#also important: i love you tdp season 4. i love you so much

[its-leethee]

there's something about how rayla turns callum around in 6x06 that reminded me of how callum lifts rayla back onto her feet in 4x06,

4x06 // 6x06

and it's this: they're each other's savior from the spiral of despair.

callum will always catch her before she hits rock bottom,

and rayla will always guide him back onto the right path and into the light.

[raayllum]

Cube Hostage Exchange Theory: Ezran Edition

Cause I've been feeling this one and figured I may as well toss in the newest two cents.

This is something I've talked about before (X, X) but much more briefly, and with the theory still on the table for S6, I figured I'd cover more of my bases.

The usual caveats / disclaimers to get out of the way:

Cube Hostage Exchange Theory (CHET) is a TDP theory dating back from September 2020 (shortly after Through the Moon released) speculating that Rayla would be taken hostage in exchange for Callum freeing Aaravos by handing over the Key of Aaravos. It was based on ideas of 1) the key being important to Aaravos' plans, 2) the irony of Callum literally freeing Rayla while chaining himself further to Aaravos' will, and 3) that Callum would be a pawn in Aaravos' plans (deduced well before S4) due to this thematic ties to freedom.

The biggest assumption the theory made/makes is that the Key of Aaravos is something that Aaravos is actively seeking/wanting, or something he needs; this aspect of the theory is still (technically) pure speculation.

CHET may not happen in S6 due to the fact it beat for beat already basically happened in 5x08, just with Finnegrin swapping in for Aaravos as an instigator. This is partially due to the fact that the irony regarding chains and freedom (Rayla being freed by Callum chaining himself) also came to pass alongside the captive/loved one's life being threatened and Callum subsequently being willing to help said antagonist.

That being said, I still fully think a Variant will happen, if you will, whether that's due to Callum getting in over his head with the coins, or something more directly threatening Rayla.

This theory resides on the (canon) interpretation of Callum being willing to do anything to protect his two most important loved ones (Ezran, Rayla) even if that means helping Aaravos and/or putting the world in danger. This post itself is not going to debate or explain this interpretation, but if you are interested in learning more about it, I'd recommend this meta and this tag.

I still think Callum making a choice that risks subsequent possession / world ending behaviour is more likely to be for Rayla. This is for a few reasons: 1) they still have an ongoing relationship rift/conflict to heal, and this could be a way to do it; 2) we know thanks to 6x01 that Callum and Rayla are heading to the Starscraper alone with Ezran being back in Katolis, so there is just more opportunity; 3) more of the narrative legwork has been done with Rayla specifically, particularly in regards to the possession plotline in particular; 4) Ezran has never represented destruction to or for Callum, but Rayla has more overtly negative associations which would fit; 5) Rayla has had more scenes and lines with said Cube / Key of Aaravos throughout the 4 seasons its been displayed (1x04 multiple times, 1x05, 2x07, 3x08, 4x02, 4x03, 4x07) than Ezran has (noticeably only one in 4x07).

All that being said, let's talk about the way the narrative might work / the evidence we have at present for CHET happening, but Callum dooming the world for his brother instead. Otherwise known as CHET: EE (Ezran edition).

The Necessary Narrative Legwork

As stated, CHET: Ezran Edition would only, to me, have a strong enough narrative purpose to happen IF it served as the basis or conclusion for a reconciliation arc between Callum and Rayla (currently ongoing) or between Callum and Ezran. While the brothers are not currently fighting, that doesn't mean they won't in the future.

Season six might have to squeeze it — it would have to be in the latter half of the season, which might be too delayed for Aaravos' proper release, but who knows? — but it definitely seems like the brothers are hurtling towards some sort of conflict.

However, I think the way the conflict is framed / what it ends up being centred on. For example, if the brothers just fight over whether or not to free Runaan (as there are indications that they might), I don't think that by itself leads to a resolution like CHET: EE. But if the brothers fight over Runaan, and it makes Ezran feel like his brother isn't choosing him, and they part on bad terms... Now we're talking.

Now, S6 could have room for a broyals conflict. They could fit over Runaan, as noted, or even other issues in their relationship. This would lay the groundwork for something like a CHET: EE based reconciliation happening, provided there was conflict to resolve first.

I'd also like more scenes / lines concerning Ezran with the cube. Thus far, Ezran has been there in 3/4 seasons where we've seen the cube (S5 is the only season with zero appearances outside the 5x08 intro), but he's only commented on it in 4x07 with "Callum, put away your cube!" when it's glowing because the moon opal on the Bridge of Darkness.

Episodes such as 1x05 particularly feels like a missed opportunity, perhaps, if this was the direction they were going to take, given that Ezran easily could've stepped in during Callum and Rayla's miniature disagreement over it (the "it's a glow toy" + "this doesn't end well for you" foreshadowing is there in addition to Callum looking at the Star rune) to make a comment about it still being worthwhile / perhaps a fun toy. But if Ezran's hide and seek game motif (more evident when they were searching for the hidden prison) comes into play and is tethered further to the cube's game motif, that's alright by me.

So yeah, two key points I would need to happen could happen, largely:

The brothers having some kind of serious conflict wherein Callum prioritizing Ezran in this way could help reconcile it

Ezran having more screen time with / regarding the Cube and Aaravos in some manner

That's not to say there's no legwork already put in, though, for an EE, which is part of the reason why I'm making this post. So let's talk about the two biggest points in this edition's favour:

The Orphan Queen Connection

Despite not receiving the Key himself (which could be a parallel to the Sunfire siblings regarding Kim'Dael's collar), the EE has a significant point in its favour due to Ezran's associations with the Orphan Queen. He's been directly compared to her both in appearance and in personality, as he shares her ability to Truth Tell in the face of lies, narratively speaking:

I should have seen it before. Ha! Long ago, it was a human who saw through the Fallen Star’s schemes and helped Xadia put an end to them. You look so much like her.

I've written before about the parallels there seems to be when it comes to the Jailer and Callum, two clever human mages, and the Orphan Queen Ezran, two royals of a blood line tethered in some way to truth telling and Aaravos. This parallel connection of the Jailer and the Orphan Queen being involved in imprisoning Aaravos, and Callum and Ezran witnessing / failing to stop if not also being involved in his release would be an ironic layer.

There would be another additional layer if the Orphan Queen's use of the cube was what led to him being sealed away, and now the Key is being used to spare her descendant, his brother's, life three hundred years later.

Thus far we don't know much else about the Orphan Queen besides this, so I could see Ezran's role with the Key being to partially discover what it is or what it might do, and for Callum to figure out further how it works and how to use it, but we'll have to see. I think this piece of evidence would be stronger if both brothers had been very involved and interested with the Key thus far - a true piece of dual heritage for both of them - but given that it's been so much more in Callum's corner and much less in Ezran's, I think this aspect is probably what would need to be developed the most in S6 to work out.

That said, the strongest piece of evidence we have for an EE of CHET is namely the place where we first learn the cube is called the Key of Aaravos at all, which is in...

Harrow's Letter

Harrow's letter exists in story for a few reasons:

To resolve Harrow and Callum's arc with each other, particularly to affirm to Callum that he belonged within his family / as Harrow's son. This is folded into Harrow discussing his sons' bond and what he wants for both of them in addition to point 3 and 4

To largely tie up Callum's grief regarding Harrow, as while we still see bits and pieces of it (you can argue 2x08 and 4x03 touch on it), 2x06 is the last time Callum's specific grief about Harrow is discussed (at least for now)

To complement Viren's narrative of what happened with Harrow's own take on the same events, particularly to push forward and the name the Narrative of Love vs Narrative of Strength dichotomy (which S4 and S5 have spent a lot of time deconstructing further)

To explicitly introduce the concept of the Chains of History and Harrow's own desire for freedom, which is alluded to in early S1 but not fully developed, and therefore pave the way for him to show up in Callum's 2x08 dreams

To give us the info about the Key of Aaravos early enough we could sit with it, and also let the foreboding build

I do think the placement of the information about the Key is interesting, because the way it's presented perhaps fulfil more of our traditional expectations in the fantasy genre. Of course the protagonist happens to stumble across a neat, funky family heirloom with a tease for a cool power-up to come. It is, after all, the first time we hear the name Aaravos.

However, they very quickly (aka like 1.2 episodes later) give us the name of Aaravos, and we immediately know it's nothing good. The more negative associations with the cube are also added to in 2x08 with the dream imagery, which makes a lot more sense now that we know just how deep the ties between Aaravos and dark magic really go.

With this in mind, the most telling lines from the letter for an EE CHET is, I believe, this from Harrow:

But as a father, I have a selfish wish. For you and Ezran to be... free.

Now the letter itself talks about Freedom almost as much as it talks about Love, and indeed, love — specifically a Narrative of Love — is posited as something that can and will free you, in contrast to the Narrative of Strength bound by the chains of history. We also know Startouch stuff is associated with wishes, so that's another point. And Harrow's last words to Callum were "Take care of my brother." From a familial standpoint, there's more than enough permission / merit here to go ahead.

The letter introduces the Key and talks about the brothers. It talks about chains and love and freedom. And these are all things that would be very much literally present in in a Cube Hostage Exchange in which Ezran is the hostage or person the key is being handed over to save.

And while I think it could be a possibility on the table, because Callum absolutely would do this for his brother... I still think if we're gonna get a scenario like this, it's going to be Rayla, or it's going to be no one. And here's why.

The Other Side

You may have noticed throughout this that this edition of the theory depends on even more could haves than traditional CHET already does, and hasn't really talked about Ezran's personality or interplay with sacrifice as a theme. This is because that, without an external conflict pushing things forward, this display of devotion doesn't really affect Ezran much. He knows his brother loves him and has never doubted this; Ezran is very measured about sacrificing himself for what he believes in, but is also always willing to accept help and other people's aid. Ezran is sacrificial, largely adjacent to his crown and his childhood, but his arc itself is centred around concepts of power, duty, and justice over a core theme of sacrifice or even freedom.

Subsequently, Ezran likewise has not been associated heavily with chains, nor is Callum someone who has broken Ezran's cycles or chains, literally or metaphorically. Although Ezran is undeniably tethered to freedom because "a child is freer than a king" and him being briefly (meaningfully) in prison, freeing Ezran has never been a main plot concern Callum or Rayla has had to contend with. The closest they come are the boys working together to free Rayla in 1x04 with Bait, Callum and Rayla working together to get Ez out from the icy water in 1x06, and Soren freeing Ezran from prison (and getting him to his council) in 3x05... and that's about it. Nor is Ezran a big part of Callum's mage arc; they normally discuss things other than magic, Callum rarely uses magic to protect his brother (although S5 definitely had an uptick), and Ezran is pretty separated from notions of magic within Xadia outside of his ability to talk to animals. (It's kind of like how while Callum and Zym have a strong bond, Ezran has a more emphasized one and largely carries the human side of human-dragon reconciliation alongside Soren, whereas their siblings are more elf and magic focused.)

This might shift if/when freeing Harrow from a bird is a possibility, and that's not to say it couldn't be Ezran just on this basis — but that TDP usually prefers to include things at a lower stakes level or even as a joke, and then ramp it up continually until it reaches a breaking point. We can see this even in 6x01 with a scene of Soren leading a blind folded Opeli for comedic effect, only for blindfolds to clearly be important later on in S6 with Callum and the Celestial elves. Similarly, Callum freeing Rayla both literally and metaphorically was set up consistently and periodically throughout the first 4 seasons, to the degree I could predict some of the specifics in 5x08 even years ahead. Then, the show reaffirms this pattern as well as early on in S5 (5x01 in particular), so when it came to a head in 5x08, it felt natural and earned from a thematic standpoint.

Even if S6 went in hard with the Broyals having a fight in the back half, they would still have to drench Ezran in freedom associations to me to effectively get to where I feel like a CHET: EE would totally work. That's not to say there couldn't be over avenues there I'm not seeing now, or a thread I've missed that's been steadily building all along that S6 then makes evident, but this is largely where I've arrived with everything we currently know.

Conclusion

TLDR; Cube Hostage Exchange: Ezran Edition has merit largely due to the Orphan Queen parallel and Harrow's letter, but does not seem to have enough plot buildup at this time to make me lean in that direction. Instead, I still learn towards if there is going to be this scenario or a variant, it will either be for Rayla ( / her parents adjacently) or not at all.

[jamieedlund]

I absolutely love the au you have built! I just recently got into this fandom and I loved seeing this!

Just wanted to ask some questions:

1. Have you ever thought of writing a fic for this au??

2. What would the other characters reactions be to finding out callum freed aaravos and even ran away with him? I really wanna know rayla and his brother's reactions maybe even the other elves reactions to his actions.

3. I genuinely want to know your thoughts on canon callum, his writing, his story, his actions, his lore, his magic?

4. Do you think there's ever a chance of seeing any part of your au in canon? Specially with the new season.

5. What are your thoughts on rayllum? Would their canon relationship have any affects in your au?

6. Would callum and aaravos remain fugitives in the future of your au or will that change?

7. Do you think there's a character that would for whatever reason join callum and aaravos?

8. Is there anyone who would secretly be happy for callum and aavravos? Or even secretly support them maybe even help them and tell them about whats going on?

9. When, and why did you create this au?

10. Will we get more backstory and lore for your au in the future?

11. Since callum is human he would eventually die right? What would aaravos do then?

12. What are your thoughts on the theory that callum is a half elf? Or even aaravos son?

13. What is your favorite tdp theory regarding these two?

14. If you could have rewritten s3 or even the whole show what would you have changed?

Sorry about asking so many questions!! I just really wanna know your thoughts on these 😭

⚠(WARNING!!! READING. AN UNGODLY AMOUNT OF READING)⚠ Hello hello~ Welcome to (what is essentially hell for me) BUT OTHERWISE PROBABLY A GOOD TIME FOR YOU maybe hopefully ヾ(•ω•`)o

First of all, thank you so much, I’m super glad that you found my chaotic somewhat ugly doodles to your liking! Laughs in i also enjoy genshin quite a lot and I really like childe as well!

ALRIGHT ON TO THE QUESTIONS SO BUCKLE UP, BUDDY! Because I’m about to do something that only a few people would ever get through - R A N T i MEAN ansWERINg questions. Please, and this is very important, take my answers with a grain…no…A GIGANTIC OCEAN WORTH OF SALT. I’m but a commoner who loves Callum and Aaravos a little bit too much. Also due to the nature of tumblr ask limiting me to only 10-30 images(?)…in this arguably somewhat of an argumentative essay…So um SORRY for the lack of illustrations and that I tried my best to answer as clearly as I could. With that being said…Bust out the popcorn and enjoy!🍿🍿🍿

1. Have you ever thought of writing a fic for this au??

I’m not the biggest fan of writing or reading for that matters (hahah which is ironic because I have to somewhat write a script for this) BUT! I did have all of the outlines of the plot planned out. I’m only good at writing dynamics - aka relationships between people. I still need the canon explanation on a lot of things because there is no way in hell I’ll get the magic system right UNLESS THEY SHOW IT TO ME JESUS FRICKIN CHRIST-

So yea, no written fanfic but there is an existing script, several comic drafts with some missing lore that I hope the show will reveal~ I dub their story ‘Masters of the Primals’ and here’s a sketch of one of the covers~

I hope you like it. I think they’re very cute together…

2. What would the other characters reactions be to finding out callum freed aaravos and even ran away with him? I really wanna know rayla and his brother's reactions maybe even the other elves reactions to his actions.

Oh I’ve actually written a draft abt this so I can either dump all the ugly sketches in your face— or tell you about it… Let’s do both because only the most obscure of my followers have the patience for my shenanigoogles anyways.

So! Due to the fact that we saw the mirror is now placed in a regular room within the castle (in ss4 trailer) chances are the whole situation you’re looking at here

probably took place within the walls of A REGULAR ROOM OF THE CASTLE. Therefore if Aaravos’s return did trigger some sort of ancient alarm and the place was swarmed, Ezran and Soren would be the first to know of this incident. The way I see it… it was shown in ss4 that Callum has been brooding and upset for 2 years ever since Rayla left. So in the brief moments that Ezran got to see his brother with Aaravos, Callum was smiling and genuinely being the happiest that he has ever seen for the first time IN FOREVER (when he tried to introduce Aaravos to Ezran and explained himself with whatever the truth relating to this man is) was enough proof for him.

Ezran would probably be the first, and quickest to trust in Callum’s heart. I think he would definitely yell at his brother to get his ass out of the kingdom and pursue his own happiness and that he will see him later (maybe when Aaravos told Callum to stay with Ezran, nudged him forward but instead Callum hugged his brother goodbye, then grabbed the man’s hand and and booked it before all hell break lose)

Soren’s reaction might be the most fun and one that I’ve also written a script for. He would at first, definitely be on the elves side because well…Aaravos is evil and dangerous is all that he’s told. So he might have been neutralized either frozen in place or sent flying when Aaravos impulsively protected Callum from being harm. Later him and Rayla would definitely try to hunt Callum down believing that Aaravos somehow - brainwashed or manipulated Callum into running off and doing evil with him (which there is no proof of btw they’re REALLY JUST ASSUMING that they’re doing bad things because of Aaravos’s history lol.) Callum will always opt to tell the truth, what he did know about Aaravos, how he manipulated Viren and how he was the caterpillar bug thingy that Soren saw before. This, of course, would reasonably anger Soren. As for Rayla, well she has all the reasons to destroy Aaravos because that’s all she’s told about him, and considering she now know he did played a role in the previous war via what the elves had told her...it’s not like she would think otherwise.

So they fight.

I dub this the ‘Callum kicking literally everybody’s ass’ - The Arc.

Aaravos would help but I think my boy got it cover. Callum on the other hand…he’s just so done with hearing the same thing over and over: Aaravos is evil; he’ll devour your soul; he’s going to take over the worlddd. Which to him sounded a bit much considering all they have been doing ever since running away was LITERALLY FIXING THE ELVES AND DRAGON’S PROBLEMS like fighting op bandits, quieting the cold wars that probably exist somewhere in Xadia, helping to restore the magic back to the dying lands, etc ALL OF THIS WHILST BEING HUNTED DOWN BY THE SYSTEM ITSELF BECAUSE ??? AARAVOS IS EVIL HE’S A CRIMINAL HE MUST BE STOPPED etc etc. Note that it might have been months when Rayla and Soren finally caught up to these two, which gave Callum plenty of time to learn combat tactics and creative ways to use his power with both his and Aaravos’s massive brains combined.

So in short, Callum is just done. He’s done perpetuating the broken system. A system, which by the way, if you remember, condemned Rayla’s parents thinking they ran away WHEN THEY HAD THE TOOL TO FIND OUT IF THAT WAS TRUE OR NOT BY USING THE SAME SPELL CALLUM DID AT THE STORM SPIRE A system that believed Amaya deserved death without giving her a chance to trial because — war and discrimination??? (Janai had to begged for her life and even then she’s still treated by the ruling class as a “pet”) A system that sent assassins to murder knowing that it will PROBABLY perpetuate the cycle of violence, with the person who ATTEMPTED THIS ACT aka the dragon queen btw don’t forget this, literally sent Callum and Ez’s dad to his grave, took a nap and woke up acting like this was what she wanted ALL ALONG (face palming so hard at the writing for this) AND FINALLY, a system where, from the start, knowingly half-heartedly helped human via the act of the unicorns giving the human primal stones itself (check the wiki for this I’m sure this is canon somehow) is a cruel joke disguises as an act of kindness, in my opinion anyway. I can say one thing for certain, if there is no need for dark magic, it wouldn’t have existed. No one would need it because well—they can already do primal magic. SO SOMETHING along the line of HOW primal magic was used and WHO used the primal magic AND WHAT was it used for, must have not been LIFE-SAVING due to the fact that the human poems recalled their town being attacked by dragons and the ancient dark mage recall tales of famine and plagues. A system that has been looking down on humanity since the dawn of their existence.

But this isn’t to say the humans didn’t do anything wrong either, as the show constantly trying to shove the fact that human mages and dark magic = bad at our faces lols. However…I wanna talk about something else... King Harrow’s bad kingdom management choices. It wasn’t dark magic that’s at fault. IT WAS HARROW(not entirely but for the main conflict of the show it's definitely his fault) — which i will dissect more in the later answer about Callum. But for now all I will say this: DARK MAGIC ISN’T THE BAD GUY HERE. Callum woke up to the truth when he met Aaravos and realized that he can’t choose between two ambiguously terrible systems…so he decided to leave them both! He recognizes that there are countless of people who still rely and are living some what happy and peaceful lives within these systems, therefore him and Aaravos running away to just be themselves, to live their own lives, to be happy was the best course of action to take.

I think that the comic draft about their fights sorta already explained how the other elves and dragons see this scandalous(lol) event : Aaravos scheming something terrible with the human mage. Some of them probably think Callum got manipulated or brainwashed, others immediately condemned him because PREJUDICE~ Human’s always gotta be human~ and what not. That’s all I can say regarding to this aspect of the story. Bonus content, how Aaravos feels about his student’s friends comic draft:

3. I genuinely want to know your thoughts on canon callum, his writing, his story, his actions, his lore, his magic?

oH BOY, here is the part where I warned you about. Take whatever I’m about to say with a massive amount of salt. I’ve had people asking this and then unfollowed me for my very infuriating take on him.

I genuinely, sincerely , without a shadow of a doubt, believe that the writers do not love him as a character. Let me give you all the evidence to why (spare my soul I TRIED to sit through all of the seasons to list out moment that he is on screen which included time stamps, episode number and the season I cited along with my thoughts on each of them… God knows if I miss anything because I just can’t stand the way they write him)

(click here if you wanna read all of them because I refuse to put any of you through this kind of hell, if your browser warns you about opening it just open it anyways I swear I'm not out here to steal your info lol)

If you came back from the link and still disagree with me then, idk what else to tell you. This will fall on your deaf ears I suppose… But if you understand, with or without reading my notes, I hope it’s been clear to you how he is the prime example of a wasted main character FROM THE START. He’s under written at worst… semi-mediocre at best. You will surely get it when I say he’s only written….purely to save Rayla, to make her character looks good and or other characters around him look good. His role in the story, is arguably, even more important than “the dragon prince” himself because CALLUM IS THE SOLUTION, THE ANSWER TO THE MAIN CONFLICT OF THE SHOW: M A G I C(the conflict between primal and dark magic ; or human vs magical creatures. Depends on how you look at it.)

And yet… a massive disservice was done to him. It makes no sense from both the lore and the importance of the story stand point that they would treat his character like this. I love him, I love who he has and surely still has the potential to be. I think I made this very clear in the examples that I’ve given but I’ll spell it out again here (given that maybe I’ve probably completely spiraled into insanity while watching the show again purely for that purpose…)

ABOUT HIS WRITINGS, STORY, ACTION AND LORE:

As someone whose mother was lost because of his own father’s bad choice as a ruler(and I’d argue that he understood this very well that it wasn’t dark magic. IT’S HIS STEP DAD) he could and would have become someone who’s sensitive to the truth. That dark magic is JUST, A, TOOL. A very dangerous, powerful one but A TOOL, NONETHELESS. It’s something someone willingly choose. It is a contract. You lose a bit of yourself in exchange for your desire. It was Harrow’s choice to help the neighbor when his kingdom barely had enough to get by. It was again his choice, not Viren’s, not dark magic’s “temptation”, HIS CHOICE to kill the titan. It was HIS choice that led to Sarai’s death. Then it WAS AGAIN, his choice to kill the dragon king. From Callum’s perspective, he should have seen it this way a long time ago. But the thing that was wasted about this, was even when he knew all of this, he still made an effort to love Harrow, because his love for his mother is greater than his hatred for Harrow’s mistakes. UNTIL WHATEVER TRANSPIRED IN EPISODE 1-3 in season one. He would have stood up to his father with vigor when this man again decided to be selfish AGAIN, wanting to die instead of staying alive at all cost for his very young son, and then would still risked his life fighting and protect him rather than running away because that’s just the type of person CALLUM IS. Not whatever the hell that went down in the show… I will fight for this version of him till the day I die. Make his flaw recklessness instead of cowardice. Make him love everyone as best as he can, not just his romantic interest. That is what I see in Callum, and sadly not what I’ve gotten.

ABOUT HIS POWER The bit about him getting his magic was anti climatic and pisses me off to no end because of the execution (again this was in the link, see my notes on season 2) I won’t say more here but here’s the summary: The one Callum condemned should have been the image of his step father due to all the bad choices that he’s made, and then swiftly turn his back on the thing that saves him his pride (the fact that the show and Harrow refused to acknowledge that dark magic really did saved thousands of lives when he couldn’t); knowingly shackling his very young son Ezran to the throne which he DELIBERATELY SAID before hand: a child is freer than a king. Yea, real good of ya Harrow. Towards the dark mage version of himself, he should have been more gentle, understanding and kind. He wouldn’t make the same mistake as Harrow by completely becoming ungrateful to it. He would bargain for his soul, vowing that he will be a little kinder to himself and hope that it can give him a chance. He couldn’t go on living if he’s not himself anymore. This would have made the story infinitely more interesting because the show HAD THE CHANCE TO SHOW US THAT DARK MAGIC CAN BE FORGIVING(and in canon it…kinda is??? Because Callum was able to just noped out of getting corrupted so forgiving is in its nature…SO WHY IS IT BEING RIDICULE WHEN IT LITERALLY HELPED HIM SAVED HIS FRIEND’S LIFE BRUH) with the dark Callum slowly closes his eyes and fade away as Callum hugged him; dropping the key that was all dark magic runes into the abyss. THAT. is how you reject something like dark magic. THAT is how you are worthy of being the FIRST EVER HUMAN TO CHANEL THE PRIMAL - because YOU UNDERSTOOD THE TRUE NATURE OF DARK MAGIC: that it’s not EVIL. Not all the preachy prejudicial crap that transpired in that episode… It didn’t feel earned and it didn’t feel natural. To his character and to the story and I want to cry.

4. Do you think there's ever a chance of seeing any part of your au in canon? Specially with the new season.

I doubt it aha. With what they did to Callum and what I’ve seen so far with the new season derailing his character into “angst” instead of … letting him embrace his non-traditional masculinity and going all in on the “moe” aspect of his character…BUT THEY DIDN’T! SO it might just go down a typical angsty good vs evil generic writing… I’ve said this before but if they made my plot a reality I would literally eat dirt 🤣 and not just “oh Aaravos is using Callum so he took him as a student” no no no~ I mean e x a c t l y how it transpired in my writings. THEN I’ll eat dirt :)))

5. What are your thoughts on rayllum? Would their canon relationship have any affects in your au?

One of the other aspect I want people to take with another mountain of salt. I’ll answer in the shortest way possible though because it will take another essay for me to get through my thoughts. I’ll give you one word: Chemistry. I didn’t feel any chemistry between them from the moment they met till the moment they became a couple. (A friendly reminder that season 1-3 took place in only a month or a month and a half…maybe two months if you count the official comic. So their “romance” formed a little after …. two…weeks… yep I checked… and “fell apart” after like a month and a half…) Chemistry, is what you feel instantly. You can’t…make it happen, it just…happens. I think Aaravos said it best in the comic draft below: “If you had to force love, it’s probably shit.” 🙂 There is this innate compatibility within the characters themselves that makes their interaction explosive with emotions…and these two…has non... They are, in some ways sorta…good friends…? but take their first interaction for example! The first nice thing Callum expressed towards Rayla without fear was: YOU SWEPT THE LEG! She doesn’t understand this sentiment, her reaction wasn’t amused, it was this angry, somewhat confused look. Later on when he’s happy finding out that he’s a mage, she’s just annoyed, not finding this bubbly carefree somewhat loud personality charming. I get that this is when they first met and there is still barriers here and there… but like I said, it’s about the chemistry ; something that’s supposed to happen instantaneously. There are countless more times like this… when there is a chance for some sort of reaction to happen; but it just… did not? Then it did a 180 in ss3 for…the sake of shipping…huh..??? So to me at least, their chemistry has already failed.

For how this affects my own writings, take a look at these drafts:

In a valentine comic draft that I had right here (Callum is taking a look at some magical candied roses being sold at the market on the day of love)

Callum: head empty, only master. Didn’t even think twice about anything else🤣

and this lunar new year draft right here (they’re waiting for the fireworks to start)

You can’t tell me this isn’t good advice, also I stole this from “how I met your mother” the chemistry and timing talk.

Or refer to the previous draft in question 2 when Aaravos talked about Rayla

You can clearly see that Aaravos ACKNOWLEDGED his student’s relationship, whilst Callum seems somewhat dismissive of it. I do it this way because:

like it or not…that is still what happened in the canon;

Maybe a good thing because if Callum had decided to run away with Aaravos, a labeled WAR CRIMINAL, changing his perspective on what he believed in either about life or relationship, shouldn’t be a far fetch development either. I wrote about it in detail via this post. I think that he would slowly learn that he is super happy without the involvement of a romantic partner, thus he’s able to be more understanding to Rayla’s leaving him. Or maybe it’s Aaravos who helped him understand why she left and even be the reason for why he’s so emotionally stable and matured.

IN SHORT: Callum doesn’t think about or even wants to think about his romantic life when he’s with Aaravos. His reply whenever his master mentions Rayla (which doesn’t really come up that often) would always be: “I’ll deal with it when it comes to it!” My man Aaravos on the other hand… he’s literally just vibing. Touching grass, doing magic, getting mentally healthier and being happy. He’s still the biggest bastard that Callum has ever known though, so that won’t change any time soon 🙂

6. Would callum and aaravos remain fugitives in the future of your au or will that change?

No spoilers~ They might be still “considered” fugitives is all I’m saying! I hope you will get to see the result for yourself!

7. Do you think there's a character that would for whatever reason join callum and aaravos?

At one point…I felt like Claudia would? Mainly because I wrote a whole arc for Callum v Claudia which the focus would be Aaravos past mistakes (or “mistakes”, represented by whatever Claudia became) vs his aspiration (his present, his hope, his student - Callum) But then even if Callum successfully repelled the corruption out of Claudia, they would probably just leave her with Ezran or Amaya because these two are incredibly selfish when it comes to their bond. They’re too used to being alone together and they would rather keep it that way. WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE considering how literally everyone just wants to hunt them down.

Mayyybe with the exception being Zym??? Since Ez can’t leave the throne to go with Callum, Zym decided to accompanied them to sorta like being his eyes cough and keep tabs on Aaravos. That it’d make an interesting plot line. Plus it’s the most powerful elven mage, the first and probably most powerful human mage, and the most powerful dragon in the world… What a scary trio. Also…Aaravos big feeling times with Zym and Callum just trying to hold it together in the background is subjectively, a very fun and good story. Forgiveness, innocence, prejudice, love, redemption. All in one package.

8. Is there anyone who would secretly be happy for callum and aavravos? Or even secretly support them maybe even help them and tell them about whats going on?

Ezran. 100% Ezran. It’s …it’s Ezran… He took one look at his brother and went: yep yea you are CLEARLY HAPPIER WITH HIM BRO, GO FOR IT. RUN! BE FREE!

Amaya and Janai (mostly Amaya) Also um I wrote a fun plot line that Amaya and Janai pursued them thinking that Aaravos kidnapped Callum, caught them just chilling in a tavern and Aaravos proceeded to defeat a very angry Janai with a big spoon (or what people commonly call a ladle…curtesy of Callum panicking and tossing it to him…The man just went with it and WON lol) Meanwhile Callum successfully bested Amaya without hurting her thus convincing her that his master is indeed, helping him grow as a person. Amaya also witness them just being happy and caring for each other after battling them so she sorta understood. Janai … is still pissed at Aaravos of course but considering who he slayed um . . . I’m giving this one to Aaravos… — I guess they became sort of an ally??? Janai just begrudgingly became neutral but tbh these two are really trying to be the best aunties to Callum. After a bit of fighting, they would probably be on their side. They might meet up sometimes to exchange information and what not. Aaravos refuses to meet Janai again because he doesn’t have the patience to deal with her anger like the bastard that he is. But he does agree that she has every right to feel that way about him. He’s just not down to deal with it all over again. He might do this tho:

Please wonderstorm let them make a deeznuts joke i stg it's gonna be iconic.

S O R E N After getting his butt kicked twice by Aaravos (in the castle) and Callum (when he finally caught up with them) The next time they bump into each other, Soren would try and have a talk with Callum. I think the things he were angry the most about again was: it's exactly because his dad was a terrible person that Aaravos made him worse, while Callum’s aspiration is simply to be free with his master. At the end of the day, Aaravos is more of an enabler than anything good or bad. There is this whole jealousy within Soren that “why couldn’t you pointed my father to the right path” and “I know it’s not your fault but I’m still very upset that you’re such an enabler” towards Aaravos and also to Callum who in his eyes, he saw lucked out when it comes to receiving guidance from older figures. He would still apologize to them for feeling that way though when THIS glorious resolution kick in:

Justice for Soren's apology being received in the worst way possible in ss3

That wise man being Aaravos, of course :)) He is a good teacher when it matters. Needless to say after all of this this, Soren is 100% on his side. Even in non canon, my boy Soren still had a very good character arc. Some other allies might includes the people they helped on the way either in the earthblood elves domain or the tidebound elves place, possibly even Neolandia of all places. There was a side plot I wrote that Kasef was alive and that Callum helped him regain his humanity then sent him back to his kingdom to reunite with his dad. But I might scrap it if they declare that Kasef is really dead (rip Kasef you had potential my man. I understood you).

9. When, and why did you create this au?

I had this thought at the back of my mind while crawling my way through season 2 in 2018…2019?? (don’t get me wrong…but to me the show’s writing is so…horrendous…However… I got nothing better to watch so…might…as…well) and that thought being: What if…Aaravos…and Callum just…run away from this terrible plot… And then I proceeded smiling to myself thinking about all the fun things I could have done with their characters. That kinda saved my sanity and kept me powered through the entire show somehow. I didn’t executed it until last year(2021) though… I think I have the worst case of “I don’t like the canon and the fandom is a bit too much so I will forget about this until no further notice.”

10. Will we get more backstory and lore for your au in the future?

I think this post already contains the most of the lore(or spoilers for the lore) that I haven’t released out into the wild yet. But most definitely! I will continue making art about these two as long as the canon doesn’t do anything that will collapse the potential of them being amazing together. I’m a huge believer in not supporting content that doesn’t make me happy… so until then! More stories are sure to come ♥

11. Since callum is human he would eventually die right? What would aaravos do then?

Haha this is more of a spoiler for my plot so I’m leaving you with this : I’m sure at one point Callum realizes that he IS going to have to leave Aaravos one day, whether he likes it or not. This then resulting in him visiting any nearby library wherever it is that they are currently in when he has the time. Using “wanted to learn new things” as a cover up, what he’s really after is a way to either prolong his life (in a safe and legal way) so that he can be together with Aaravos for as long as he could; or to cut Aaravos life span down because to no one’s surprise, out-living everyone around him has indeed took a big toll on Aaravos mental health. Think of it sorta like his side quest~ He doesn’t want to ask his master about it because… Callum knows Aaravos wanted him to live a normal, happy natural human life, what are the chances that he will give him an answer. Aaravos is so used to loss and war and people around him dying, so he had already accepted this ever since he decided to become Callum’s master.

The real question is… do you really think Callum can give up on his master that easily? 😊 and cough* yknow do you think Aaravos truly wants to give up Callum like this lol

12. What are your thoughts on the theory that callum is a half elf? Or even aaravos son?

According to a friend of mine, the writers had already dismissed the theory that Callum is Aaravos’ son. However…they didn’t say anything about them NOT being related… and I pray to god that they’re not because

Callum being part elf GREATLY UNDERMINES his own character arc, and over all is a very bad writing decision(not that it was good in the first place aaaa) With all the things I said in the bit for how I feel about Callum, making him be “born” special is a disgrace to the one thing that stood out about him: being the first human to have ever connected to the primals (albeit executed sorta poorly…) I strongly feel that Callum should have the agency to, at least, represent the fact that he earns his power for who he is as a person and not for his heritage. I see some might say well yea doesn’t matter if he’s a half or quarter or has elven blood in him, it’s who he is as a person — well to that I say why not just make him a regular human being from the start to REALLY hammer down the point? “Well that’s world-breaking cause it’s the rule that human can’t do magic” I hear some of you saying— There is already a plausible explanation right there.

It was Aaravos’s key that guided him through the darkness, provided that Callum has proven himself to be capable of understanding things for what they really are (which I have spoken of before…and not in anyway shape or form like what the canon made him said in that scene lol). No need to add something to make it feel like it’s not breaking the law (like yeaaa ofc he can do it he has elven blood aha)…because…it…wasn’t…breaking the law in the first place… *Laughs in Aaravos is the law* 2. Aaravos should keep his penis to himself that’s all I’m saying hahaha no okay. In all seriousness… I don’t think Aaravos should be romantically or sexually involved. I think it’s great to not shackle a character to the idea that only romantic and or sexual love will make them more interesting, likeable, relatable or …human? Because the truth is…I love not being able to put Aaravos in a box, whether it’s his sexuality or moral standard. I think he deserves to keep that alluring part of his character for himself. It would be more precious if his perception of “love” as “being worship and remembered” has never been challenged until he met Callum. The change from worshipping love to just simple yet somewhat multi-layers platonic love is the best thing I would argue they should give him. No more clichés “villain” upset because of romantic love and romantic love is all there is. Make him unique! Make him special! I also think as someone who frowns upon forced control, I’d rather think he views his affection (if he ever developed one) as some sort of imprisonment to the people around him due to him almost always out living them. He’d rather not lay something that personal, even if its for the sake of manipulation, on the table. I think this weirdly humanize him since it might also be a type of selfishness that’s unique to him. “I’m selfish. My feelings are my own, that’s just how I like it.” something along that line.

I think it’s infinitely more precious that they’re not related because it really highlights that love isn’t necessarily fraternal nor romantic to be just as amazing and heart warming. Love can just. Exist.

13. What is your favorite tdp theory regarding these two?

I… like them being master and student and that’s it hahah!!! I have been told that some people had already thought of this as well…but by then I hadn’t really seen it being noticed by the majority of the fandom. I worry about sounding arrogant or condescending sometimes but … it’s because I haven’t seen it being written in a way that gave me joy that I’m resulted to making my own food… HAHAH I’M SORRY I HOPE THAT MAKE SENSE? AGAIN I’M VERY WORRIED ABOUT SOUNDING LIKE AN ASSHOLE lol my favorite is what I wrote ashiadkljfdskl

14. If you could have rewritten s3 or even the whole show what would you have changed?

I haven’t thought of it this way at all because I think the problems has already taken roots from the first season…(evidentially enough I’ve pointed it out in a massive word vomit relating to my boy Callum’s writing alone) I like to leave the canon material alone, as I know a lot of people really really enjoyed it. I unfortunately… did not…AND THAT’S OKAY!

At the end of the day, it’s still just a kid show… But I’d like to think that if we keep accepting mediocrity, we will never truly get anything good. I think this show has the potential to be something so much more, most of my anger (and maybe hatred) comes from the fact that I do genuinely love the world building and I do love Callum and Aaravos… I hope I’ve somehow managed to convey that to you <3

To end this on a somewhat light-hearted note, I would like to leave you and anyone who has made it this far, a canon fact: Did you know that on the key of Aaravos, the sky primal and the star primal are on the opposite side of each other? I see this as they’re always keeping each other in balance and that makes me happy~

Sorry for any grammar mistakes I've made I'm sure there are tons of them.

[writingforfun0714]

I just finished binge-watching The Dragon Prince S4 and I thought I’d share my thoughts as a show-only fan.

Warnings—spoilers for TDP S4, long post

*I’VE NEVER READ ANY OTHER MATERIAL

**I remember hearing from Wonderstorm (the animation studio) that it wasn’t necessary to read TTM (Through the Moon) to understand the story, so I never bothered with it—but boy I’m assuming it’d be helpful

Out of every season, I thought it was ok, however, definitely the weakest of the seasons so far. I’ve seen people make excuses, the most popular one is that ‘it’s just setting up the arc, it’s not supposed to wrap everything up’. To those that use the ‘it’s not finished’ excuse, may I point to you S1??? The first season of any show is hard to pull off b/c of world building and introducing the story. I’d say that TDP’s 1st season is much better than season 4. Yes S1 had wonky animation, but the story was great! It kept me engaged and that’s the goal of every story: to be interesting.

So here’s what I liked/enjoyed:

By S4, the animation has improved and looks amazing. The music is also not bad. S1 I thought did just a bit better with the music (ep3!), but definitely still good. There’s a 2yr timeskip so Callum is about 17 and Ezran is 11-12. Loved everyone’s new look (though Ez’s voice threw me but I understand a lot of boys don’t start puberty until about 13–my 12yr old brother is just starting/and the VA is female so dunno if they’d just pitch her down or what).

I know a lot of you didn’t like that the pastry chef guy was made like an official member of the royal council or whatever, but I actually loved it. It’s a refreshing take compared to having solely important people on the council. Adding people who seem like ‘normal/everyday’ kind of people to a high position (yes, it’s cooking/food, but he can be in charge of feeding the needy in Katolis or something) isn’t something that’s normally seen in fantasy stories imo.

Also know that some of you didn’t like that Igneous Rex was swayed by a pastry. His explanation though really made sense. He wanted to try something new (think Isabella from Encanto). It made total sense and I loved it. Also immediately knew it was chocolate. Never once did I think it was like cinnamon or something. Chef man is gonna bring world peace w/ chocolate calling it now.

The bond between Zym/Ezran reminds me of Eragon (especially w/ Ez being able to see through Zym’s eyes) and I’m absolutely living for that.

The new characters introduced are ok. Definitely love Terry. Honestly, I was wondering why he wasn’t freaking out when Claudia would do dark magic (since he’s an elf), but after thinking on it, I realized Terry’s probably never seen anything bad happen for using dark magic. For being so smitten w/ Claudia, I assume they’ve known each other for maybe a year or so. Enough time to get to know her but to not know everything about her. And even though Claudia is clearly traumatized by what she had to do to bring Viren back, she brought someone back from the dead. That’s gotta be amazing from a bystander POV.

I also loved Viren’s brutal talk with him and how Terry chooses not to follow that advice. I hope their relationship grows. I wonder if he’ll start to see Terry in a different light. Assuming it’s just been Soren, Claudia and Viren for years, having a stranger come in and say that he loves Claudia has got to be weird/foreign for Viren. Speaking of…I loved how Viren and Claudia’s relationship now has pretty much flipped, with her being the one in control and he just kinda has to do what she says. Really mirrors their S1 relationship. I’m sure she wasn’t forced, but I’m sure Viren’s words sway her to do what he wants. I hope that Viren and Claudia’s relationship is explored more cuz when she was forcing him up the spire, she really didn’t seem to see anything was wrong (that he was freaking out).

I also kind of like the fact that I can’t really tell if Claudia is really having feelings for Terry or not. He clearly loves her no question, but we haven’t really heard Claudia talk about Terry in the way he does about her. I’m worried that she’s using him in some way/will betray/leave him (especially considering that speech she gave Soren when they reunited. Like ??? Girl, you’re dating an elf??)

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT FIGHT SCENE BETWEEN IBIS AND CLAUDIA with Ez’s speech narrating over it. From what I remember, I don’t think we’ve seen a mage vs mage (magic v magic) fight before. It’s interesting because a lot of the sword fighting shown isn’t really dangerous or anything because anytime someone loses their sword, it’s considered that they lost. I think how sword fighting is typically portrayed though there are exceptions, but especially within children shows (obviously). The fight starts out with magic until they both disarm each other and it switches to a free-for-all, doing anything they can to get the upper hand. This is truly a fight for their lives. Ibis manages to stab Claudia’s leg and she kills him, leaving him on top of the spire. More fights like this please!!

I love how we were all expecting Aaravos with beautiful wings or something to come out of the cocoon and we get Gollum with wings that Claudia names sir sparkle puff. Perfection. They made the ‘winter is coming’ joke in S1 for GoT, is this their version of Gollum for Lord of the Rings? Also loved the callbacks to Avatar the Last Airbender (Soren saying yip yip and the shot of Igneous Rex’s treasure hoard that has Aang’s glider and Sokka’s boomerang).

I liked that Aaravos has targeted Callum and while possessing him, calls out everyone’s ‘flaws’/insecurities. I haven’t really seen anyone mention this but while Aaravos basically confirmed that he targets mages, I believe Callum won’t be like any other mage Aaravos encountered because Callum is the only human known to use magic w/o help. He uses the primal stone at first, but he quickly starts using magic all by himself, simply recalling spells he’s seen/heard. I always thought that was weird and hopefully will be explained in future seasons, but I definitely think that will play a role with the whole Callum/Aaravos relationship.

The last thing I enjoyed was Janai and Amaya’s relationship (but thought the story there was a little underwhelming/predictable).

Now that I’ve gone over things that I enjoyed out of this season, here are things I didn’t quite enjoy personally:

I think the most obvious and one that I’ve seen most people talk about so far is Callum/Rayla’s relationship. As stated before, if you haven’t read Through the Moon, like me, S4 is super confusing for their relationship. I did like that Callum didn’t forgive Rayla immediately and was pretty icy towards her. He’s been hurting immensely since she left, which I think is part of why he asked her to kill him if he became Aaravos’ pawn. She’s hurt him before, she can do it again, at least in Callum’s mind. What bugs me is that even though Rayla said she was so focused on getting revenge for what happened, she just..gives up? After 2 years? She left Callum, obviously knowing how deeply it’d hurt him, and didn’t see it through to the end (something her character arc wrapped up in S3 becoming a dragon guard). In S1, she didn’t finish killing the Katolis guard, putting her friends in danger. S2, she didn’t finish finding her identity/who she wants to be (the pirate ep and the ep where she chooses to save the dragon). S3 finally wrapped her character arc up by her choosing to pick up where her parents left off, in becoming the last dragon guard.

Now w/ S4 out we find out Rayla has given up her search for Viren after only 2yrs. And the worst part? She doesn’t even seem to realize what she did was hurtful to Callum. Rayla expects to pick things up right where they left off when Callum is still clearly hurting. Neither of them are the same after the 2yrs but she expects things to go back to ‘normal’ when that can never be the case. Causing that kind of emotional pain can’t be repaired with just time, or even with apologies. It’s frustrating that Rayla doesn’t acknowledge that she hurt Callum or even apologized. Callum clearly has some choice words for her and he’s just…deflecting and rejecting her any time they see each other because he doesn’t wanna talk about it. I get it, Big Feelings, I know, but this talk clearly needs to happen.

Honestly I could go on about their relationship, but I don’t want this post to get too long.

Next, I really didn’t care for the humor/jokes. Honestly even in S2 and 3, the humor seemed to be dipping/going down hill. The cringe-iest one was obviously the fart joke. Like…really?? It seems like kid shows have been putting those in more (even in Legend of Korra-Meelo). AtLA had 0 fart jokes. Humor can be more than fart jokes in kid shows! The other really cringey joke was Soren’s pajamas and stinky feet waking Rayla up. I know a lot of you guys also think this too so I’m glad I’m not alone.

Also I felt that adding ‘Stella’ the purple cuddle monkey thing Rayla has as a companion was too much. We already have Bait and Zym, this is just too much. Also the portal thing Stella can do is too OP for an animal imho. Like it’s cool for animals to do stuff that’s helpful (Bait glows, Zym fights), but this just felt…tacky/too unreal? Yes dragons are a thing and yes it’s a fantasy show, but Stella doing the portal thing seemed really out of place for me. Stella really just felt like a ‘marketable creature’ inserted to make money as toys. Also she interrupted Callum!!! HE WAS GONNA TALK UNTIL SHE SCARED THE SHIT OUTTA HIM AND HE CLOSED BACK UP!!!!

If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t really like Ezran’s development (or lack of) this season either. He’s always portrayed as the innocent/naive kid and even though he’s king now, he’s still the same (despite everything he’s gone through). He’s the pure character for the sake of being pure and is incorruptible. His whole deal of trying to get the humans and dragons to get along was ok, it made sense for this animal-loving boy king, but we’re in the 4th season, over the half-way point. Ezran has to have more to his character by now. I wanna see him struggle like Dany in GoT when that guy brought his daughter’s burnt corpse to her and she had to lock up her dragons. Let’s see Ez wrestle with a horrible accident caused by Zym or another dragon.

Also didn’t really like that they sidelined Soren and Viren. There’s so much trauma to explore there and I’m surprised we haven’t seen anything from Soren’s POV like a nightmare of him killing Viren or something.

And as I said earlier, the whole Janai struggling w/ ruling her people and the whole humans vs elves thing was a little…basic. And Janai’s brother Karim was so predictable. I knew he wasn’t gonna win that fight. I did like that he didn’t try and break up Janai and Amaya cuz of their species and instead wanted for them to live a humble, peaceful life somewhere else and he would rule instead. I think it would’ve been better writing, story-wise, had Janai listened to Karim, given up her crown, then regretted that decision, and have to fight Karim to get it back as the rightful ruler.

The only thing that I can take or leave is Claudia and Viren’s redemption. At this point, I see Viren folding/wavering slightly, especially when he talked about just living out the time he has left with Claudia, despite that ending of him transforming back with the all black eyes/gray skin. If done well, I’d like to see both of them being redeemed, though at this point, the way Claudia describes bringing back Viren, I’m not sure if redemption is possible for her (though Terry seemed to really get through to her w/the coins and Rayla, so maybe Terry can help). Either way, I think their relationship/story is the most interesting at this point (especially since Claudia has the power now in their relationship).

I haven’t seen anyone mention this but I hope Sir Sparklepuff isn’t killed when Aaravos finally does arrive. He’s been somewhat helpful so far and I wonder if, being related/conjured/created by Aaravos, Sir Sparklepuff would be able to find/make the key (the star diamond things). Something is definitely gonna happen to that map Terry made out of the goop stuff, I can feel it.

Well I think that pretty much all my thoughts on Dragon Prince season 4. After watching, I definitely would recommend reading Through the Moon to understand Callum/Rayla’s relationship cuz I was confused af (even though Wonderstorm said ‘don’t worry about it’/not needed). I definitely think it’s the weakest season so far, but the animation is gorgeous and everything with Aaravos is just interesting enough to keep me engaged. S1 arguably had a harder time to find its footing with the story, but I think it did a better job than S4. We essentially start of with a rocky relationship between humans/dragons and humans/elves, and we are still there by the end of S4. I would think, being past the half way point, at least one of those would have been resolved by now (considering how built up of a villain Aaravos is—I would assume everyone-humans, dragons and elves would need to pitch in).

Big thanks to all of you that made it through this whole post. Can’t wait to see what happens next. Lemme know what you thought of The Dragon Prince’s S4.

❤️

PS—I know I keep saying this, but I promise I’ll be back with a fic/chapter soon. I’m currently trying to write Chapter 4 of Older Sister, a Bad Batch fic and am writing 2 different versions before deciding which one I like (I made a post about this here so if you have a preference lemme know).

[aspoonofsugar]

Hello! Other than Anime and Rwby, What are some of your favorite animated series? And why?

Hello anon!

I have mentioned some of my favourite series here and there on this blog. I advise you to check my #chain of faves tag to see more :)

That said, when it comes to animated series I like, I can mention some in no particular order!

1) Atla

No idea if you consider it an anime or not, but I love it! I have written some metas on some of the characters (Azula, Zuko, Katara, Sokka and Toph).

Even after years it is still a gem of animation imo! I love how much care has been put into the worldbuilding and characters. It is amazing! And once you rewatch it you realize how they managed to combine an episodic structure with a larger story.

Like, when you watch season 1 you think the series is mostly a bunch of self-concluding episodes with the plot mostly progressing in a couple of episodes towards the end... except that is not the case.

As the series go on you realize how many characters and things introduced in individual episodes in season 1 are actually important later on and this trend keeps going for the whole series.

Other than that, the characters are all great! Zuko, Azula, Katara, Toph, Sokka and Aang are all amazing and have great arcs!

2) TdP

I like The Dragon Prince, but I do not think it is very well written as a whole tbh :P

I mostly like the ideas and designs and the worldbuilding has potential as some characters (like Rayla).

That said, the true reasons why I am so invested in the story are honestly Viren and his two kids.

Viren, Claudia and Soren are imo the three best written characters in the series by a mile. Their story is so far tightly written, gray and tragic. Honestly, I would even say that as far as inner conflict and importance for the overall plot... Viren has been so far a villain protagonist.

Soren and Claudia are both faves and I love the nuance the authors used for their characters and how they made them opposite, but similar. Claudia is in particular an amazing female villain whose main flaw is usually what is considered a protagonist’s strength (she is literally dark Katara). I can’t wait to see more of her!

3) She-Ra

I really liked She-Ra!

I loved all the characters, especially Catra and Entrapta!

I appreciated how they managed to deal with Catra’s arc and how in the end it naturally tied into Adora’s. The writers explore the girls’ relationship and their opposite flaws in a beautiful and natural way.

Another moment that gave me chills is Mara’s story and the revelation that Madame Razz is living in two different timelines at the same time. It was a very interesting twist on time travel and I really liked it.

Finally, I love Shadow Weaver’s death. How it manages to be redemptive, but not to be at the same time and how it honestly leaves SW’s relationship with her two adopted daughters unsolved and unpacked. It manages to be contradictive and complex until the end.

4) Xiaolin Showdown

Honestly, this is a series I used to love as a child, so there is a lot of nostalgia here.

That said, I liked the characters a lot and many ideas behind the magical objects and the showdowns were hilarious, as were the villains!

I especially loved Raimundo’s arc and how the one who initially fails and betrays the others turns out to be a great leader and friend by the end.

In general, I really liked that Omi does not become the leader at the very end because it would not have fit his character arc, which is literally to learn he is not always right and that he needs to learn from others.

In general Omi and Raimundo are clearly foils and the two characters that got more focus and I enjoyed their parallel journeys.

I also love Himiko and that she is a fashion victim and a tech expert. Her changing outfit in every episode is a nice touch!

5) Teen Titans

I remember loving the series!

I liked the art and the characters, especially the ladies! Raven (my fave), Starfire and Terra were all amazing!

Terra is especially a tragic character and I remember her arc as one of the most beautiful and sad. I also love Raven’s season and overall inner conflict.

Ah, I also like Jinx’s mini arc and her becoming a hero by the end!

6) Carmen Sandiego (Netflix)

I really like the series and how it is used to teach about geography in a fun way. That said, the very clear didascalic intent does not go in the way of a well written story with complex characters, interesting motifs and deep character arcs.

Carmen herself, Shadowsan and Gray are especially the three characters that manage to shine because of their stories and it is poignant they are the three protagonists of the final climax.

I was especially surprised by how well written Gray turns out to be as a character tbh and his arc is one of the reasons why I enjoyed the ending so much. He seems as barely more than a mook and an initial antagonist in the beginning. However, he turns out to be a deep character with one of the most complex bonds with Carmen.

7) The Tales of Arcadia

I love all three series (Trollhunters, 3Below and Wizards) and I have written meras on all three installments.

I have yet to watch the movie, but hopefully I will soon.

I especially like Claire, Krel and Aja and I must say that 3Below especially has a place in my heart for how it mixes sci-fic with fantasy.

All in all, it is a great series which is way more complex than what it seems and it is highly well written and poignant thematically!

I am sure I am forgetting many series I love, but here are some that comes to mind as for now!

Thank you for the ask and have a good day!

[heroesandmasterminds]

@raayllum ’s Book One: Moon Appreciation Week

S1 E3: Moonrise

1. The opening scene is already so good but the music just tips it over the edge. A masterpiece.

2. Can you imagine how guilty and how much of a failure Soren must feel like as he walks with Harrow to his chamber for the last time? And we never get a hint as to how he really felt until he admits it to Ezran as he breaks him out of jail.

3. Viren preparing to sacrifice his life for Harrow is quite possibly his most genuine moment in the whole series and the moment that cemented him in my head as someone with good intentions but wrong methods. As someone morally grey but not a total villain. And it reinforced TDP in my head as this amazing show where it wasn’t black and white, good and evil, but one where good people do bad things for good reasons, where nobody is inherently evil. That remains one of the things I love most about this show.

4. Ahhhh the handprint. Seemingly innocuous at the time, totally relevant later, just like the braid of hair Claudia uses to track the trio. I mean, I’d thought the handprint was how Rayla tracked them after they escaped thanks to Bait and that was the end of it.

5. Claudia slapping her arm to make the light work is pure gold.

6. I’ve noticed that sometimes when an episode ends with something particularly dramatic, especially for the trio in the earlier seasons, at the beginning of the new episode they cycle through every other arc they possibly can before finally giving us that arc again. They do it here, too, not giving us Callum, Ezran and Rayla until 5 minutes in.

7. Awww the Ezran and Rayla brOTP is born!

8. You have to admire Rayla’s resolve to take on lightning with two swords.

9. The way Ezran looks up at Rayla, who is staring down Claudia but then turns to give him a reassuring smile, literally sums her up - brave, confident, ready to do the right thing and be a protector, but also gentle and kind and caring.

10. Turns out Claudia did actually say ‘fulminis’ - the whole word - Callum just didn’t hear because he was a bit busy trying to prevent anyone getting struck by lightning.

11. AH YES THE FIRST TIME HE DOES MAGIC!

12. I love how Ezran is calling the shots here when it comes to who keeps the egg. You go, kid.

13. For God’s sake Viren if you had just abandoned self-importance for 5 minutes Harrow could have let you sacrifice yourself.

14. Viren and Harrow argue almost childishly at times - it’s a reminder of how long they’ve been friends, that sometimes they still bicker as if they were young and immature.

15. Let’s take a minute to appreciate poor Runaan’s situation. He probably has no idea what the hell he can even do about Rayla at this point since she’s basically thwarted every attempt of his to keep her safe. He’s also trying to make up for his own mistake in bringing her along and she’s making that pretty tricky. If it wasn’t a life and death situation it might even be comical.

16. Callum: defending Rayla from people since the night they met. This boy is so sweet I can’t even.

17. I adore Runaan’s awestruck face when he sees the egg. I MISS RUNAAN!

18. Have I ever mentioned how much I adore this shot?

19. RAYLA AND RUNAAN’S CONFRONTATION. STILL HANDS DOWN ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SCENES IN THE WHOLE SHOW. The way their blades clash with the moon in the background before the scene changes with a flash sends a shiver down my spine. And the music in the next bit of it with the trumpets and everything is just so good! It’s also the first time we really see Rayla in action (in combat) because the sweep-the-leg incident was over so quickly and Marcos didn’t put up much of a fight, the poor guy.

20. I love the way Callum stands, head held high, staring Viren down even as his arms are pinned behind his back. It’s the first time we see badass angry Callum and I am a sucker for badass angry Callum. More of him in S4, please!

21. Viren is clearly so salty about Harrow humiliating him and he’s taking it out on his son, who has Harrow’s unconditional love and and trust without having to work for it while Viren gets treated the way he was a minute ago. I mean I understand but that doesn’t mean it’s justified, Viren…

22. SOREN PUTTING A HAND ON CALLUM’S SHOULDER AND SHOVING HIM OUT OF THE WAY AND TAKING THE ARROW HEADING FOR HIM I’M CRYING! Like, it’s a reminder that however rocky their relationship can be, what with Soren’s treatment of him and everything that just went down, they’re still dear friends, like family, who grew up together.

23. This scene is just such a good reminder of why Soren is the youngest crownguard ever and the head of them at that. He’s really so capable, brave and loyal, a good leader and smart in his own way.

24. Just… Runaan’s random 'Da’s. No further explanation needed.

25. Viren, you little… just standing there watching because you’ve already given up, or you won’t lift a hand to defend Harrow just because of your pride. Honestly. (I’ve never bought into the bird theory).

26. Credit to the Crownguard for holding their own against invisible, immensely talented opponents and managing to kill/capture them all, even if the elves did manage to kill Harrow.

27. The visual storytelling with how Viren and Callum are standing.

28. The music as Callum makes his choice and escapes the tower! It’s repeated in a more hopeful key when the trio talks about how they could make a difference.

29. Ahhh I finally saw the nod Rayla and Callum shared before they turned to run! The first of many.

30. The exact moment Runaan realises he’ll break his promise to Ethari. MY HEART.

31. As the trio runs into the forest the main theme plays, albeit a bit more melancholy. It conveys a sense of the real adventure beginning, hope rising out of all the death and darkness that happened tonight. It’s like… they’re just three kids, with no idea what they’ll have to go through over the next month. Wow.

32. I adore the music ending that episode. It’s tragic and foreboding all at once.

33. Hey I swear that’s Phoe-Phoe in the credits!

34. RUNAAN WITH THAT LITTLE SMILE TEACHING BABY RAYLA TO FIGHT IS KILLING ME!

35. And thus begins the saga of Soren’s pushups in the S1 credits.

Best lines of the episode:

Claudia: So… shouldn’t I just try to stop you, then, even without knowing?

This line is just so satisfying because that is the logical response if someone says that to you and in most stories that just doesn’t happen. I actually have an upcoming meta about how TDP sets itself up for cliches and then subverts them because it’s another thing I love so much about this show.

Rayla: This changes everything.

Ahhh, how I adore that little HTTYD reference.

Callum: The right thing. I hope.

Still one of the most significant lines in the series.

Rayla: Keep running.

Callum: There might be something I can do, but I don’t know if I can do it.

Rayla: Is this a guessing game? Just do it!

The first time of many that Rayla encourages him to just take a leap and go for it (culminating, of course, in him literally taking a leap for her).

Callum: I’m not really anything.

One line reveals so much about him as a character - about his self-esteem, his view of himself and self-deprecating tendencies, and so much more.

Callum: I’M A MAGE!

Rayla: Shhhhh. Nobody likes a loud mage.

Still one of my favourite quotes in the whole show, is so important in terms of Rayllum’s development platonically and romantically and also… totally flirty behaviour, Rayla. You literally put a finger to his lips but you met an hour ago. And you tried to kill him.

Runaan: You’re better than this.

Rayla: Nope, not really, you’ve had about 20 years more training.

Runaan: Not your fighting skills. I mean your character.

[…]

Rayla: Interesting theory. Care to discuss?

I just find all her snark amusing and fascinating in equal turns. On the one hand she’s aware of the seriousness of the situation, but on the other it’s her and Runaan, sparring the way they’ve no doubt done countless times before, and she hasn’t yet processed how everything changed so much so quickly.

Runaan: Don’t do this. I will kill you.

Rayla: Probably.

He’s begging her to step away, offering her one last chance and desperate for her to not force his hand. Because what other choice does he have? And Rayla’s line… I have a whole meta on that one word.

Runaan: Your justice will come later.

Again, chilling, because he basically expects Rayla to be the only one of them to survive the night, and she’ll understand the consequences of her actions when she loses her hand.

Callum: DAD!

Rayla: Say the word and I’ll go back into that tower with you.

And thus the ride-or-die dynamic is forged.

Callum: He has the finest guards in the kingdom defending him.

It never fails to break my heart how that isn’t an answer, though poor Ezran doesn’t pick up on that.

In all honesty, Moonrise remains one of my favourite episodes of the show even though there have been so many (specifically 24, because I like maths) since then, and it’s a joy to revisit.

[wildselkie]

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)

*not ordered in which is better or worse, but it will be in chronological order*

Also some things are worded weirdly. I have a pain in the ass time trying to get my thoughts across in words so... I thank you for your patience :))

_________________________________________

1) The scene where Callum, Ezran, and Rayla find the dragon prince. Ep. 2

I think this is one of the more pivotal moments in the show. I mean it is literally the scene that sets the story in motion after all! Two human princes, an elf assassin, and the lost dragon prince (who was thought to be dead/gone/egg destroyed(?)).. this is just IT.

*also i’m aware that Ez probably found the egg first cos he already knew about this secret area but still

2) Viren (attempts to) proposes the idea to trade his life in for Harrow. Ep. 3

Now there are other well thought and well written posts on this scene with Viren and Harrow, so I won't waste your time with all the gushy stuff. I find this scene important because it shows the lengths that Viren would go for his friend. Whether he's doing out of the goodness of his heart or some other selfish reason... maybe both(?)..

!WARNING! MINI VIREN POST ALERT EVEN THO I SAID I WOULDN'T GET INTO IT

In the book Moon, it dives deeper into the plot along with expressing the characters' thoughts and feelings. As for Viren, it's stated in the book that he wanted to:

"offer his life for Harrow's, but he wanted him to understand that this was more than just a sacrifice of a subject to his king. This was personal"

"... he would need to be straightforward. He wanted to say simply I love you and I will die for you" (Ehasz 80).

I have no doubts that Viren didn't not love Harrow or anything of the sorts, but at the same time it feels like there was another motive. Maybe there was, who knows.

All we know about Viren is that he's a father of two (Claudia & Soren), divorced/ separated from his wife, and he's a dark mage. Of course there's some more (like he's taller than Harrow according to the character line up)... also his staff... like if you look at it, it's the same one as the mage who faced Sol Regem all those centuries (?) ago. Maybe he's related to him, or possibly descended from one of the followers. I'd imagine that teaching dark magic may be a thing within his family and ancestors... he taught Claudia dark magic. That doesn't prove anything but it's a small thought.

ANYWAY-- this scene is one of many scenes that show Viren in a vulnerable state. The book gives a look into how he felt when he decided to sacrifice himself and everything. It's just interesting and I'm here for it. 

3) Amaya and her weapons grade baguette Ep. 4

On a less serious and more fun note, the fact that Amaya is a breakfast connoisseur is just perfect. Amazing. Fantabulous.

"As a breakfast connoisseur, she was offended that Ezran would neglect a hearty morning meal" (Ehasz 120).

I only emboldened and italicized "offended" because in the show YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE HER FACE WHEN EZ TELLS HER.

Bruh she was so offended lmaooo

It's right at 13:36 time in the show... the slow zoom in and all 😂

4) Amaya and Gren meeting Viren at the statue Ep. 5

I’m trying to see if I should have paired this with the first scene where Amaya arrives first. That scene is pretty calm but has a somber feeling. It introduces the relationship of Amaya and Sarai without having to directly say it. 

But this scene here is... interesting. Not in a good way or bad way, but we see they’re reminiscing of the past. At some point, they all got along nicely. Callum even noted in his spellbook that Viren’s family became like a second family to him when he moved to the castle. 

This interaction was cute tho. It started out positive (sort of) with them joking about Viren eating the last jelly tart which pissed Sarai off lol. But then Viren went on to apologize to Amaya and reassured her that what he does is out of the goodness of his heart and love for Katolis. But...

“Aaaaand, he’s back, Amaya thought” (Ehasz 150). 

And then went on to sign that he’s on a bunch of bs. See? Even Amaya knows he’s full of shit lol. But really tho... it makes me wonder how much of bs Viren goes on even before the events of the current story line. 

5) Rayla saves Bait from the sea monster Ep. 5

Let us give a round of applause for Rayla going against her fear of water to save Bait, the grumpy frog who hates her. I think this just goes to show how compassionate Rayla really is. This would include the time when she goes back to grab bait back in the banther lodge in episode 4. 

6) Viren giving his kids their *secret* missions Ep. 6

Okay this isn’t just one scene. I cheated yeah yeah whatever >:3

When Viren is telling Soren what he must do when he finds the princes, at first he doesn’t fully get it, but then.. OH n0

Viren’s intentions are starting to unfold and come together as one. Like, this man just told his own SON that should he find the princes, he should kill them. This 18 yr old bby 

bruh

And Viren didn’t say it aloud, but he heavily implied it. Only to then gaslight him later on when Claudia confronts him in prison. 

As for Claudia, Viren tells her that she must retrieve the egg. And do everything in her power to bring it back, even if it means that she’ll have to sacrifice Soren... her own damn brother ;-;

7) When Callum finally lets Rayla hold the egg Ep. 6

This scene is pretty big. Rayla knows that Harrow is long gone and is trying to find a way to tell them. Obviously she doesn’t choose the best time to try it.

They were in a dire situation that could potentially kill them (even tho they had plenty of those moments already). The reason why this scene is so big is because it shows her struggle to break the bad news (ever since the right binding fell) as she continues to grow closer to them. Here you can see Callum passing the egg to her, despite her hand being in the terrible state that it is in. It is also the scene where right before passing it, he finally tells Rayla that he trusts her. 

8) Human Rayla!! Ep. 7

Human Rayla is so corny but it’s the good kind of corny. One of the best comedic jokes in the series! 

That is all cos human Rayla needs an AU of being a nighttime tv host or smthg

9) Viren and Runaan Ep. 8

yo this is alot okay. The scenes with these two introduced some Moonshadow philosophy and such (ie. not being scared of death). Runaan being the stoic and serious assassin that he is. And Viren not having any of this shit. 

There are three major things here:

 Runaan knows about the mirror and is most likely aware of who Aaravos is. He literally says, “That mirror? You have found something worse than death.” Goddamn...

And then Viren just... trapped his soul.. his essence into a goddamn coin. Just like that? wow. And hold it, almost admiring it in front of Gren. 

Also this is the first time we officially see Viren in that form. In the beginning of episode 5 we are given a darkened silhouette of Viren and the butterflies. But here we see the damage resulted from years of having done dark magic, and it’s horrifying. He is the high mage and all but goddamn. I mean with every action there are consequences so- 

10) Callum destroying the primal stone Ep. 9

I feel like this is one of the “of course it’s this one!” scenes but it really is! Callum realizes that only a sky dragon can be hatched in the eye of storm and there he is with a literal storm in his hand. By now, Callum has come to understanding what feels right and that being a mage is his destiny. But he also understands that he needs to sacrifice some things for new beginnings. This whole journey was to get the lost dragon prince home and restore balance and peace and with the egg starting to die... well you can’t really do that without the egg. 

It’s at 18:50 where he realizes all of this. It’s one of the big boy moments in the show. Seriously, it’s a big moment and the suspension helped get the feels in. And we got a cute baby dragon!! 

End, begin. it’s all the same. (pls someone get that reference ;-;;;)

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Some honorable mentions:

- Episode 7: Claudia and Soren interacting. I love their sibling bond; it’s so silly and sweet and I love it. It makes me wish I had an older brother of some sort. 

Ellis and Ava,, I like the flashback story given when they meet the dragang. I just like it, okay? Smol chiald w/ smol wolf pup and a hippie Lujaane seeing the beauty & strength in Ava. 

CGI Coran. That all I have to say about that guy lmao

- Episode 8: When the group is going up the cursed caldera and they encounter that giant leech. Like can we just appreciate Callum’s funny way of making out a plan? Fat respect for that. 

Another is when the group split up and waited for the leech to leave. The conversation between Ellis and Callum were sweet as was the one between Rayla and Ez. I loved Ellis’s admiration for Callum being a mage. And her expectations of what a mage was is pretty hilarious. So wholesome. The same goes for Ez when he gave Rayla that daily fill of positivity. 

Like... Ellis is telling Callum how smart and confident and cool he is. And meanwhile Callum is like... it’s not me, it’s this. *whips out primal stone* And she goes on to tell him that she believe he’ll be amazing with or without the stone. 

And Rayla is telling Ez how she failed in her job of killing the enemy. And Ez is telling her how she’s awesome at everything she does.

this is the positive wholesome shit I come for like... this is parallels but GODDAMNIT it’s so.. ;;;;-;;

Yo this is long ENOUGH! Thank you so damn much if you read to the end. You’re the real beauties. Anywho... uh parts 2 and 3 will be up soon. 

 It’s 11 now so I need some sleep. goodnight kids

[korranguyen]

Some thoughts on romance in TDP and ATLA: What Does Rayllum Get Right?

Okay, I know this post doesn’t do much service to this claim, but I don’t love the idea of directly comparing ships to one another. Every relationship is different in the context it takes place, and it’s just as unfair to directly compare any two relationships as it would be to compare two different couples in real life: every person, and by extension, every character, is unique in their own way. Not to mention I’m a bit hesitant to write this because TDP just found its footsteps away from ATLA with the new season, and I honestly fear plaguing the lovely positivity of the TDP fan base with old wounds from the ATLA ship wars.

BUT since there are already a lot of popular Kataang/Rayllum comparison posts floating around, I feel the need to share my two cents on the bit as someone who wholeheartedly enjoys the trajectory of Rayllum, but had my... reservations when it came to the canonized romance in ATLA.

Instead of dwelling on those reservations, though, I’m gonna focus on talking about and validating the parts of the ships we do like (meaning both Zutarians and Kataangers).

This essay, in a nutshell:

Two ships form an unlikely bond and find their peace in the midst of warring kingdoms fandoms. #amirite

What Rayllum Learns from Zutara

TBQH I surprised by how many embraced the Kataang/Rayllum parallels because the setup itself reminded me of Zutara— not Kataang. They share a similar origin story: Rayla threatens Callum in an attempt to pursue his little brother, just like how Zuko often pursued Katara to capture Aang. Their introductions are antagonistic, if not explicitly violent, but because the writers take the time to humanize both characters outside of these interactions, the audience understands that these conflicts happen because they’re driven by motivations from opposite sides of the war. Of course, when they are forced to become allies, it’s... not as smooth-sailing as you’d expect.

At its core, both Rayllum and Zutara are very cautious friendships. They don’t trust each other right away. It’s not perfect; they have their outbursts, reluctance to trust, and painful blows to their bond. But against all odds they eventually establish trust in each other. And because that trust isn’t just given, but needs earning, it takes its time dwelling on wounds necessary to transgress those lines and establishes extra depth in the meantime, making it well-earned and conducive to an understanding relationship. When they find their peace and friendship, it feels earned and respected on both sides, and both parties have a deeper understanding of each other than they could've had with a happy-go-lucky friendship.

Also, a side effect of the bitter work (sorry I had to lol) it took to to build that relationship, both Zutara and Rayllum have become especially in-tune with each other’s emotional cues. On the behalf of Zutara, there’s the moment when Katara comforts Zuko as he’s cowering in front of his uncle’s tent. She immediately recognizes that something’s wrong and approaches him about it:

Zuko opened up to Katara yet again about his insecurities and fears just like he did in Ba Sing Se. I love how easy it is for him. Zuko’s normally so guarded yet doesn’t mind being vulnerable with Katara. He’s so worried because he doesn’t see how Uncle Iroh can forgive him. It’s important that Katara’s the one encouraging him because she was also someone he betrayed that day. Someone who had faith in him to make the right choice, someone who changed for the better. She forgave him and she knows Iroh will too. That carries some weight with him. 

-- Geektastic08

Because of how many more opportunities Rayllum than Zutara to show off their perceptiveness of each others’ emotions, I could name off a lot of similar moments-- but I’m going to go with when Rayla slices open the mummy on the Cursed Caldera. When she returns and anxiously gets to ushering people forward, Callum notices almost instantly that Rayla’s acting off and expresses his concern. And, of course, Rayla opens up that she did, indeed, see something “horrible”— immediately opening up to him on the fact she was afraid, almost instinctively overcoming her reluctance to show her fears and weaknesses as established from previous episodes when Callum is the one who asks about it.

Also, this:

"I know that face. It’s your dumb idea face.” =)

Another reason: balanced-out co-parenting is a thing (Ezran vs. the rest of the Gaang).

On a more grand-scheme note, their relationship actually also shares a lot of the same “thematic importance” as Zutara as a symbol of overcoming differences and bonding. As cheesy as this line low-key is (IMO), Harrow says:

“I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.”

Yeah, read by the human boy crossing foreign lands with a she-elf to return the Dragon Prince to his mother as a gesture of bonding elves and humans and ending the war between nations. Having faith that history can be rewritten as a narrative of love and compassion.

To top it off, Rayllum owns it when it comes to living up to the not-overtly-kissy romantic foreshadowing of Zutara.

This is an allusion to the established Moon symbolism from earlier in the episode. As painful as it was, finding out about the king winds up illuminating, and eventually fulfilling, the possibility of deeper relationship and understanding of trust they originally couldn't see (but was still there) when Callum crosses the barrier into the “light face” from the “dark, shadowed side”. 

Also, this shipper’s haven scene:

Agh, yes.

What Rayllum learns from Kataang

Okay, so one of the bigger (and very understandable) issues with Zutara is that all of their development (aside from “Crossroads of Destiny”) happens very late in the last season. No matter how solid the moments we do get are, there simply isn’t enough time to fully wash away their damaged terms only a couple episodes prior, much less transgress necessary lines before a healthy relationship can occur. Whether or not their build-up does justice for their relationship arc as friends, by the end of ATLA, Zutara’s negative interactions still outnumber their positive ones by a sheer majority, so pushing that relationship into romance so soon comes with negative implications. (Which is where the Book 4 rumors seep in, but let’s not touch those today)(Anyway, even as a person who generally supports Zutara, I don’t advocate for that relationship to be “endgame”, or even as a part of canonized material because romance that soon after establishing that trust wouldn’t have conducive to a healthy relationship.)

On the other hand, Kataang gets a lot more credit in the time department. Because their friendship is established in such a positive light from the very first episode, Kataang has the benefit of faith from their countless endearing moments capturing a casual, comfortable friendship we can know and love, and then can grow nostalgic about over time. Even when their angrier moments play out, they usually fizzle out in the pool of happier memories they already have, so such instances are easily forgivable from the majority of the audience.

Now, despite initially being at odds with each other, Rayllum is established early enough to have the advantage of 5/6/7 seasons under its belt to build to that healthy relationship. Even in the less-immediate circumstances of their trust, the show still leaves plenty of time to fill with the necessary builds and prove their friendship through positive interactions. This is evidenced by the fact that by the end of Season 2, their negative interactions— even Rayla’s original position as Callum/Ezran’s killer— is water long down the bridge.

(Random tangent: To all who believe Zutara is an unforgivably abusive ship because of Katara’s and Zuko’s previous enemy relationship, let me pitch this to you: Rayla literally corners Callum and holds a blade in his face, about to kill him in the second episode yet Rayllum is very inarguably not abusive. The issue with Zutara isn’t that it’s inherently a sour relationship because they used to be enemies, it’s that there’s a dire lack of time to ease the ratio of interactions of Zuko hurting Katara to him helping her before the end of the show where starting that immediate relationship would have come with poor implications. In the case of Rayllum, Rayla actually gets a very extended chance to make that up in a larger span of time and exceeded those numbers two weeks ago long ago)

Thanks to all that screentime, maybe if our Season-2-Shipper-Scenes can be read as glimpses of a possible building crush early on like Kataang’s, that’ll stir up some of the heartstring garble later that it did with Kataang, too (for some, at least).

Rayllum’s interactions share the lovable silliness of Kataang. When it comes to picturing your ideal, sugarcane relationship, we will often find our soft spots in the couples who spend the most time smiling, laughing or being casually friendly with each other.

Also, here’s an interesting parallel: Katara was Aang’s primary support through his loss, just like Rayla was for Callum. Also, both Katara and Rayla struggled to hide the fact from their “romantic counterparts” at first, in fear of hurting newfound friendships with people they cared about, only to have this backfire later. However, I’d say it’s interesting to note that because Callum is almost 3 years older than Aang and thus arguably in a different phase of maturity (older childhood at 12 vs. teen at almost 15), the way they processed that realization took remarkably different forms between the two characters. Breaking the news to Callum meant surfacing more relationship-based questions about trust, meeting its resolution in a heart-to-heart conversation about honesty and hurting people you care about. On the other hand, because Aang is still, for most purposes, a child, that recognition on Aang’s part, as well as the honesty/lack of censorship on Katara’s part, doesn’t exist as much as an expectation in that relationship. Consequently, Aang’s grief process in “The Southern Air Temple” was wholly Aang-centric, coming to life in a display of rage and pain before he comes to accept his new position as the avatar and the last airbender in the arms of his new “family”. (I actually think the most obvious comparison to Aang here is Ezran, who became angry and ran away when he found out about his father’s death, then returned with a fuller understanding of the newfound individual responsibility he must face despite not being ready for as a growing kiddo. But that’s a discussion for another time; maybe I’ll write something on that later). 

Of course, the aforementioned covert foreshadowing of the Zutara ship comes coupled (pun intended) with the overt romantic foreshadowing of the Kataang ship! Because what kid (or kid in the heart) doesn’t let out the giddy squeals over that.

Also, it’s the male and female lead. Everyone’s gotta love those characters! Bet you money all the 2010s children who watch TDP are gonna get hella attached to that stuff and rack up the tears on how well-elaborated those characters were and how perfect they were for each other through thick-lens nostalgia goggles when they grow up. That’s just how dat shit works.

TL;DR If Zutara was too “dark” or “intriguing”, or “bound to make six year olds cry” (as Ehasz himself supposedly said in a class at UC Berkeley; lol), Rayllum re-illustrates that arc with the cushiness of a clear, lovable path and the positive-interaction-to-death-threat ratio, audience faith, (love for small critters,) and longer friendship screentime of Kataang.

Rayllum shares all of the literary nuances of Zutara and the sweet lovability of Kataang. And then adds its own little sparks of healthiness.

It’s a ship built for everyone to fall in love with.

I honestly don’t care whether this winds up being a very strong friendship or a romantic relationship (though I’m inclined to believe from the narrative that it’s the latter), but no matter the direction the show takes, I love their relationship so much and have full faith it’ll be done right.

Let me know if I missed anything else! I know I might be missing the narrative importance and/or parallels others might see in Kataang because I’m a bit biased to Zutara as the poster of this multi-ship analysis (though I tried my best to counteract it for objectivity), so especially if you’re a Kataanger, let me know what you’ve noticed and I’ll be happy to add it in.

positive/non-warring reax only please :)

[formerlyrunephoenix6769]

I was asked and ask, and in my flu causing feverish state, I deleted it. So if you’re out there and recognize this question (and I’m paraphrasing) please reblog and @ me. 

So If i remember, the question was along the lines of 

“Why isnt there huge amounts of stuff, for shows like She -Ra and TDP, are they not as popular?” 

Lets go for a ride...

I think the reason why we dont get the same amount of content generated for shows such as The Dragon Prince and She-ra, say in comparison to shows like RWBY. 

And by content, I mean, theories, memes, art and in depth analysis, boils down to 3 things.

1) Time to Generate.

Both The Dragon Prince and She-Ra have only recently dropped their first season. Now both have their second season coming rather swiftly, esp in the case of The Dragon Prince. Season 2 is dropping tomorrow: Feb 15 2019 over on Netflix. 

She-Ra’s is set to be released April 26th 2019, again on Netflix. 

The Dragon Prince S1 was released on Sept 14th 2018, and She-Ra: Princesses of Power, Nov, 13th 2018. 

In TDP case, that is a 5 month and 1 day turn around and SPOP, 5 months and 13 days turn around. 

It is rather unheard of for an animation to have their Second season be ready in under 6 months. Usually it is anywhere from 10 months minimum to a year or in some cases, even longer. 

I put this down to the success of the two series and how the audience received them, and Netflix wishing to capitalize on it, and the hype generated. 

Lets just hope that the both properties dont feel rushed as a result. 

So with such little time, and a very short hiatus in terms of tv shows, (which is when most of fandom generated content tends to be created), that gives very little time for their respective fandoms to leave their senses and devolve into some sort of animeesque Lord of the Flies in a matter of weeks, in a bid to cope.

(RWBY FNDM, I’m looking at you with your ‘Beehaw’s’ and YORSE, and ‘Scheehaw’s’. I still cant believe you made Arryn read that with her own eyes!!) 

(You can tumblr search Yorse yourself, I aint making anyone look at that cursed image without their consent. You’ve been warned! ;p @hammertime-rwby  i shake my head in your general direction... ;D ) 

Time to generate can also be reflected in how long a show has been on air, thereby garnering a wider and much larger fanbase with a broader set of creative skills, which in turn results in more fandom content generated, esp if there is the potential of shipping. 

And bloody hell does SPOP have some crazy potential on the shipping front, 

2) Time to Mature and Fandom Engagement. 

As a show matures and the audience leans learn more about the characters and the world that they inhabit, the nature of fandom created content evolves. It also depends on the verve of the show itself. 

The way in which a show is presented, the topics and themes they cover, the way the characters and the world are presented, can vicariously dictate how the fandom engages with the property, go forth and multiply.

For example:

Sherlock is very meme worthy and that tends to be reflected in the content that is generated by the Sherlockians. 

RWBY has been out for 6 volumes and has a very dedicated and passionate FNDM, but it is also broad, large and incredibly diverse.

 It is also rather vocal and has very strong differing opinions from one end of the spectrum to the other, which in turn creates YT reviews, reactions and rebuttals and heated retorts. 

These polarising pov’s can then go on to permeate to other branches of social media, such as twitter, tumblr, discord etc etc 

Same with fandom accepted headcanons and lore... 

(I’m still on the fence about you Renora Rodeo Round up... You’re on thin ice! ;p ) 

But it has taken a number of years to cultivate. 

Neither The Dragon Prince or She-Ra has had the time to do that, yet! 

But I’m certain that will change in the coming future. 

 She-Ra has already generated quite the buzz on both the positive and negative sides, due to being based on a much loved, older, property, ‘She-Ra 1985′, but that is a mine field which I covered on my previous blog before some asshat decided to axe it. 

Also, the themes that Netflix She-Ra seems to be covering, which helped generate a lot of the negative backlash towards the show, will most definitely continue to be polarizing... So I would keep an eye out if YT and people picking stuff apart is your jam. 

On the other side, what SPOP seems to be trying to deliver will also generate lots of awesome content. Just look at how this took off,

“Hey Adora” 

And this cinnamon roll’s preoccupation with ‘force captain orientation’,

The Dragon Prince strikes me as a show that would generate deep reflective analysis of world and characters as well as theories, much like its older cousin, Avatar Last Airbender, once there is more to comb over and speculate on.

These two shows are presented differently and they way they are tackling certain themes in their respective narratives are also vastly different, which could also have a lot to do with their respective target audience and intended demographic,  so it stands to reason that the results of fandom generated content would be different. 

3) Platform and Format. 

This I believe is one of the most important aspects which ties the previous points above.

If a property is delivered week by week, such as RWBY, there is time, for the FNDM, after they make amazing screen shots and insta analysis and excited speculations, to go over it again and allow the episode to sink in. 

(which both TDP and SPOP could do, as they have episodic episodes but that is an entirely different post)

There is time for the fans to go sit back and react to what they have seen, whether that is creating beautiful fan art, crafting in depth theories, character analysis, extrapolate potential world building. 

A week by week delivery culminates in an emotional impact that is allowed to foster and grow, thereby gives space and time for the individual to go off and create content for their respective fandom. 

Fanart takes time, fics take time. 

The not knowing what could happen next opens up the avenues of thought out speculations. 

Having a week to go over everything to that point and process new info. Being able to take your time to research and prep before you put it out there, results in good, in depth analysis and well crafted work. 

Time gives breeding ground.

(Some wait years for lore.. Overwatch fandom, I dont know how we do it! But we all cant be Tracer!) 

Because, we are so salivating at the the mouth for insta gratification and ‘binge’ culture has become so prevalent where media is concerned. 

When a property is delivered all at once, it gives no breathing space for speculation and wild theories.

For a particular scene or interaction between characters to have an emotional impact and thereby create emotionally significant fan art, that is reblogged and shared in that moment, give it time to resonate with its respective fandoms.

And there for have time for other members of the fandom to be inspired to go off and create their own stuff in what ever medium is their forte. 

Because we are on this fast paced ride, not only from the start of the chapter 1 to end of the first ‘book’, so to speak, but also the social media need to be the first to create the content for the fandom, the type of content generated, how and why, is hugely different and may not at first glance look like it is forth coming.. 

It just takes time to sink in.. To go back through and re-evaluate. 

Being inspired by a particular interaction between two characters , or a certain facet of the world that an fan may have noticed and wishes to expand on, art wise, fic wish or theroise, loses its validity when you know that the next episode could answer your burning questions in less than 5 seconds. 

And so you stave off for the dreaded nine episode when your eye balls are nearly gumming together and you know you have work in 4 hours but you need answers to the burning questions.. 

and so results.

This is not the content creators fault, in anyway. This is quite literally the way in which it is delivered. 

Its is pretty much, 

II) However, in Conclusion 

The perceived lack of fandom interaction/generated content, in the social media platforms that a fan chooses to  consume, or is available to them, does not mean that a show isn't popular. 

The ties to previous projects, such as SPOP to She-Ra 1985  and The Dragon Prince to Avatar Last Airbender are vastly different. 

Expectations are vastly different.

 Fandom interaction and generation of fandom content, is not a measure made of how popular a show is.  

Also, politely, remember the demographic of which these shows are aimed at. 

Be respectful of the show creators, the property, the characters and the narrative that the show creators have painstakingly crafted and put out into the world. 

The story that they want to tell. 

Again, 

 a reminder, 

Tomorrow, 15th Feb 2019 , Season 2 of The Dragon Prince. 

(im gonna go back into my fluey coma now)

[irrevocably-delicious]

what's your opinion on lok? I'm still hesitant to watch it, I had both good and bad reviews from my friends

Oh.... Oh you’re asking me for an opinion on Legend of Korra?

Well congrats mother fucker because you came to exactly The Right Place. 

SO The history of LOK behind the scenes is pretty interesting, and once you know what was going on in the writers room, the effects in the execution of the show become obvious. So lets first start off by saying: The Legend of Korra was only supposed to be one season. 

This is why book 1 moves like lighting, and at the end of it, everything is wrapped up perfectly. No loose ends. No more questions needing to be answered. It’s all tied up in a neat little package. Because this was supposed to be THE END. 

Season 1 moves VERY QUICKLY and I’ve seen a lot of criticism about how the show wastes too much time on the pro-bending, which I think is a fair point. But the characters are so damn likable and interesting, I think Amon is a great villain, and the series ends really strongly. So overall my feelings towards season 1 are fine to good.

Season 2 however.... suffers. With season 1 being so successful, Nickelodeon pushed for more. But remember what I just said about how season 1 was wrapped up perfectly? There WAS no more. So as you watch season 2 you can hear the writers scrambling to backtrack on character development for the sake of having somewhere to go. Season 2 is sloppy with loads of out of character moments for the sake of being able to claim growth by the end. Korra reached her maturity at the end of season 1. She’s mastered all four elements.... so fucking now what? This is where most people stop watching. Korra herself and Bolin are hit the hardest with seemingly out of nowhere callousness and selfishness. It’s weird. It’s bad.

BUT! But... there’s still some really great moments in season 2. The entire Avatar Wan story is breathtaking, and definitely marks a changing point for the whole series. Also Verrick... Verrick is the gift who single handedly makes season 2 bearable. What a treasure. What an icon.

So season 2: Bad. But you should push through.

Because season 3 is fucking phenomenal and is probably peak LOK. The Villain is... fantastic. He’s really interesting, and I always have a thing for villains who have a point and would probably be friends with the protagonist, if they weren’t a fucking homicidal anarchist? Korra feels more herself this season. We are DONE with the love triangles, holy SHIT. It’s been a while since I’ve seen season 3 so I believe it does have some rough patches. (Is this the season where Toph’s daughters fight? Cuz I didn’t like that. It was dumb.) But the thing that stands out the most to me about season 3 is it’s action packed and hard hitting finale. It gets really heavy, and Korra is put through the ringer. Season 4 is impressive in that it doesn’t shy away from what Korra has been through and spends a lot of time on her dealing with being the target of three villains and almost killed multiple times.

Season 4 continues the strong writing seen in season 3, though the showdown with its villain is not as satisfying. Some characters are definitely almost forgotten about during the season, as the writers focus much more time on Korra, Asami, and the Bolin and Verrick side plot with the villain. Where the fuck is Kai? And Oh shit, wasn’t Mako like a founding member of this show and now he’s barely in it? But I think I forgive neglecting these characters because the focus on other areas is so needed... and these characters no longer require any development. I know who Mako is at this point. He’s come into his own, so he’s not interesting to watch. However, I don’t know where Bolin is headed, so I appreciate spending more time on him and his trajectory. 

Also Korrasami like.... the original. The bravest. You gotta support that dude.

So I guess in regards to your original question “What is your opinion on LOK?” I would say it’s .... Good. Though there are definitely rough patches and I would never fault someone for saying they had a hard time watching the show. But There’s a lot of laughs (I’m looking at you TDP.... can’t write a fucking joke to save your life), the animation is breathtaking, the characters are complicated and loveable, and there’s a lot of important messages weaved throughout the story. 

So my advice is: Watch it. Tough out season 2. It’s worth it. 

[raayllum]

Hey! In retrospect, this might be kinda obvious to some, but I was just thinking about the scene early in Season 4 where Callum recalls the fact that he's destroyed multiple powerful magic objects/artifacts and I realized that that scene was probably meant to highlight/make it hit harder later in the season when Callum can't do the same thing to the cube and I got excited lmao

So I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about what gets lamp shaded / referred back to specifically in S4 and possibly why, re: exactly what you pointed out, dear nonnie, in 4x02 (which made me Yell the first time around because I loved it as a lamp shade), as well as Rayllum's scene on the Pinnacle in 4x05. So why not talk about about them? If you are curious about more on Callum's "breaking magical objects" pattern I'd recommend this meta as well as this one, although there shouldn't be too much repetition here

Let's go

4x02 - Accidentally on Purpose

Including this shot because it has the Ocean-Star rune combination for the cube, my beloved.

The primal stone, Ethari -> Rayla -> Callum's pendant, and the Moon Henge all shudder. The mirror, too, will shortly be broken, although by Aaravos' own hand rather than Callum's (at least, not directly). This line and pattern also underscores one of Callum's key flaws, as his impulsive flippancy ("'It's the winter lodge, Rayla, no winter no humans' ugh" / "He tried to copy Claudia's lightning spell, but he doesn't know how to finish it!") when it comes to magic is ultimately related to how Selfish he can be. He, like many characters in TDP, can tunnel vision so hard he doesn't see or fully consider the possible consequences of his actions, but I do think Callum has a thread of like internalized focus that makes it stem from selfishness (more akin to perhaps Claudia and Viren) than it does shortsightedness/shame (Rayla) or inadvertent steamrolling (Claudia, Ezran).

For Callum, just knowing magic isn't enough. He's always focused on how he can use it.

"I just don't want to be useless," he said (S2 novelization, set during he and Rayla's late night talk about "I have to be a mage again").

He'd always known that cube was important. Maybe now Rayla would start listening to him... and maybe now he would find out how he could use the mysterious cube. [...] But Callum was awake obsessing over the Key of Aaravos. What could he achieve with it?

Now, does Callum ever mean to be selfish? No, of course not. He doesn't mean to put Rayla and Zym in danger with his pursuit of magic (or his lie to Amaya), but that's what happens anyway. 2x04 has always stood out to me as a particularly interesting episode, precisely because it shows this flaw on full display in ways that S1 could've neatly resolved. In 1x04, Callum pursues magic ultimately to the group's detriment (just how much, depending on what the cube does, remains to be seen). Then in 1x09, through smashing the primal stone (which we'll talk about more in a minute) he puts the group above his pursuit of magic. It's a nice little full circle, and it could've easily been the resolution of this behavioural pattern. But it isn't, so I'm curious to see if/how it'll come back in future seasons (maybe S5) in some capacity.

To me, this is one of the things that make TDP's characterization so realistic. Callum can learn one lesson partially in 1x04 (don't take unnecessary risks) and apply that portion fully in 1x07 (regarding elves and humans), be willing to sacrifice a more tangible pursuit of magic for Zym ("But without this, I'm nothing") in 1x09, but still not fully learn his "Look before you leap when it comes to magic" lesson by the time we roll around in 2x04 or even 2x07 (although the context for the latter is vastly different). Just like how if saving Zym or being a good enough protector could solve Rayla's self worth issues, she would've been totally fine after 1x09, but we see her have the exact same kind of breakdown two seasons later ("This is all my fault. I dropped it. I let you both down. I let the world down" / "It's me, and it's all my fault. I failed them! I let them all down") because well - issues and emotional wounds are not so easily solved.

Anyway, back on topic: what does any of this have to do with S4's lamp shading of Callum's tendency of breaking magical objects?

Well, I think you're right: the Key is seemingly rare, powerful, and possibly sought after by Aaravos. At the very least it's connected to him, and Callum is now terrified of him. But he won't relinquish/destroy it at this present time, so there's a nice contrast there. The cube has a pull over him for whatever reason, whether that's curiosity, it being Harrow's last parting gift to him, or even possibly the fact it was the first thing he and Rayla really bonded over ("Hey sad prince. Let's go get your cube") and his own potential as a mage. He does, after all, look at the moon rune specifically after lowering it.

But I also think it's indicative that the object and conversation Callum is most directly referencing is this one with Claudia in 2x02 about breaking their joint primal stone:

Which was pretty noble, and inspired a very strong character arc for Callum, full of struggle and interesting character aspects. Breaking the primal stone wasn't the ideal situation for him by any means, but it was undeniably the Right Thing To Do. On the surface, there's nothing to be worried about... except:

I have not seen the stars in centuries. But when I see them again—when the stars are forced to look upon me, their dark brother—they will know how I have waited. And when everything they have built lies shattered, I will savor their fall from the sky. (Patience, TDP reflections)

The Whole World is like a Giant Primal Stone. When backed into a corner and able to save someone he loves and/or cares about, Callum is willing to sacrifice his own source of power. He's willing to bend his morals and do dark magic. He's willing to jump off a cliff with just the faintest hope he can grow wings and save them both. We also know that Callum, either within a possessed state or outside of it, has to play into Aaravos' hands, otherwise it is unlikely the Startouch elf would be released (and he has to be released).

Which, all of this also works fairly well in tandem with

4x05 - You saved me

So Rayllum's scene on the Pinnacle is one of my favourite scenes between them in the season, as well as one of the most interesting. After all, the Pinnacle is the place for quite a few important Rayla and Callum moments in season three: Rayla finding out the truth about her mum and dad, thanks to Callum; Callum trying to tell her that he loves her for the first time (which Soren's interruption also lampshades); and of course when Callum jumps off the Pinnacle to save her. And while Soren's dialogue is a more comedic callback to the second one, Rayla's dialogue calls to mind the latter:

(Callum's face only falls in the second screencap when she gets to "certain death," by the way.)

It's not entirely clear why Callum starts crying when he looks away, as he has a lot of reasons to (the fear of what Aaravos may make him do, thus turning him into something that hurts people rather than saves them; the fact that he's had only like, 1.5 days to process the return of the love of his life and all those complicated feelings) but he does start crying. Rayla then does her best to help, but doesn't get a chance to, and it's not clear if Callum would've let her, either.

But I thought the emphasis on "saving" was interesting, to say the least. Why not be more explicit about the way this was the first time they said "I love you"? Some note of "so much has changed, but not everything's changed" from Rayla, if they wanted a nudge of some sort. Or it could've been something about Rayla's parents, grateful that she was able to forgive them and realize the truth, that'd they'd left for "a good cause".

Well, I think the most straight forward thing is first, that Callum and Rayla are a couple who has always been very defined by reciprocally saving each other; Callum defends them from the smoke wolves, Rayla defends them from Runaan, etc. Rayla saves everyone (Bait, Ezran, Zym, the downed dragon), and Callum saves her (1x05, 2x04, 2x07, 3x09). The second is that S5, if it brings back Callum's possession plot line (and it likely will, with the emphasis on darkness and drowning from some of the TDP shorts for the season: "Soren gasped the darkness like water into his lungs. He could not breathe. He was drowning") Rayla is probably going to the one to ultimately save him from it, somewhat due to the light and dark symbolism as well (Rayla showing up haloed in moonlight with the cube on her shoulder).

An emphasis on how Arc 1 culminated in a big show of love as Callum saved Rayla, if Rayla is going to be the one to successfully save Callum from brainwashing next season (and restore to her that "We can't save everyone" isn't true after all) makes a lot of sense, especially with it foreshadowed / spelled out more directly in this quote from the Book One Moon novelization:

“Wow. So they look identical, but they might kill you or they might save you,” Callum said.

“Exactly. Just like me…” Rayla smiled.

She's certainly not going to kill him and thus, Rayla has to save him. There we get that mutual reciprocation, especially when she left in TTM to try and save/spare him - it'd be a good way for her to realize that the best way to save/protect him is to stay, right here, with him instead. She'll risk the world ("You let him live but you killed us all" "You have two choices: you all die, or just the evil wretched human dies"), and it'll be worth it.

However, as I've already said, Callum has to play into Aaravos' hands in order for the Startouch elf to get out. And Aaravos is clearly pretty confident it'll happen, whether precisely because Callum is worried because of the possession (a more likely manipulation tactic) or due to the possession itself (less likely, as why reveal your checkmate move ahead of time?).

Rayla realizing she can save Callum is also, indeed, only one piece of the puzzle. She also has to realize that she deserves to be saved, which 4x05 seems like a step in the right direction of (she's happy and lovey about it, not guilty) even if her self worth issues are still very prevalent: "This is all my fault. I left [Soren] alone. I shouldn't have—" as well as trying repeatedly to go off on her own.

So 4x05 emphasizing the last time Callum saved her, setting up that he'll also save her again (and possibly risk the primal stone world again, helping to free Aaravos in exchange for also freeing Rayla) in S5?

He'll risk the world, and it'll be worth it.

[anonforlackofabettername]

Hi, I saw you said you went to the TDP panel at NYCC. I was wondering if you remember any of the questions/answers that were given during the Q&A part, or if you could give us any interesting tidbits about the plot/characters the creators may have talked about? Thanks either way!

I in no way took notes so I can’t promise you a detailed list. It’s also real late but I probably won’t have time to answer this tomorrow and I want to get it done before I forget more stuff. Expect something long winded and potentially incoherent, it’s been a long day.

They talked briefly about some of the influences behind the show and how long they had been working on it to start. They addressed how long winded the opening is by showing a new version of the opening, this time with Soren narrating. It was really amusing. There was some other stuff but that was basically filling time until they could announce that Netflix had renewed them for a second season.

From there it segued into the Q&A portion. There were some interesting questions. One about whether we’d see other intelligent humanoid races beyond human and elves and I suppose dragons. The answer was a firm maybe.

Someone asked about Amaya, though I forget the exact question. The panelists ended up talking about authenticity with the character and wanting to have that character and the lengths they went to keep her and her signing authentic but also keep her understandable for kids which is why she has Gren as a translator and also why there’s no subtitles when she’s at Sarai’s statue and no subtitles for her signing in general. Giancarlo said something about how he was worried about how they could do accurate signing but then he remembered that they’d had accurate kung fu on avatar and they could just do the same thing - which was motion capture and rotoscoping. One of the other writers talked about how Amaya’s representation was very important for them because she’s this strong and powerful character and there’s little deaf girls out there who’ll see her and know they can be like her and do anything they set there minds to. And also all the other kids will see her and know that deaf kids can do anything they set their minds to. So like the representation helps everyone out.

There was something about the plotting and the juxtaposition of the lightheartedness of the comedy with the really serious drama elements and Aaron talked about his philosophy of comic relief in that it’s not meant to give a breath of fresh air after a tense moment and is instead meant to juxtapose against the dark moments bringing them more definition by the act of being there. So it’s relief more in the sense of a relief print in art where the relief is there to add definition and details to the piece rather than relief like a breath of air at the end of a tense situation.

Some poor girl talked about how much she liked King Harrow and loved his dreads and his representation despite only having seen one episode and once they’d finished answering her question they were like wait you’ve only seen the first episode and the entire room had an ‘oh shit’ moment. They suggested she skip to episode 4 and ignore everything else.

The voice actors for Rayla and Callum were there and they didn’t talk much but they did talk some about the characters and how they see them. Someone asked about Rayla and Runaan. Paula said that while it may be slightly parental on Runaan’s side there’s a formality and a slight distance on Rayla’s side since he is her mentor and she sees him as that first rather than a surrogate parent. Jack said something about Callum being anxious and nervous and having trouble with his confidence. And also about how he as the voice actor had trouble saying the spells with confidence and like taking them seriously. There was a cute moment when he talked about how he auditioned for the role. He didn’t really audition one of the writers pulled him aside after an avatar panel and said they had a thing and they wanted him to voice a character and he was like I love these guys I trust these guys I’m in and then they told him about the world and he went 'this is dope I’m super excited.’

There was also some stuff about Sarai, Callum and Ezran’s mom but that was in passing I think. Someone asked for a family tree of how everyone’s related and it’s Sarai had Callum with someone, then later married Harrow and had Ezrab making Callum and Ezran half brothers. And also Amaya is Sarai’s sister. So that’s the royal family tree.

There was some other stuff about the world and worldbuilding that I’m not sure I remember. I know they brought up the end credit art and talked about how they’re created very purposefully and contain easter eggs and clues and half the panel had no idea there was end credit stuff because the way Netflix works is the minute the credits start you’ve got the skip to the next episode button and it’ll automatically press it after like 10 seconds because that’s how binging works.

Im trying to remember what else happened. They implied that they’ve plotted seasons ahead and that like avatar there’s gonna be a book per element/primal source, implying (I guess) that they want there to be 6 or 7 seasons. Which I had already assumed/guessed. What I’m not sure of is if season 2 is still gonna be in the same book or not. I didn’t ask that question nor did anyone else. I don’t remember enough of when avatar was actually coming out to compare the two. I know avatar had 3 books and they changed when they ended the story arc for the books but I don’t remember when avatar seasons ended because the version of avatar I remember the best is the marathons on nickelodeon with the fun trivia captions.

I’m trying to remember if there’s anything else. More people asked questions but this is what’s stuck with me. I’ll ask my friend in the morning since she was there with me and also she was texting a friend of hers so she probably has some stuff written down that I’ve forgotten. Or not. I’ll see in the morning.

[raayllum]

hi dragons! here’s some little stories about my confused lil’ pre-aspec-realization-self first watching tdp (season 2 mostly, realization for me was post s3)

when i first watched this show i immediately latched onto all the sibling relationships - especially Callum and Ezran- because the prominence and importance of familial love was everything to me. The first time I cried for the show was when Callum and Ez said goodbye in the season 2 finale.

I was still hardcore shipping romantic rayllum even though i was living for their platonic dynamic up until then. They helped me realize how much those two things can overlap and also still be completely separate, with both being equally valid, important, and fun.

I had the headcanon of Ezran and Aanya becoming best friends, growing up, neither getting married despite political pressure, and just being an awesome power duo of young monarchs having chill conversations over jelly tarts and chess, busy running their kingdoms and peacefully dismantling the cycle together <3 It was my favorite headcanon at the time and it honestly still is one of them today.

I actually first heard about the Dragon Prince through the youtube channel Overly Sarcastic Productions who coincidentally also first introduced me to the terms asexuality and aromantic, with the second channel member coming out as ace being the reason I realized my own standing on the spectrum.

And last but not least I got tumblr during the season 4 hype and you were the first blog i followed and i’ve been here ever since (ugh i have to scroll to the bottom of my following list every single day) - i saw your aspec rayllum headcanons and, still pretty fresh out of my completed ace character arc, I went (audibly) “ohhhh…”

anyways! hope you don’t mind this little impromptu rambling and hope you have a good day! 💜🖤🤍

Yes!! TDP does one of my favourite things where the first "I love you" in a series is Platonic/Familial and it's always something I appreciate. Especially between brothers tbh <33

And yes OSP!! I know both Red and Blue have some out as aspec and it makes me so happy as another myth/history obsessed aroace.

And whoaa S4 hype must've been such an interesting time to come in. I love the AMVs for TDP on your youtube channel very much! They are super well done

For my own ace story, my ace-iversary (aka the day I accepted/let it in) was November 3rd of 2018, so when it was the day that S4 was released a mind-whopping 4-5 years and Rayllum was more aspec than ever it felt like fate. (Especially when realizing I was ace was my personal floodgates to figuring out the rest of my queerness and aceness/Rayllum was the hinge upon which I got with my lovely Rayllum loving partner). Truly wild to realize that TDP's place in my life is just like, a month and half older than such a personal understanding of myself, but also kinda beautiful too <3

[raayllum]

Opinion about the first episode of season 4?

My first watch it did feel a little clunky, but I think that's also bc 1) as a super fan I'd seen all the clips released already and 2) had read the SDCC twitter thread, so nothing about the episode was a surprise in terms of like, scene by scene stuff. 4x01 in particular hinges on two mis-directs where what we think may be conflict (Sunfire ambush, 'plot against the king'") only for them to both be happier things. Which is why I think Callum's plotline ending badly (aka sadly) is important because otherwise it's too much of a positive note.

AKA I've watched the episode 3 times since and it 100% worked for me (which is also how it worked for S3 feeling a little fast the first time I saw it, but I was also hyped up on so much adrenaline and very little sleep and - shockingly - that makes a difference, I know). I've seen people complain about the tone but I think people tend to have nostalgia perfection goggles on for things they love and compared TDP to (largely ATLA, which had "Zuko angrily visiting Iroh in prison" and "Aang throwing a secret dance party" intercut immediately with one another) and it's like - TDP has always done a very good job at balancing its tone, same as ATLA, but it does feel hypocritical to watch fans of both not realize what they're "excusing" just cause they're used to it vs being hard on TDP.

This goes for TDP too since besides 1x01, this is probably the most packed premiere episode we've had. 2x01 was very exposition heavy when it came to magic and not much else actually happened in it, and like... 3 things happen in 3x01 and the most important stuff is all near the end of the episode, basically? So while 4x01 is absolutely doing the heavy work of catching us up and doing set up for the season, I think it does that difficult job as well as it reasonably can, tbh. Again: I don't mind people complaining, but the complaints gotta be grounded in merit, y'know? (That said: soft blocking people with negativity in the tags because I'm not about that with this show and never will be).

I have also been tickled pink by all the more casual reviewers / watchers who was surprised at Callum's behaviour with Soren and his lack of patience for bullshit now, since not only is it exactly how I thought he'd be post-timeskip and TTM, I thought it was exactly how he'd behave post-a speculative timeskip back in January 2020 with excerpts like this from "If Time Is Money" - so fucking satisfying, man:

She could perfectly picture the haughty look on Runaan’s face as he said, in a rather bored voice, as though whatever conversation that was about to be had was pointless. Runaan wasn’t necessarily a proud individual, but he had little patience for what he deemed illusions of youth or other perceived wastes of time. “Listen, boy—” “No, you listen,” Callum said, fair more sternly. Sterner than Tiadrin would have thought possible, given the softness he generally carried. “We’re never going to like each other, for obvious reasons. I think I have a far better one, as yours is based in prejudice, and mine is based on the fact you literally murdered my father, but that’s not the point. The point is that while I don’t care what you say about me, as I’ve heard far worse from other elves like you, Rayla does and you are still her father and she deserves to have you in her life and to have a good relationship with you. So when she’s not around, you can say whatever you want, even to my face. I don’t care and I don’t plan on rising to it anyway. But when she is around, you keep that shit to yourself, because it’s only going to upset her, and she’s been through more than enough.” Runaan’s face was stiff and barely readable, when Tiadrin stole a look. It was only because she knew him so well that she could tell he was at least a little gobsmacked, and so, quite frankly, was she.  The prince’s tone left no room for debate, as she carefully watched Runaan try and scrounge up anything to say at all. 

Adored all the Viren and Callum parallels since I've also thought since S2 that S4 would ramp it up majorly and it's super gratifying / interesting / exciting to watch that come to fruition. I also loved the Janaya proposal and thought it was super sweet. I gotta adjust to some of the small animation changes (I think possibly character / face silhouette line work and being even more fluid than before) but I love the flexing, updated character designs, and all the little microexpressions.

I'm so pumped for the rest of the season, it's going to be unreal (and just like, 2.5 days away now)!

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi...how are you? If you don't mind me asking, who are your top 10 favorite anime characters? And why you like them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....

Hello!

I am fine, thank you! I hope you are well too :)

Ok, I have answered similar questions here, here and here.

That said, my rule is that every time I am asked abt my faves, I will add new ones in an endless chain :’’’). So, actually thank you very much for this ask. It is always fun to talk about faves!

That said, my new “faves” are not all anime characters. Still, I hope you would still enjoy reading about them. I have mentioned some of them in this other list, but I have not explained why.

As usual, in no particular order.

1) Suzuha Amane (Steins;Gate)

She has my favourite story in the series. She is an example of why I think Time Travel can be enriching when it comes to characters and relationships, if well used. She is basically a child soldier from a bad future and seeing her enjoy herself in a peaceful time is delightful. At the same time, I love how she ends up being so important for different people in many different ways because of her time travels. She ends up being both daughter and friends, big sister and little sister, mentor and disciple of the same characters. She manages to experience many different relationships with the same people and this ends up making her story and her character beautiful. At the same time sad and hopeful.

2) Fragile (Death Stranding)

I have talked about her here. Fragile embodies one of the thematic hearts of Death Stranding imo. She embodies the beauty of humanity. A humanity who is fragile, but not that fragile. It is a humanity that specifically because it is frail is beautiful and must be protected. It is a humanity that wishes to reconnect and to build something new. A humanity who is frail, but not weak.

3) Yosano Akiko (BSD)

Yosano (together with Chuuya) has one of my favourite backgrounds in the whole series. Her background is great because it explores how a healing power can be used in a disastrous and utilitaristic way. It is also a story that highlights the strong link between death and life and how death is a part of life and also something that in specific situation gives value to life itself. In short, her story and character are incredibly complex and deep.

4) Mikasa Ackerman (Snk)

I have written about her multiple times. In particular, this is why I love her. Mikasa is for me an incredible refreshing character and her story and character moments are all all very beautiful and delicate, but also powerful.

5) Gabi Braun (Snk)

I like children characters that are also complex. Gabi is like this. She is a kid, but has a very well defined personality and you can clearly see why she is how she is at the beginning of the story. However, she is also challenged and is able to grow and to bloom. I like what her arc represents and her relationship with Falco is very cute. I also like that she is able to be useful in fights despite being a child and not having superpowers. Her ability are well fleshed out since the beginning and they remain as a constant throughout her story.

6) Emerald and Mercury (Rwby)

I adore them. They are the reason why I am currently so passionate about Rwby tbh.

They clearly represent two different sides of Cinder and are linked to the root of who she deep down is. Moreover, they are two very complex characters on their own rights and have opposite strengths and weaknesses.

Emerald is a child hungry for love who would even accept wasted food to try and fill that hole she has inside of her. She steals from others to feel whole, but she is never able to truly get what she wants.

So, she traps both others and herself inside complex illusions and refuses to use her (very powerful) gifts for others. Despite this, it is clear that she has an incredibly high potential to care... she fights her feelings, but they are very slowly resurfacing. She is a gemstone covered in dirt (I am the one, who rose out of filth and was loved by no-one) and her outfit clearly conveys this as well.

Mercury is a child who has been hurt so badly he thinks he can’t be anything else, but what his abuser told him he is. He killed his father, but is still very clearly stuck in a cycle he can’t escape and that will repeat itself forever, if he does not manage to change. Before there was his father, then Cinder and now Tyrian.

He very clearly lashes out at others because he feels he is less than them in a way (he has no semblance, he has lost a part of himself). However, it is clear he has within himself still the ability to care. He very obviously cares about Emerald and tries to protect her in a misguided way. His attempt to help her are honestly just heart-breaking. He wants her to be safe, but has no idea of what a safe environment is.

In short, Emerald and Mercury are very clearly two abused children, who react to their abuse in different ways. Mercury’s sense of self is so fragile he just kills it and tries to fit where he is, while Emerald develops her semblance aka that part of her she uses to hide her true self behind.

8) Allison Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy)

I love Allison’s powers and arc in both the series and the comics. I would love to write a meta about her eventually :’’’) Probably when TUA comes back and I feel motivated again. Anyway, I love that in the show her story is basically about her finding her authentic voice. She has lived a life made of lies and now she is trying to discover who she truly is and has trouble accepting her powers as a part of herself. Who is she without them? When should she use them? How? And won’t she disappear behind them if she uses them? How can she be herself with her powers? And how can she be herself wthout them?

What is true and what is not?

Allison’s arc is basically a very nuanced answer to this complicated question.

9) Five Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy)

Five is my favourite character of the series. I love him very very much. He is a tragic character because he is so active, but his actions end up creating more problems than solutions. To avoid the apocalypse he should simply spend time with his siblings and care for them as people, who he does, but often fails to convey to them. I also like how in both seasons his power are fundamental for the plot and are used in the finale to solve the conflict.

He spends the majority of season 1 doing everything alone and ends it, by choosing to bring his siblings with him.

Season 2 happens because Five aims too high (a mirror of how he always values the bigger picture instead than the small meaningful moments with his family). This is why in the finale he travels back of only some seconds, just enough to prevent the deaths of his loved ones.

10) Levi Ackerman (Snk)

I love that Levi is such an important character both in terms of plot and in terms of themes. I think the Serum Bowl is one of the hearts of Shinjeki no Kyojin and one of the moments where the theme of freedom and choice is explored in its more nuanced way.

11) Krel Tarron (Tales of Arcadia)

I love Krel’s development. It is subtle, but it is very effective. Krell deep down wants companionship, but uses his own bias to put distance between him and others, so that he can’t be refused. Seeing him defrosting and becoming warmer because of his friendship with others is great! And I love his dynamic with Aja and how the two sibling are complementary and grow in opposite directions. I really like their arcs and their complementarity.

BONUS: Cinder Fall (Rwby) and Viren (Tdp)

They are bonus characters because they are not faves on an emotional level. However, I really like how they are written and that they both form a complex trio of foiling with two kids characters (and the kids characters are in both cases faves).

They are both two complex villains with complicated motivations that tie in their own self identities. They are also very clearly not the final villains of the series, but are still pretty much at the centre of the conflict of their respective stories.

Thank you very much for the ask!

[wildselkie]

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 2 (pt. 2/3)

*chronological order*

_________________________________________

1) Lujaane and Callum Ep. 1

I'm cheating again but,, mmm whatever

The first scene here we get to learn more about the history of moonshadow elves. The moon nexus, a historical place that was a big part in moonshadow society/history. And we'll get to see what goes down there in the graphic novel!

And a few minutes later we learn about arcanums. Lujaane is telling Callum that humans can't do magic; they aren't born connected to an arcanum. But Callum knows that being a mage is his destiny and is pretty adamant about it.

I can't really explain it, but these scenes really opened the world of elven history and magic. It's also interesting to see the viewpoints of different generations (not including the fact that Lujaane is an elf). Lujaane, our hippie grandma elf, is instilled with the beliefs that humans can't do magic. They're really not special... at least in the ways that elves and dragons are. And there's Callum who will not take accept that. Lujaane doesn't judge him (at least not very much) for wanting this. She's tame throughout this whole thing, but then again, she didn't hesitate to help Ava a few years ago.

2) Soren trying to kill ezran Ep. 2

This was tough cos there’s a lot happening in this episode. But I finally settled on Soren trying to and justifying his attempt to kill Ez. Leading up to this, Soren is talking to himself and struggling with his morals. 

“You can’t hurt a kid, Soren. He’s just a kid.

On the other hand, if there’s an accident because he’s doing something dangerous and stupid, well... that’s on him.”

We see him battling his conscience all the while trying to not disappoint his dad. And this screen cap has the splint (?) in the focus whereas Soren and Ez get blurred out. This isn’t the first time the show has done this, but it’s definitely no mistake. Each scene and camera placement is done for a reason. But this scene it to focus on what Soren plans on doing to make it look like an accident, so he can just claim it as an accident and clears his conscience of being a murderer. 

3) Callum learns about Harrow’s fate and tries to tell Ez Ep. 3

I think this one is an obvious one. Callum has learned that Harrow is dead and is now put in the position of breaking the news to Ez. Of course he finds it difficult to do. The part where they’re walking down the pathway and Callum is using the same speech Harrow gave him just makes me- ;-;;;

4) Claudia at the end of episode 3 

Now I’d like to say that I don’t believe that Claudia (and Soren) are bad people. Claudia has a good heart but I think she’s misguided. Because her mission was to bring the egg back she was going to do everything in her power to make sure she did. In this scene, Claudia left dark magic as the last resort but thankfully the group got away. I just thought this scene really showed what she’s capable of when it come to dark magic. 

5) This screencap right here is all I need Ep. 4

Seriously tho.. I have a hard time choosing a scene. A lot of shit goes down in this season. But for the sake of it I’ll be going with the famous scene that birthed Rayllum: The Rain & Thunder Scene OOoooo)000

I love this scene. Almost as much as I love the screenshot of Zym sliding wall to wall. But it’s a beautiful scene and I don’t know how to put it.. This scene really emphasized their closeness as friends. That’s all I have to say about that cos it’s just beautiful. 

6) Queen Aanya roasting the shit out of Viren Ep. 5

That is all. :))

7) Callum reads Harrow’s letter Ep. 6

Alright this one’s sweet. Callum gets the time to read the letter from Harrow. It gives him advice about what lies ahead. A lie, a wish, and a secret. It’s very telling how much Harrow loved Callum and how much he respected him as a person. It’s just.. a real tear jerker and it hurts ;-;

8) Callum uses dark magic to save Pirah Ep. 7

Callum knows dark magic is bad and terrible, but he also understands how important it was for Rayla to save the dragon. He takes that risk not only for Rayla but also his way to make a stand for himself. Without the primal stone, Callum goes back to being a regular no-magic human and this isn’t something he’s going to accept. Without it he can’t stand against the armed soldiers guarding the dragon, but by using dark magic he could. These were risks he was willing to take no matter how dangerous or even if it goes against his morals.

9) Claudia chooses Soren over Zym Ep. 7 - 8

THIS IS ANOTHER CHEAT suck it

So Claudia goes against her dad’s orders and chooses her brother. Clearly family is a very important thing to Claudia and she would do anything for them even if it meant harming others or doing things that are considered immoral. She look back and forth to Zym and Soren but it doesn’t take her long to run over to Soren. 

And when Soren is permanently paralyzed, she goes off to find a solution. Said solution is to find an animal that is young and agile- the deer- and you its life force to fix Soren. This really shows how far Claudia would go to keep her family. It’s sweet but also sad, especially when we learn about her mother leaving when she was young. 

10) Callum’s nightmare Ep. 8

Okay I’m gonna pair this with episode 9. Yes, another cheat what a shock. Anyway, Callum falls into a sorta deep sleep as a result from dark magic. He’s running a high fever and the area around his eyes have darkened. 

It’s really just him battling his conscience, and trying to choose the ‘right’ path. Y’know, it really is the epitome of a lucid.. nightmare-ish dream. But in the end he wakes up, having learned what it means to be a connected to an arcanum; meaning that he’s made a connection with the sky arcanum. 

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Extra:

Claudia being all cute and fluffy when she sees Zym for the first time

Viren finally gets to see what’s so special about the mirror... or at least he gets to see the man in the mirror (literally). 

Villads and Berto being one of the best duos (imo) in the series. Despite being fully blind, Villads is a fully capable captain with a helpful little parrot. 

Callum tries to forge a connection by climbing up to the top of a lighthouse with Zym during a thunder storm. He wants it so badly but he also realizes it’s kinda dumb to almost kill yourself over it (when he almost touches the metal pole). 

Janai and Amaya’s fight. It’s hilarious with them baiting each other. They’re just fun to watch when they’re together.