurt even more was that you put yourself in danger and I had no way of knowing if you were ok or not, or if you were even alive,” his voice grew even more sorrowful as he spoke. “I also wanted to protect you from harm, Rayla. And when you left on your own, you took that away from me,” He started to sniffle as well. Rayla looked up towards him and lifted her hand, she wanted to reach his shoulder, but then she backed away. She never thought about any of what Callum was telling her just now, only her own desire to protect him.

“That’s why I wanted to come along and be with you. Because I,” He hesitated and caught his breath. “Because I love you, Rayla,”

Rayla gasped and felt her face light up. Callum lifted his hand and reached for hers, pulling it closer to his heart. “And I wanted more than anything to keep you safe. And I would’ve only been able to do that by being right by your side. And I still feel that way now,”

Rayla found herself melting as she looked into his teary eyes, unable to speak or do anything. She only found herself leaning into him. “Callum, I just want you to know that I never stopped loving you, even when I was away from you. Not one moment went by that I didn’t think of you. And all I can say now is that I’m so sorry for leaving you and making you feel the way you did,”

Callum took a deep breath and wiped away his tears. “I know I didn’t listen to you or believe you when you told me about Viren possibly being alive and I’m so sorry I brushed aside your worries and-and your pain of not knowing if your parents were alive or not. I really thought I was helping you move on but instead I just pushed you away. And maybe that’s what lead you to leaving on your own,”

“Callum no, that was never it,”

“No Rayla, I really am sorry about that and I promise, you can tell me anything and I’ll be there for you. And I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to save your parents. But please, just promise me you’ll never leave like that again,”

Rayla tightened her fingers on his hand then pulled it towards her so she could kiss it. “You and I, we’re stronger together. And I can trust you to carry my burdens with me, just as you can trust me with your burdens. We will keep each other safe and support each other from now on,”

Callum looked at her surprised, then smiled. But while she smiled and looked ahead, starting to doze off on his shoulder, he looked away. He thought about his own burden that filled him with guilt that he couldn’t bring himself to talk about. But maybe someday he would when he was ready, just as Rayla did when she was. He then looked back towards her and kissed her forehead. He leaned in closer and they both wrapped their arms tightly around each other. With Stella and Sneezles cuddled between their laps and fast asleep under the blanket, Callum and Rayla soon drifted off in the warmth of the extinguishing fire and each other.

[ruthariandbluecookies]

~DiScUsSiOn TiMe!~

I know how people are voicing speculation and concepts and stuff about how Leola might come back because of how Startouch Elves are "immortal beings of the cosmos" and just, like, exploded.

Like, IF she did come back, would she fall out of the sky like a shooting star and her star, the brightest star in the sky, "Leola's Last Wish" would just... disappear? 'Cause that'd be a catastrophe for navigation. Or would she just appear/spawn like... BAM! Would Aaravos sense if she came back or be entirely ignorant to it?

On the topic of Aaravos, if Startouch Elves DO come back, why wouldn't he want to join her in the stars so that they could rejoin the world together? Why wouldn't he spare himself having to mourn his literal CHILD? Because he doesn't want her to be forgotten? Because he wants to AVENGE her? He could do that even if he came back with her, so I don't know.

Back to her coming back, wouldn't it be funny if she just-so-happened to come back, say, near The Silvergrove. And Ethari, who had been going to pick moonberries or something, just-so-happened to find her?

So, we have a lost little Startouch Elf and a depressed Moonshadow elf who thinks his husband is dead and all he knows about his daughter in all but blood is that she's alive (because of the lotus). Obviously, he'd take her in, he's ETHARI.

Would he tell the rest of the village or hide her away? That, I don't have an answer to.

If he told the village, I doubt they would do anything besides kill her or something. I mean, look what they did to Rayla. They GHOSTED (a fate worse than death to them, I'm sure) a fifteen year old with no clear evidence besides the fact that she was the only one alive from a practically SUICIDAL mission (it definitely goes deeper than that and I might make a post about it, but don't count on it). I wouldn't call people like that the voice of reason.

So, it'd probably be better if he didn't tell them and instead hid her away.

However long he takes care of her, I'm sure they talk and grow closer. Leola comes to see him as at least a bit like her father after getting over her panic of appearing in an unknown place, which was definitely by no means terrifying.

And Ethari? He has something to live for again. A person to take care of. And maybe Leola reminds him a bit of little Rayla (minus all the sharp bits).

Meanwhile? If Aaravos CAN sense Leola, then let's say he can also sense where she is. After finding out his little girl, the whole reason he's doing all of this is alive, I'm sure he drops everything and goes after her (of course, Claudia and Terry will go to).

Once he gets there, since he's a Startouch Elf, and one of the "Great/First Ones", he'll easily get past the illusion shielding The Silvergrove.

With Claudia, he probably razes down The Silvergrove, kills some elves until he finds her. When he does find her? He sees a Moonshadow Elf standing over/shielding her. I doubt that goes over well. To Claudia, it'll probably look like the Moonshadow Elves kidnapped her, so she'll 100% be on Aaravos's side.

Anyways, since Claudia is a dark mage what if she puts them all into a coma or sleeping trance, or turns them to stone, or they just all evacuate and no one knows what happened to them, or something else entirely?

Staying true to the "turning your enemies to stone" thing, after Aaravos gets Leola, wouldn't it be cool if Claudia turned all the elves to stone like her father did to Avizandum? And Ethari, while turning to stone, brings a hand to the sky and casts a spell that's like a flashbang that brings attention, and promptly turns to stone completely while a singular tear falls from his eye (Avizandum parallels, anyone?).

After that, they leave to continue the plan (no matter how much Leola pleads for them not to and tries to stop them even though she doesn't really know what's going on because that's her DAD).

Then, when Rayla and Runaan are close to The Silvergrove to tell Ethari that Runaan is alive (which they won't get the chance to do now), they see the words "Silvergrove has fallen" blazed into the ground (because Aaravos is dramatic) and are both horrified. Then they get there and see Ethari's statue (and just AAAAAGGHHHH). I need to see their faces and how they'd react to that.

They both think in their own ways. Rayla probably blames herself (she just lost one of the two parental figures she has left after saying goodbye to the other two and most likely thinks this happened because Aaravos and Claudia were trying to get at her (maybe Runaan even blames her a little, if subconsciously).

Runaan on the other hand? It's terrifying for him. HE'S the assassin, Ethari knew when he married him that Runaan would probably die on a mission. But Runaan? It's HIS job to be in danger. ETHARI'S supposed to be SAFE in The Silvergrove. Runaan's not prepared to lose Ethari because he always knew/thought that he'd be the first to die. He's not prepared to live in a world without him (so now he's going through the grief of his partner dying, the exact same thing Ethari was/is, but Ethari had been prepared for it (not that it made it hurt any less)).

Obviously, they're frustrated because they can't do anything right now because of Aaravos and swear to find something to free him and everyone else afterwards (maybe even get so angry that they try to do/do something rash like go after Aaravos?).

And that isn't even going into how Terry feels when Aaravos and his girlfriend raze a whole VILLAGE to the ground and turn EVERY ELF into stone, including the CHILDREN. That's bound to make him think over some things and which side he should really be on.

Or, what if we move onto a new concept. Everything still happens like this, except Leola's not in it. Like, Aaravos burned down Katolis, which was Callum and Ezran's home, so what if he tries to burn down The Silvergrove since it's Rayla's home (even if it's not really anymore, she'd still be devastated). I doubt he knows that she comes from specifically The Silvergrove, but he's Aaravos, so I'm sure he'd find out easily, adding the fact that he has a dark mage on his side? Piece of cake (now I want cake, specifically chocolate).

Anyway, I know this definitely won't happen in season 7, but, it IS a cool concept, at least to me (and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!).

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Rewatching episode 9 again, something just hit me....

The Council said that the cosmic order was broken when MAGIC was given to humans....

It a not specified which magic, but we can assume all Leola knew was Primal Magic....

What if, the magic they foresaw being given to humans was actually DARK Magic. But they, somehow, didn't realize this?

And thus....Aaravos was actually to cause the spiral into chaos. Because the Council made a mistake in their "prophecy"?

Mmm yes good, a Cosmic Order ask. Love thinking about those weirdos who think they know everything better than everyone else and how wrong they are. Let's do this!

We don't actually know how prophecy works in TDP, since it's only a small aspect of the destiny/fate theme. But it does seem to be a counter to Callum's belief that "Destiny is a book you write yourself," and that in itself is interesting to look at.

in S6, we learned that a Timeblind prophecy from hundreds of years ago predicted Callum and Rayla helping the Celestial elves, and it set their reward for doing so. This feels like it's part of a greater prophetic intent, that whatever Runaan does in the future - as well as whatever the other quasar diamond is used for - was also seen and intended by the prophecy. It's a nice framing for S7 (and beyond?). But this is just what mortal elves are capable of when they've become Timeblind.

One would assume that the actual Star Touch elves would be more powerful than this somehow. Perhaps further than simply reading the future, they can direct it? Or create it? Or even undo what has already been done? All of which are extremely powerful, potentially story-breaking powers.

So, how to manage this massive potential in a way that our merely mortal protagonists can still have agency? Well, you're onto something with the imperfect vision idea. Since Star Touch elves can come and go from Xadia when their constellation aligns just right, there's a cyclical nature to their existence, and possibly their power and influence as well. Maybe they see some things clearer from the grassy ground of Xadia than they do from the stars.

Or maybe they overwrite each other and change the narrative so much that their own handwriting is hard to read anymore. Aaravos is powerful and terrifying enough on his own. Four other Stars, each with their own agendas, trying to be The Most Right all at once, sounds like a recipe for miscalculation.

tldr, when everyone is so big, it's easy to make a little mistake.

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

love heals when pain's too much to bear

Here's the follow-up to will i wake tomorrow from this nightmare? - Overall pretty fluffy! Also, I'm in the mood to write a lil clauderry, so send me prompts!!

Rayla burrowed in tighter to him, trying to lose herself in him the way it’d always been so easy to do but was proving impossible now. “Just… Just be Callum for me. Please. Just be you.”

He chuckled a little. “I think I can do that. I’m very good at being me.”

“The one and only.”

Callum’s chin rested on top of her head, not minding the sticky tears that dripped onto his lean chest. “Tell me whenever you’re ready. I’ll always listen. Or- or don’t. You don’t have to. Just… you’re not alone, okay? You never will be. You know that, right?”

“I knew you were coming,” Rayla breathed, fisting her hand over his heart and looking up to watch his eyes, to drown in that sea of concern and anger–not at her, she knew–but more than anything else, love. “I knew you were coming. It was-” She cleared her throat, remembering that horrible feeling she’d fooled herself out of afterwards that had filled her stomach while dangled over the side of the Sea Legs, knowing that he’d come for her. That he’d always jump after, no matter what. “It, um… it got me through a lot.”

Tears pooled in his pinkened eyes, and he furiously peppered kisses all over her face– her nose, the tips of her ears, forehead, cheeks, and extra-careful ones over her face markings. “Gods, Rayla. I’m sorry you had to wait at all. I’m sorry I wasn’t here so many times. I’m sorry you were on your own.”

She shook her head furiously, gripping his waistband because that was the only thing she could find purchase on and trying to ignore how heat rose in both their cheeks at his hot little grunt. “No. No, Callum, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. Mine for trying to make myself think I’m already dead when I’m not. But, um… I’m actually pretty alive, it turns out”–they choked out identical laughs–“and I kinda like it this way. So, um… I’m alive. I’m alive with you, Callum, and that makes it worth it. Sorry if that doesn’t make sense.”

He cupped her thighs instead of her back, snorting a little. “When do we ever make sense?”

Rayla leaned up for a soft kiss he pressed into, warm and firm and inseparable with him holding her tight. He’d never let her go, never do wrong by her. She couldn’t find it in herself to have ethical problems with it at the moment, just wanted… him. Everything he’d give her.

“Ray?” he asked, pulling back to thumb at her cheeks, and Rayla realized she was crying some more.

“I’m okay,” she assured him. Just terrified of losing him because she’d been all too mortally reminded of their fragility, just like when she’d been fifteen and drenched like this and made the worst mistake of her life. “I’m okay.”

“I’ve got you,” Callum assured her. “I’m right here, always will be. I’m here.” Said for himself as much as her.

And just like on that other godsdamned boat–Sources, she really hated boats–Rayla was wiping away tears and struggling to hold herself together. But unlike then, she could tell him she loved him now and hold him–his gaze and his hand and his heart and whatever else he offered–and let them be whatever they wanted to be. Whatever they could be.

Whatever they could be felt like the most beautiful thing in the universe.

Read more on ao3

[zuppizup]

Angsty Rayllum baby centric fic ahead. Read the tags, my lovelies

———

Rest

Rayla hates being pregnant. Not for the typical reasons people joke about to her, though she is frustrated with how ill she feels, and how delicately everyone treats her.

No, she hates how anxious it makes her. How every moment feels filled with thoughts of the baby, if she is comfortable, if she is growing…

If she is alive.

After all this time, she finds she cannot relax.

From her swollen belly it is clear that the baby will be born any day now, but she finds her worry only grows with each passing day. She doesn’t think it will abate until she finally holds her baby in her arms, until she can truly see she’s real and well and… alive.

They’ve been through this too many times before. Her heart cannot take one more break.

Not this particular one, at least.

It’s been broken many times before, she thinks, but this type of loss is something different. Mourning for what might have been is so different from mourning people that were, that others knew.

It feels silly and pointless. Why be sad for what never was? Why look upon an empty crib and think of the baby that might have been but over and over never was.

This one seemed to stick.

It came to a point where her frame could no longer hide and the rumours were growing and growing and eventually it seemed ridiculous to try and dismiss the obvious.

She hated all the well wishing though. All the congratulations and the excitement.

The hidden losses robbed her off her innocence, she thinks.

Everyone seems to see this as a time of joy, of celebration.

It feels wrong for her to dampen others spirits with her constant concerns.

And so, even now, as people seem more and more excited and happy and confident, she wants nothing more than to shy away, to be alone. Just her and Callum.

She does not want to mourn with an audience.

Callum is supportive, as he always is. Patience and understanding. Always willing to listen.

She cannot explain the ache though. The fear. The anxiety.

She doesn’t want to breathe life into it.

He doesn’t believe in fate, has defied it more than once in his defence, but she cannot help but worry… what if she’s bringing this upon them? What if her endless running thoughts are the reason why they never stay.

She’s gazing at the full moon when the first ache hits her. Dull at first, but persistent. Callum is snoring behind her, and she elects not to wake him because who wants to be woken for bad news?

She’s felt this ache before.

Eventually the pain becomes too much though. She cries out, despite her best efforts and Callum wakes suddenly.

She worries he’s going to yell at her, annoyed that she kept another thing from him, but instead he rushes to the guards, insists they call for the midwife and that’s when it truly hits her.

The baby is coming.

The midwife is too far away and Rayla has no idea what she is doing. She was too afraid of tempting fate. The books Callum procured for her untouched on her bedside table.

True to form, Callum has been reading and he coaches her through it.

She thinks she can’t do it, it’s all too much, too painful, too terrifying but then there’s a pain worse than anything she could ever imagine, followed by a tiny, strangled cry and Callum is laughing and crying and looking between her and a pink sticky bundle in his arms and she realises, the baby is real, screaming and grasping... and alive.

And a boy.

Tiny and pink and screaming and perfect and real.

She cries too as she holds him, strokes his tiny squished cheek and finally feels herself relax.

He’s here.

He’s real.

He’s alive.

He has Callum’s eyes and her nose and perhaps both of their lungs because he is clearly furious about the bright or the cold or something but Callum swaddles him in a blanket and pushes the hair back from her sweaty brow and he’s crying and she is too, and they have a baby, a real baby, a tiny little son.

Even now, days later, it all seems so surreal. He’s got over his abrupt and sudden entry to this world (as babies do) snuggled against her breast and sleeping soundly. Callum is sleeping too, drooling on her shoulder, his arm lazily lying across both of them.

She smiles at him, still amazed by how much their son looks like him… by how much love and adoration she feels for both of them. How warm and happy and content she feels.

She looks at her beautiful, healthy, amazing son and the man that helped her bring him into this world and feels she can finally relax.

She assumes people would scoff to hear it, new baby and all, but she feels she can finally rest.

[weebssecretattic]

My 8 y/o lil brother's predictions for tdp S7 pilot ep:

First of all Rayllum go to where ever the people of katolis have set up base.

The new katolis on fire with aaravos stepping on the tents/buildings, and Claudia and Terry on his shoulders with Terry being Terrified.

Opeli hides civilians and zym and ezran while Soren and corvus try to fight aaravos but Claudia knocks back corvus with magic. Then Soren will scream and go rage mode and try to cut aaravos's leg but since he's immortal he won't feel anything. Then aaravos flicks him away towards corvus and Claudia laughs.

Then Callum comes up and does some mage things to stunt aaravos a little , but dudes a giant so he flicks him away too.

At this point, it's revealed that runaan was actually resting in one of the makeshift tents so he comes out too and he and rayla attack aaravos and Claudia but they get flicked back too lol.

Then the dragaan (Soren, corvus, callum, rayla and maybe also runaan) flies away on the red dragon.

End of episode 1.

The plot was deviced by him but he didn't tell me the way I wrote it here, I just added a bit of pizzaz. Let's see how accurate his predictions are.

[jelzorz]

156.

Villads is kind enough to give them a lift back to Katolis, which is nice, thinks Rayla, because it's quicker and safer and ultimately more convenient, but also horrible, because it's an extra week of sailing, and Rayla's had enough of the nausea and the vomitting and the world bobbing up and down on the waves.

It does give them a lot of downtime though.

It's weird. They had downtime while they were waiting for Ez and Soren and Corvus to come back from their meeting with Domina Profundus too, but it was a different sort of downtime—one fraught with tension and the itch to move, to do something instead of wait for the end of the world. There's a sense of completion this time, which makes sense, supposes Rayla. They have Aaravos' prison and they need to decide on their next move together, which is easier done in the castle after a little rest and recuperation. But until then, they are sailing, and waiting, and the bruises on Callum's face fade with every passing day, and the split in his lip heals little by little until he barely flinches anymore when he eats or smiles.

"It's not that bad," he promises her when she asks. "I reckon I've had worse."

Rayla clucks her tongue at him. "Have you?"

Callum shrugs. "I dunno. But it's what I'm telling myself until something worse does happen." He grins then, but Rayla catches the waver in the corner of his lip, and she knows it stings to put up such a front but can't be mad at him for it because... Well. She'd do the same.

"Forget about it, okay?" His smile softens into something a bit more genuine, and he touches her face, his fingers gentle against her skin. "We're okay now. That's all that matters."

Rayla supposes he's right, but forgetting about it is not as easy as he makes it sound. Twice now, she's woken up frantic and terrified, her hands numb with cold, and her mind filled with images of him, desperate to help her, him drawing his fist back and slamming it into Finnegrin's jaw, him crumpling onto the deck under the force of Elmer's blow. The steady rocking of Sea Legs beneath her doesn't help—if anything, it makes it worse, and she stumbles on her own feet as she gets up, seeking Callum in the dark, just to make sure he's here, and he's safe.

And he is. Of course he is. How could he not be? He's Callum, and he's looked at every challenge so far and laughed in its face. She breathes out when she finds him in the hammock next to her, his breathing steady, his skin warm beneath her fingers, his pulse drumming stubbornly in his wrist.

He stirs under her touch, and Rayla draws back, her breath caught in her throat. She hadn't meant to wake him, but relief floods her anyway when his eyes flicker open and land on hers, green against lilac, his brow furrowed in concern.

"You okay?"

Rayla hesitates, then swallows, then nods. "Yeah," she mumbles. "I—erm—" She coughs. "I just... wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why would I not be?"

The ship rocks and moonlight flashes over Callum's lip, still swollen, still split. Rayla flinches at the sight of it, the image of him splayed unconscious on the deck suddenly fresh in her mind once more.

"Oh," says Callum.

Rayla looks away.

There's a pause. It's long and it feels like an ocean between them, so many things still unsaid, so many feelings still unaddressed. Callum shifts, finding her fingers in the dark and resting his forehead against hers, his breath warm and comforting against her lips.

"I'd do it again," he mumbled at last. "I'd take it all again if it meant you'd be safe."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

Another pause. Another breath. And then the press of lips against hers, gentle, tentative, barely passing for a kiss at all, but a kiss all the same. Rayla tastes the metallic tang of blood on his lips, the split not quite healed all the way just yet, and Callum breathes out, his nose against hers, his breath light on her skin. "I'd do anything for you," he murmurs.

Rayla squeezes her eyes shut, her throat tight, her fingers tighter around his. "I know," she says at last. "That's what I'm scared of."

[amys-books27]

Even though they were not outdoors anymore, Rayla could not help but shiver every time she attempted to take her cloak off. Callum had noticed but couldn’t do anything as they were standing in front of Kosmos and Astrid. The two celestial elves explain the precarious balance of the world and how giving them the Nova Blade and the Quasar Dimons without them proving to be worthy, would break it. Because of course, they seemed more dangerous than an ancestral evil archmage. Rayla absolutely understood it. 

“Tomorrow you will get the chance to prove you’re worthy,” said Astrid, stopping in front of a door. 

“For now, you may rest, I guess you’ve traveled long distances to get here” Kosmos opened the door and let them in. 

The room had glimmery walls, a big window with a view to the clouds, two individual-sized beds suspended in some kind of magic web, and a door that Rayla supposed was the bathroom. 

“We thought you would be fine with just one room, but we can always give you another” added Astrid.

Rayla and Callum exchanged a look. The mage cleared his throat “It’s okay” he said “We both can stay here” 

With an almost imperceptible nod, the elves left them alone. 

Rayla sighed and left the bag she was carrying along with Stella and the baitling on the bed. 

“Are you okay, Rayla?” 

She sat on the bed, hugging herself “Yes, it’s just a little cold here” 

Callum sat next to her and passed one arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. 

“The spell must have worn off by now” he muttered. His mind traveled to Finnegrin’s ship and Rayla’s agonizing screams as her blood was frozen. What a shame the heat on his blood couldn’t be transmitted to her. 

“Calidum cutis” Callum chanted as his fingers traced a small rune. 

Instantly Rayla release a relieved sigh. 

“Thank you, Callum,” she said, a small smile on her lips. 

Continue here!

A bit late, I know

Less than 48 hours for S6! I'm so hyped, and excited but also terrified like I've never been in my life.

The fanfic is completely fanon, I don't really think the canon is gonna take that path, but either way, it was fun exploring it.