#angry ezran for the win

[salty-and-spiraling]

WAKE UP Y'ALL! NEW S7 IMAGES JUST DROPPED!

Ezran is MAD! As he should 👏👏👏 I'm excited for him to go berserk!

Oh no Callum 😭 the stuffed dragon from the credits 😭😭😭

Aaravos😍🙌 bbg looking evil and gorgeous

AHHH we finally get to see Ethari! It looks like his hair has grown. Poor baby, he looks so 😢 Runaan's coming back soon!

We already saw this one but still great 💜

Clauderry still going strong! Hope nothing bad happens to them this season 🙂

First of all- Aaravos ��🤣 why does he look like that! Bro hasn't slept in WEEKS

Second, what's up with Viren's staff- or well, technically Claudia's staff now?

BADASS AS HELL🤩 girl's on fire🔥🔥 #dragonClaudiaforthewin

But the white in your hair is making me worried girl😨

[sorinethemastermind]

Snake Boi Callum Week 3.0 | Prompt: Corrupted / Monster

 The cuffs were cold around Callum’s wrists, chaffing at his skin. This room was far too familiar. The sensation of being trapped, of being helpless, even more so.

 “Do you hate me?”

 Callum turned to Claudia beside him. Her hair was almost fully white now, cut short and ragged, as though it had been done with a knife. It fell into her face as she hung her head, eyes trained on the ground before them. He could see the raw, red skin around her wrists where the cuffs had rubbed. She had been here far longer than he had.

 “I have every right to.” Callum snapped, but his voice lacked any real venom. Even if she deserved it after everything she’d done, it was difficult to when she was in this state.

 “You’re right.” she whispered, and as hard as Callum tried to be angry, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her too. Wouldn’t he have done the same for Harrow? For Ezran? For Rayla?

 “Just… try and make up for it.” he said after a moment. “Don’t let him use you again.”

 Claudia laughed bitterly. “He’s Aaravos. He’ll do whatever he wants with us.”

 “We can’t give up. For our fami-”

 “My family is dead, Callum.”

 Claudia’s voice was hollow, her eyes still downcast. Callum broke off midsentence. It… it wasn’t supposed to end this way, he thought. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. This wasn’t the plan. And then, selfishly; I just hope Ez and Rayla are okay. I hope they got away. I hope they’re far from here and he can never find them.

 But even as his thoughts turned towards despair, his resolve hardened. 

 “Then we have to make sure he can never hurt anyone like that again.” he told Claudia, and her gaze flicked up to him for a moment. A spark of anger in her eyes that he remembered. Before he’d thought her a monster for it. But now he could see it for what it really was. This is how we win, Callum realized.

 “Do you know the spell your father used to trap people inside a coin?”

 “Callum, that’s dark even for dark magic.” 

 “So you know it then.”

 “Of course I know it. I’ve been a mage longer than you.”

 “Then show me.”

 “I… even if I wanted to, I can’t.” she said. “It needs the staff. My father’s staff.”

 “You mean your staff.” Callum corrected. Her shoulders tensed for a moment, but then she nodded. 

 “Yes.”

 “Then we get it.”

 “Callum-”

 “He needs us to finish the spell, right? Otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered keeping us around. And more than that, he needs you. So?”

 A slow smile spread across Claudia’s face. The chains on her wrists clanked as she brought one finger up to her face, tapping her nose a few times before pointing it at him. It was such a familiar gesture that it hurt. But Callum smiled in return. This is how we win, he thought again.

 So when Aaravos came for them, all sweet words and flattery even now, and brought them up the long, winding staircase that led to the ruins of the Moon Nexus, they didn’t fight or struggle; they walked before him with heads held high despite the chains around their wrists and ankles.

 The plan was simple. Stumble, squish, clink-clank. And then the finisher, Callum thought. The snatch and flash.

 At first, it went off without a hitch. Claudia pretended to stumble, and when Callum steadied her, he passed the snake’s rattle and coin into her hand. It hadn’t been easy to stretch across the room and knock over her satchel, and thankfully Aaravos hadn’t noticed the mess he’d made getting it out of it’s pouch with his foot. Something about being an immortal titan from the stars was making him underestimate them. That was a mistake Callum didn’t expect him to make twice. But he didn’t need him to.

 The next stage of the plan began when Aaravos brought out the staff. He held it out to Claudia, of course. His favorite. She hesitated just enough to make it look convincing before she took it. And they began the spell. Callum watched carefully for the right moment, eyes roving slowly over the scene so as not to arouse suspicion. And that was when he saw her. 

 At first his heart leapt with the knowledge that she was safe, but the feeling just as soon twisted into fear. He watched, frozen in horror, as Rayla began to creep towards Aaravos, reaching back for her blades. No, he realized, horror growing. Blade. She’s only using one hand, she's injured. 

 Rayla at her best, with all of them beside her, had been knocked aside like no more than a pest. At half strength Callum knew that all she could hope to do was wound Aaravos, and she would most likely die in the process. She’s Rayla. Callum thought. She knows all of this already. But she’ll still try.

 The thought was too much for him to bear. He glanced to Claudia beside him and saw the same recognition in her eyes. It would only be a moment before Aaravos spotted her too.

 He looked back to Rayla in time to see her give him a grim smile. Not this time, Callum thought, willing her to hear him. Not ever again.

 And then he changed the plan.

 “Throw it to me!” he shouted to Claudia, even as he lunged at Aaravos. Claudia, to her credit, adjusted quickly. The snake’s rattle was in his hand before he even made contact with the elf; knocking them back to the ground. 

 “𝔐𝔥𝔢𝔱 𝔡𝔫𝔦𝔟 𝔩𝔢𝔢𝔱𝔰 𝔤𝔫𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔥𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔰!” the green venom dripped between his fingers as he crushed the rattle, the chains around his wrist and ankles transforming into a pair of silver scaled serpents. Callum struggled to keep Aaravos’ arms pinned to his sides. The elf growled, thrashing about in Callum’s grip as the snakes twined around the both of them, further entangling them. 

And then Rayla was there, eyes wide with panic as she tried to rip him free of the serpent’s grasp even as they transformed back into steel. 

 “Callum! Callum, you idiot!” her voice broke. “You promised."

 Before he could even try to find the words to explain, Claudia was there, standing over the three of them with the staff clutched uncertainly in her hands.

 “Do it.” he said, giving her a nod. Aaravos’ form began to morph beneath his touch, his titan form trying to burst out of the chains. The metal creaked and strained. It wouldn’t last much longer.

 “But-” Claudia still hesitated, eyes drifting over where the chains had bound the two of them together.

 He could have argued, or he could have pleaded, or he could have tried to explain that it was alright; that it was always going to end this way. That it was worth it. But he didn’t have time for any of that, so instead he looked up at her, and he explained it in the best way he knew how.

 “However dangerous, however vile.”

 Claudia’s eyes widened. The last time she’d spoken those words to him it had ended very differently. Usually he would have mocked them, thought them part of an ideology doomed for destruction. And, well, maybe they were. But he had been following that same ideology all along, hadn’t he? Just with a different mantra.

What was a monster, anyway, but someone who loved too much? Too strongly? Too viciously; clinging to something they could never have, refusing to let go.

 “Callum.” Rayla’s voice was a plea, but the chain links were stretching and snapping, and all he had time to do was push her away so that she wouldn’t go down with them too. 

 Because Claudia was already chanting, her knuckles white where she clutched the staff. The repetition of the spell climbed, and with it, it’s power. Even as the last of the venom dripped off his hands and Callum began to feel the darkness creeping in at the corners of his mind, it was ripped away; funneled up and into the vortex of swirling colors that was forming above them.

 Aaravos pulled one hand free and began shaping a rune in the air, but Callum lunged for it, pinning it back down. The half finished spell hovered in the air for a moment before it fizzled out, sucked into the draining spell along with the rest of them.

 He could hear yelling, but the roar of the steadily growing vortex swallowed any words and the blur of colors spinning around them obscured his vision. And then there were no colors, and no sound, and… nothing.

 A coin fell to the ground, heavier than it should have been, a face on each side. Rayla dropped to the ground beside it, tears falling freely down her face. She picked it up, closing her eyes at the sight of him like that.

 “How could you?” she sobbed.

 Claudia let the staff clatter to the ground. “He did what was necessary. For you. For his family.”

 “Well I don’t want it.” Rayla choked out, forcing herself to stare at the face in the coin.

But some gifts can't be taken back, no matter how much you want them to be.

[dragon-prince-6-3]

Good and bad things about season 7 of the dragon prince

Good:

- I like terry as a character a lot more now

- the kppar info about calibalism and the implications are interesting and good for theorizing

- zim power boost

- ezran actually getting angry at Runan and having trouble forgiving someone but still try’s to do what he tells others to do

- Claudia and Aaravos relationship

- Aaravos characterization ( enjoying the ride, taking advice from terry, killing Karim, talking to ezra )

- king harrow ( if he is actually captured somewhere, should it turn out he was free the whole time it is bad again )

- Larissa is not the good parent who comes back after years of neglect and gets an excuse because the other parent was evil. I hate those plots since a child is supposed to forgive bad treatment simply because the other parent has to be replaced.

- Karim death was understandable ( Aaravos hates elves ) and gruesome surprising

- Soren and Corvus

- callum coin idea

Bad:

- while aaravos character on his own makes sense. His plans are imperfect because he is no mastermind even though he is smart. He gets controlled by his emotions and protects ( Claudia, Viren ) or destroys people ( Karim, Viren ) based on them. His only destruction plan makes sense for a guy who just wants the world to burn for his pain. The problem is that the first seasons all hinted at a different kind of character. Someone who has a great plan for humanity but is still evil. It feels a little like his characterization got rewritten

- Aaravos is also to weak for the major threath he was supposed to be.

- the world itself and the conflict also feels rewritten. Like the humans got gifted magic and only Leola payed the price. They started to learn from aaravos dark magic and get banned to a Luxus live on the other side. They destroyed the land themselves because of their greed and than tried to get Back into zedia. The elves are not the monsters we make them out to be ( only sol regem and the sun elv queen and Karim are racist ) but the humans are the actuall grey characters we see them as. Karim whole excuse is that the human fears are bed time storys while his are based on real live and it is laid out as beeing a true Statement the writers want use to acnolage.

- why is rayla not understanding that Ezran is angry. He didn’t want to kill runan but only lock him away ( which he would have gotten over with after some healing ). But honestly he killed his dad ( and a lot of guards ) and now the murderer gets to go home to enjoy live. Runan didn’t even speak for himself until the end. She just gone there with runan and thought everything will be okay since Ezran has to forgive everyone and runan was locked up already. This is getting your only parent killed and than being told that the killer is out because he was imprisoned already beforehand. That makes it not better. Rayla would not have forgiven Viren so fast if she had meet the redeemed version so why should Ezran. That he forgave the dragons so fast was the unbelievable part, not that he will not do the same again.

- for the battle at the end: why were no death guys fighting ? You have hunderts of tiny dragons to help thunder win or attack the humans but you let them fly around you. They were right there.

- why do the good guys tell aaravos their plan

- Viren was underused from 4 to 6 and I just hoped for more ( meet rayla, speak to Claudia, callum, Ezran )

- why is Claudia helping aaravos. This will kill everyone she loves since a world without sun will die.

- where is kppar now

[raayllum]

Was rewatching the scene under Avizandum's grave in 3x06 for another meta, but stumbled across something I was interesting, re: the broyals.

For Callum, as he says, "I hate him. He's the one who took my mother. Looking at him, seeing him, it makes me sad and angry and... confused." Meanwhile Ezran is clearly less affected, too busy playing and being happy in his reunion with Zym; and judging by his closeness with Zubeia and defense of Avizandum to Rex in S4, it doesn't seem as though Ezran harbours the same messy storm of emotions regarding the former Dragon King that Callum does, even as Callum still settles on, "But that was Zym's dad."

On the one hand, this makes sense; Ezran, as he says, lost his mother before he ever really got to know her. That doesn't make his grief any lesser, but it would mean holding onto anger for a different kind of transgression and one where the alternative - a life where his mother lived - would be infinitely harder for him to conceptualize than for Callum, who can and does remember.

And we see Callum struggle a little in the instances he's first presented with Runaan's bow in both his short story Inheritance and in 5x01, but ultimately he's able to handle it and give it to Rayla happily and has no real reservations about it. Yes, "It was the weapon that killed his father" but it is also "the weapon of someone Rayla had loved" and the latter is what clearly wins out, since upon seeing Runaan again... He has a decidedly different reaction than he did upon seeing Avizandum.

But given Ezran's anger in his short story...

That Moonshadow elf upon the castle ramparts, skulking toward his father’s chambers. The blood upon those exquisite elven blades. The red-tailed arrow armed with a mission declared by Zubeia herself— [...] Ezran felt a coldness twist its way around his heart. It took his lungs, too, and for a long moment he could not breathe, could not feel anything but an unfamiliar anger so potent it seized the whole of him, inside and out. Ezran stepped towards the arrow— —and stomped down on it as hard as he could. He wished he were bigger, stronger, he wished his boots were made of iron and not something soft. Still, it was enough. When he pulled his foot away, Ezran glared down at the arrow’s hawkish head, flattened and broken.

It makes me wonder if Runaan's presence / freedom will force Ezran to contend with all his big feelings much the way Avizandum's resting place forced Callum to. If Ezran's comparatively lack of negative reaction with Avizandum was the trade off for Callum having a more positive one with Runaan, and hence the brothers are going to be Switching, accordingly.

Either way, I think it's an interesting potential parallel for the brothers, and I'm excited to see where it's taken in S6/7.

[self-spaghettification]

tdp overarching themes (redemption etc)

What will happen when Ezran/Harrow’s narrative of love and Aaravos/Viren’s narrative strength meet, who wins?

Will it be possible for Ezran to win the dark mages over to let go of pain and end the cycle of violence? Or is death the only way to protect the world and his loved ones? Will Ezran have to learn to become stronger himself?

is it even possible to kill a startouch elf? oor to convince him to maybe not, like, conquer xadia?

i don’t have these answers but i diiiid compile a bunch of relevant shit

I kind of went through Harrow’s letter to Callum and added related quotes or moments that seemed relevant to the overarching themes discussed and how they stand on opposing sides

orange is harrow’s letter, read in 1x06

red is ezran’s speech, given in 4x03

these are the main voices but there’s also

pink is ibis in 4x03

black is zubeia in 4x04

purple is various aaravos quotes

pink is various viren quotes

both from 2x09, 3x05, 3x07, and 4x04

green is soren, janai, amaya and rayla briefly (4x03 & 4x08 & tdp trailer respectively)

“Soon you will both face a lie. The great lie of history.

“His name was Aaravos, and yes, he was a star. One of the great ones, respected and loved by all. Until we uncovered a long hidden treachery.”

Advisors and scholars will tell you that history is a narrative of strength.

“Search your heart. There’s something that you want very badly. But something or someone stands in your way.”

They will recount stories of the rise and fall of nations and empires. They will be stories of armies, battles and decisive victories.

“And this bright future will require us to conquer Xadia?”

But this isn't true strength. It's merely power.

“I can destroy them all! I have all the power I need!”

“If you want to say something to the Dragon Queen, you should say it to her face. her real face, that can bite you in two!”

“It hurts! I feel pain about this and I am angry!”

I now believe true strength is found in vulnerability...in forgiveness, in love.

“We all want peace and we all want love. But violence tests us!

In a twisted way it converts us to their cause.”

“You tried to win them over with loyalty and friendship but they ignored you. those who fail tests of love are simple creatures who deserve to be motivated by fear.”

“Because pain and loss feel so terrible inside. You want to hate. You want to hurt someone else. so what do we do?”

So, what is the plan? To fulfill your wishes, of course. Is your wish to rule Xadia? I wish for humanity to flourish. And it cannot flourish with a knife forever at its throat.

There is a beautiful upside down truth, which is that….

These moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don't know better.

“These are the champions you’ve gathered to try to stop me? They’re nothing but pathetic children!”

“How can we stop this cycle?”

Violence.

Loss.

Pain.

For a long time, I didn't know better.

“In the name of love, you may perform acts so unforgivable that you may never forgive yourself.”

Violence,

“You must take down the Dragon Queen and capture the baby dragon. Then you will have the attention of all the world, and the power to do what you want.”

“Bring terror to Del Bar, to Neolandia, to Evenere, and to Duren!”

Loss,

As I write this, the sun is setting while Moonshadow assassins prepare to end my life. A few months ago, I took my revenge on Xadia. Tonight, it is their turn.

“I am going to destroy it, before it can be used to do any more harm!”

Pain,

“Every great crisis the world faced seemed the work of some ingenious and powerful leader, but in each case, it was secretly Aaravos, whispering in their ear.”

“Aaravos. A startouch elf responsible for more pain, death, and suffering than anyone else in history.”

“I am not a killer.

But if you seek to return that staff to its true owner, you pose a greater danger to this world than I can allow.”

You must die.”

stop! i just want to yell stop. but that’s not enough. it won’t work.”

“I do not mean to be cruel. But we must be ready to sacrifice. Even the things we love.”

“Well played. She will be a valuable asset.”“She is not an asset. She is my daughter.”

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.

“I think about a positive vision. a faith we can all share, that we might build a future together in hope. a future where we can be safe with each other. but… it’s not that easy. or simple.”

“Everything I do, and everything I ask of you, is for the future of humanity.”

“The whining child king, in over his head and he knows it.”

because people are still hurting and they are still angry. we can’t ignore that, or pretend it will go away.

“Oh, my time is inevitable.”

somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. we have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again.

“You cannot have your cake and eat it too.”

We have to give today’s children a chance to inherit a future filled with peace.

“I've tried to be selfless as a king, but as a father, I have a selfish wish. And that is for you and Ezran to be...free. Reject the chains of history. Do not let the past define your future, as I did. Free yourself from the past. Learn from it, understand it, then let it go. Create a brighter future from your own hearts and imagination.”

Destiny is a book you write yourself.

To give them that, we have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time.

“There is an aching pain mixed with love that you feel in these moments.”

“Just have two cakes.”

“This is called A Song of Love and Loss.”

I'm proud of you. And I love you unconditionally.

“If the fallen star is a danger the whole world will face, this is a chance to solve our problems together.”

“How do you kill a startouch elf?”

idk man. what if aaravos doesn’t have to die? what if it’s not too late for him to be redeemed? this is kind of a guilty pleasure hope of mine but still. the dragon prince is a story of letting go of generational trauma and past pain, of letting go of pain and differences, most importantly, of letting go of a narrative of strength, of a strong katolis, a strong lux aurea, a strong empire over xadia, and believing in a story of love and hope. if there’s anything that could drastically change things its the guy with a lot of power and a lot of ambition and pain ready to cause a whole cycle of pain all over again. if there’s anything that would drastically change things it would be changing his heart. and if theres anyone who can change it, it’s the kid who feels the most for him.

[dragonprincequotesimadeup]

Question and answers from the Offical Q&A's in The Dragon Prince Discord Server: Character Questions

Q: "Was Callum's in episode 9: "I'm so glad that you're come back!" Actually, the reaction to her coming back a second time now (meaning how she left again in episode 9). So the reaction to her second comeback?"

DG: Yes, it was written this way to have a double meaning! Great catch. This was an opportunity for Callum to say and do the thing he should have done the first time he saw Rayla in Episode 402 (“Fallen Stars”): Hug her and tell her he's glad she came back!

Q: "Callum and Rayla are understandably awkward in season 4, and Callum is understandably angry with her; however, his behavior in particular often seems intended to antagonize her. To what extent is he just so mad around her that he can't think straight, or is his behavior calculated to get back at her for hurting him?"

DG: In Season 4, we get to see Callum struggling with a lotof difficult feelings. This is in part because he’s a teenager—and that on its own is ROUGH—but it’s also because someone who hurt him deeply (a person whom he still loves deeply) has now come back into his life. He expresses some of this struggle to Ezran—that he's both angry and happy that Rayla has returned, and that it’s hard to sort out. Callum definitely does intentionally antagonize Rayla a little, which is obviously not the healthiest response to everything that's happened between them. I wouldn't call it calculated, though, just him emotionally lashing out. By the end of the season, though, Callum does come to realize that his happiness in having Rayla back in his life very easily wins over his anger at her—which we get to see with the "I'm so glad you're back" hug reunion at the season's end.

Q: "will we get a longer callum & rayla conversation and apology about how much she hurt him by only saying goodbye through letter, leaving for 2 years, and suddenly coming back?"

DG: This kind of growth and healing between Callum and Rayla happens gradually. In future seasons, they'll have some discussions about trust—and what to share with each other vs. what they keep to themselves. It's an important part of the dynamic of their relationship going forward. They have so much to work through!

Q: "Obviously you can't spoil too much, but can you give any hints about what Callum and Rayla's relationship dynamic will be like going forward?"

DG: The line between deep friendship and romantic love is a complicated one, isn't it?

Q: "We’ve seen that Callum is definitely upset with Rayla for leaving, but are others upset too? Are they holding back their emotions for the sake of her and Callums feelings?"

DG: Of course they’re upset, but in a very different way than Callum. I think it was a little easier for Soren, for example, to reconnect to Rayla after so much time had passed—even though he was probably at least a little bummed out to learn she’d left, especially because they’d only just started to become friends. When she returns, Soren sees it as a happy occasion: another chance to connect with this strong, respectable elf he’d only just gotten to know before! Another chance for Team Good Guys! Ezran is an almost endless well of empathy. He was also hurt by Rayla’s leaving, but did his best to understand her reasons, and is the type of person who can put hurt aside and express his joy at Rayla’s return up front. (It takes Callum all season to do this, in contrast.)

Q: "Rayla's gift speech heavily implies that she is still ghosted and hasn't been in Silvergrove. If this is correct, is this because she still technically abandoned her assassination mission or because they are unaware or willfully ignorant that it was her who returned Zym?"

DG: Unfortunately, yes. The Ghosting spell still stands. Returning Zym to the Dragon Queen does not erase or make amends for what is considered by the Silvergrove to be the reason for the Ghosting in the first place: The fact that Rayla betrayed her oath and abandoned her mission, and that these choices led to the deaths of Ram, Skor, Callisto, Andromeda, and (presumably) Runaan—elves who all had friends and family who cared about them. One grand, sweeping gesture of goodness and progress does not resolve the very real pain in the lives of the Moonshadow elves who are still suffering. While Ethari may have forgiven Rayla, others in the Silvergrove have not.

Q: "Now that Rayla has the coins containing Runaan, Tiadrin and Lain will she go on a quest to release them or will someone else break them free?"

JR: That’s the question, isn’t it? The fate of the entire world on one side vs. the very real chance to potentially see your parents and mentor/adoptive father again. Rayla has a lot to think about!

Q: “Did Callum know that Earthblood Elves say “Trees to meet you.” or was that just coincidence?"

DG: He’s a nerd, and he read it in a book somewhere. He’s lucky it was a real greeting in the book and not a joke he absolutely beefed.

Q: "In season 4 Ezran called Callum “the first human primal mage in centuries.” Does this mean there have been others?"

JR: There have been a (very) few other human primal mages in the ancient past, but they are exceedingly rare and far between. So rare, in fact, that nearly all information about them has been lost to history. Callum is alone in trying to figure out his path through magic.

Q: “This is concerning Callum and his quest in learning how to use magic. What all spells has he learned since we see him use a few new spells in the new season, has he learned a few or all the available Wind spells? And will he learn spells from the other elements?”

DG: Callum has learned a TON of Sky spells, both practical (his lil’ umbrella spell) and powerful (blanketing the forest in fog to slow down the Drakeriders was no simple feat). There’s still plenty he doesn’t know, though. He’s definitely interested in learning magic from some of the other primal sources, and HAS spent some time studying them, but—as we saw before—cracking an arcanum isn’t something you can just pick up out of a book. For Callum to master another type of primal magic will require challenges and experiences and realizations about himself that don’t come easily.

AE: Yes, I would add that with Rayla gone the past two years, Callum has obsessively dived into studying magic as a coping mechanism… not the greatest emotional tactic, but side effect is he has leveled up A LOT.

Q: "How did aaravos feel during and after he was locked away? Was it a painful experience for him, emotionally and physically?"

DG: I think the experience of being imprisoned has been more painful for Aaravos emotionally than physically. His pride was wounded, his plans interrupted and delayed, and he was cut off from the world entirely…or so was the intent. (You can see some of his resentment and the deep churn of his loathing in the short story "Patience", as well as the little birthday note we wrote for him a few years ago.) Aaravos has had a long, long time for all of his anger to fester into something even more dangerous than it was before he was imprisoned.

Q: "Aaravos shatters the mirror after possesing Callum which i assume means that they can no longer spy on aaravos through the mirror and vice versa. My question is why did he choose to shatter it then? (assuming he could shatter it whenever he wanted to). Personally my theory is that it has something to do with his startouch elf powers and "seeing into the beyond", so maybe he had all of this planned from the very beggining. even before he was put in jail."

DG: In some ways, Aaravos is very arrogant. He’s extremely confident that the things he’s set in motion—perhaps more than what is immediately obvious to us, the viewers—will all play out in his favor. He does not need the mirror anymore; thus, he shatters it. Now, Aaravos is waiting for all of his puppets to play their parts.

AE: Aaravos is showing them he will not be contained—and letting them know his power can reach them. It’s a warning, a threat, and a flourish…

Q: "I’ve been really curious about this - was Aaravos able to posess Callum because he’s used dark magic before or simply because he’s a mage?”

R: Mages, especially human ones, do seem to be drawn to Aaravos across history. However, simply being a mage isn't enough. Callum was indeed able to be possessed because he used Dark Magic before. (Dark Magic, Not Even Once.) Aaravos is very specific about what he does and what he chooses not to do. Simply because he can do something, doesn't mean he always will. For him, everything is according to keikaku plan.

Q: "When Claudia tells Soren that the elves and dragons are taking advantage of him, and that "to them, you'll always be just a human" — how does she reconcile that belief with the relationship she has with Terry? Does she think he thinks less of her? Does she see their relationship one of mutual use rather than love?"

DG: Personally, I think Claudia is just so taken with Terry as a person and not an elf that she hasn’t quite begun to apply how she feels about him regarding “dragons and elves” as a whole. He’s different—so much so that, by her measure, he almost “doesn’t count” towards her deeply hostile and hateful feelings towards the rest of Xadia. She sort of sees him as an exception to the rule: “Dragons and elves are my enemy, except THIS one, who is unique and special in a way that only I could possibly understand.”

AE: I think Terry agrees with Claudia that the elves and dragons were wrong to divide Xadia and drive the humans out. This doesn’t mean either of them universally hate all elves and dragons, but it means they have a belief about history and how humans were treated in the past.

Q: "How is Terry so cool with the idea of dark magic? So far all the elves and dragons we've seen are superbly against it, but Terry just rolls with it, even though it involves killing creatures from his homeland."

DG: In the same way that humans in the real world are comfortable with various degrees of, say, eating meat or consuming natural resources, Xadia has layers of complexity, too. Terry sees a bigger picture than the black and white of "it is inherently evil to do dark magic," especially in regards to Claudia, who does a lot of what she does out of love for her father—which Terry finds beautiful and admirable. He has a line, though: he won’t stand for it when Claudia does something to just be cruel instead of as a means to an end.

Q: "In the upcoming seasons, will there be more emotional scenes regarding relationships and things that happened in seasons 1-3? Especially involving Viren’s family, it felt like all of the betrayal and conflict were ignored and not payed attention to at all this season. For example, Viren gaslit and manipulated Soren constantly in previous seasons, Soren actually KILLED the illusion of Viren IN FRONT of Claudia last season, and it felt like all of that tension and weight of the situation was discarded this season."

DG: Yes, we will absolutely revisit this. Trauma, its impact, and the different ways we deal with it is a central theme for “Mystery of Aaravos,” and the relationship Viren has and has had with his children—as well as the relationship Claudia and Soren have with each other— is one of the core journeys we’ll take across the next three seasons. It’s something we want to unpack bit by bit, though, not at all once. AE: I think Terry agrees with Claudia that the elves and dragons were wrong to divide Xadia and drive the humans out. This doesn’t mean either of them universally hate all elves and dragons, but it means they have a belief about history and how humans were treated in the past.

Q: “Will Viren ever have a moment to really think about the things he's caused? Over his son turning against him and his friend being killed (other than about Claudia being used by Aaravos). Or maybe not in the show but in another graphic novel? I would get that in a heartbeat.”

AE: When Viren fell from the Storm Spire to his death, many of his life choices raced through his mind. And, in Season 4, as he grapples with his second chance at life, we see more self-reflection. Now, he’s been swept away on a quest with Claudia to find Aaravos and, in doing so, save his own life. At the end of Season 4, after hesitating and avoiding it the entire season, Viren uses dark magic once again… Do you think he will return to his old ways, full force now? Or is this a bump on his inner journey?

Q: "Why was there no reunion scene or any dialog between Soren and Viren ? Will there be any flash-back on this?"

AE: I think it's fair to want to know what happened after Soren and Viren reunite in Episode 407, but the truth is: It's not a very visually satisfying moment. Viren is too caught up in his own head to say much to his now-estranged son, and Soren is (both uncharacteristically and understandably) relatively silent as well. What I think you may be asking is: Do Soren and Viren have an opportunity to confront each other, after what happened between them at the Battle for the Storm Spire? And the answer is yes. We will see more of their relationship play out in the future. I think their most meaningful interactions are yet to come.

Q: "How does Viren feel about Soren at the moment?"

DG: Distant. Cold. Viren is very much trying to shut down the swell of regrets and doubts he felt upon his resurrection to follow Claudia and help her complete the spell by finding Aaravos. Soren’s presence introduces a lot of complicated feelings that he just can’t stomach right now as he’s tunnel-visioning on trusting Claudia and Aaravos to keep him alive. I think, in his mind, “there will be time for Soren later”—whether that means reconciliation or further estrangement, though, well… he can’t think about that yet. It’s a well so deep he’ll drown in it.

Q: "i loved janai & amaya in season 4, but is there any chance that they'll join our main heroes?"

DG: If you recall how the journey of Amaya and Janai eventually collided with the journey of Rayla, Callum, and Ezran in Season 3 for the Battle of the Storm Spire, I think you’ll have a good idea of what we’re aiming for here (“here” being Seasons 4-7) structurally. Everyone will have their parts to play, and yes! They will all meet again.

Q: "What can we expect for Ezran moving forward? Will he ever learn how to fight? Will we ever explore a darker side of Ezran? Can we expect him to participate in fight scenes in future seasons?"

DG: Ezran is well-intentioned, but ultimately…his good heart still has a lot of naivety in it. We started to see some of this in Season 4: his good-feelings visit from Zubeia didn’t go exactly as planned, and his attempt to make a heartfelt speech at Rex Igneous didn’t really land, either. Maybe good feelings and heartfelt speeches aren’t going to be enough to break the complicated cycles of hatred and violence that have dominated Xadia for hundreds of years? Ezran has a lot to grow into, and it won’t all be easy.

Q: "How does ezran and Zym communicate also how does ezran understand zym?"

JR: Ezran connects to animals on an instinctual, mind-to-mind level. This is much deeper with Zym, and the longer they spend together the more connected they become. It’s a true mind meld, where they aren’t talking; they are directly sharing feelings and emotions. They are able to intuit what the other’s state is, even if they aren’t next to one another—and this includes Ez being able to see “through” Zym’s eyes.

Q: "Will Zym get a voice like the other dragons as he grows or will he stay like his adorable puppy-self?"

AE: Archdragons eventually talk… when they are a bit older!

Q: "Why is Bait primary with Callum instead of Ezran now?"

DG: Bait's a great friend to both Callum and Ezran! But he definitely bonded with Callum over the first three seasons—like on Villads' boat, specifically, while Ezran was busy taking care of Zym—so now he splits his time a little bit more evenly between the two brothers.

Q: "That big door only started moving when Bait helped. Is Bait confirmed as the strongest and most powerful character in the whole show?"

JR: Bait is the most powerful creature in Xadia…in his own mind. While Bait is strong, in this case he’s the straw that broke the camel’s back, giving the final bit of effort needed to push open the door and get everyone to safety. That being said, you don’t want to arm-wrestle with Bait—glow toads pack a mean punch for their size.

Q: “Will we see how rayla and Stella met? If not do you guys have any funny stories/head canons regarding them?”

DG: I can’t say much about how Rayla and Stella met right now, but as a funny story: Our storyboard artists and animators decided to start putting in these little background details where Stella just… steals stuff. She’s unrepentant. An absolutely shameless criminal. Please keep an eye out for her heinous crimes in upcoming seasons.

Q: “Can we get official birthdays for some of the newer characters like Stella and Terry? Also one for Zym I don’t think he has one yet!"

SJ: We absolutely love that you love celebrating our characters’ birthdays! Canonical birth dates for more characters are coming (including Terry, Stella, and Zym), and we’ll be sure to include them in our official party posts starting next year.

Q: “Why does the creature that guides Claudia Viren and Terry know that they have to go to Umber Tor? I understood that Aaravos doesn't know where he is locked up, and the creature that is guiding them was the one that came out of the mirror so that Aaravos could communicate with Viren, therefore he shouldn't know that Rex Ignious can help them or know something about where he is Aaravos prison.”

DG: Aaravos does not know WHERE he is imprisoned—or even the very nature of his prison—but he does know WHO imprisoned him. He also knows that Avizandum is dead. So, the creature born from the chrysalis (which is infused with at least some of Aaravos’ will, I’d say) guides Claudia, Terry, and Viren to Rex Igneous as a functional first step in seeking out answers.

Q: “Will we get to see more about the key of Aaravos and how it works?”

DG: Yes, you will learn more about the Key of Aaravos! But, it may not be what you think it is…

Q: “As far as we know, there are four coins with people in them, and we know who's in 3 of them. Are we eventually going to see who's in the last coin? Is it a character we've already met? I'm sure you can't, but could you give us a hint about who it is?”

DG: Will you eventually find out who’s in the fourth coin? Absolutely yes. Is it a character you’ve already met? Technically, no. Will we give you a hint about who it is? Absolutely no. For now, you’ll just have to speculate. (Got any good theories?)

Q: "What happened to the rest of the dragonguard?"

DG: We know some of them fled – but did they all flee? Or did Viren do something so horrible to some of the Dragonguard on the front lines of the Storm Spire that most of the others could only run in terror, abandoning their posts? We at least know that Rayla’s parents, Tiadrin and Lain, stayed behind to fight and, well…we now know how well that turned out.

“Who is this?"

AE: Justin and I just talked about her recently in an interview with Cartoon Universe! We call her The Jailer. She is a human mage who is a sort of mastermind of prisons and puzzles.

[blutopaz15]

For the hurt/comfort prompts, number 8 please!! :D

Took me a bit here because I couldn't for the life of me work out even these vague setting details...but have some Rayla POV but Callum-centric hurt/comfort!

@shiramoonshadow also requested this one and another! :)

"you don't have to pretend to be alright around me."

hurt/comfort prompts

More and more since they'd been back in Katolis, Rayla found herself alone in the evenings.

...which wasn't really that bad. Sometimes she'd visit with whoever wasn't stuck in the throne room with the boys, or see if the training grounds by the Crownguard barracks were empty, or just wait for Callum, especially if it was before moonrise. 

She couldn't deny, though, how she wished they could go back to how they'd spent their evenings those very first couple of weeks she'd lived here with them: playing rolly-cubes with Ez winning and Soren making a mess of keeping score and Callum drawing between turns while she looked for a chance to sneak a second with her head on his shoulder, or that night that Ez had gotten Barius to bake a dozen different kinds of jelly tarts for her to try, or those times that she and Callum had managed to slip away all alone before the sun had even set...

They'd been too young, then, for all the responsibilities they had now.

The more of those responsibilities—duties, really—that teenaged Ezran took on, the more obligations Callum ended up with too, which lately had meant evening meetings she seldom belonged at. All that responsibility was weighing on them, too, Rayla could tell. Callum kept coming back home to her so much sharper than usual—no doubt having spent the whole time advocating for Ez and mediating discontent—once he finally turned up back in their shared quarters an hour—or sometimes two—after dark.

He was never this late, though...and she hadn't even had to go all the way to the throne room to figure out why.

Even from across the courtyard, she could see how on edge he was—his jaw set and stiff, grumbling at a volume too low to hear, his eyebrows knit together across a tense forehead. Even the way Callum scratched away at his sketchbook was harsh, each line made with heavy, sudden pressure.

"Did something happen?" she asked, unsurprised that he hadn't noticed her approach in the dark with how preoccupied he was with the messy sketch.

Predictably—he'd startled. "Oh," he said, seeing her and immediately melting back down into that sulky, slack posture to continue drawing. "Uh...no. Well, yes, but...it's nothing new. I'm—I'll be fine."

He shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal either...which was a load of fart-flowers. 

She let her hip bump against his shoulder on her way down to the step beside him. 

"Then why are you sitting here trying to scribble a hole into your book?"

His sigh was short as he bookmarked his page with his charcoal.

"It's just...Ez is counting on me, and I'm hurting more than helping with these negotiations." Callum looked down—his cheeks highlighting red with distress—and fidgeted with the seam of his sketchbook. "We...we had a fight after the meeting tonight. I got upset—angry, really—and it was stupid. I'm just...overwhelmed, and I have been for a while. I've been trying to keep it together because I don't want him to feel like he can't ask me for help. I'm supposed to help him, and I want to help him. I just...don't know how."

She'd suspected the gist of those feelings—even though he'd been trying to keep them down—but fighting with Ez...

These were bigger than she'd thought—bigger than stress.

"Did you tell him that?" she asked, her arm slipping around his tense shoulders.

"I was trying to...but it came out all wrong." Callum winced, his mouth staying tilted into a half-hearted smile, his eyes misted over...so heartbreakingly handsome. "You know me."

She did, and she loved what she knew—overactive temper and all.

"I do," she nodded, leaning close to press her lips to his cheek, and she felt his smile widen just a bit as she lingered there, making her wish that he would've told her all this sooner, that she would've pushed him to talk about the pressure. "You don't have to pretend to be alright around me, you know. I get why you'd want to around Ez—he's your little brother—but...I can take it."

"I know," Callum said, tucking his head down against her shoulder. "I just...didn't want you to worry."

"Yeah, cause I've never made you worry before," she teased. Her lips brushed his forehead before she jostled him off her shoulder, squeezing him tight enough to be silly. "Now then, what do you need? More big feelings time? Real big fulminus out here? Tea? Jelly tart?"

Rayla stiffened, realizing that Callum had nuzzled his way against her neck rather than taking her up on any of her suggestions.

"I think I just need to blow off some steam, honestly," he said, adding a ticklish hum against her ear, then kissing the seam of her collar...

"Blow off some steam, huh?" She lifted her chin, and Callum knew to continue. "And you need my help with that, mage?"

"Well, yeah." Callum's lips squished against her cheek as he chuckled in response, kissing his way closer to her lips. "You're the most important part."

[mostly-hannibal-memes]

Hannibal Fic Recommendation List - Tristhad

Tristhad fics

Back to Overview

Land of Moonlight by Ezran From boys, to warriors, to free men. After the battle, Tristan and Galahad wander and perhaps, find home. Words: 18,420 Chapters: 2/2 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

The Warmest Regards by orphan_account Britain is cold and brutal and Galahad clings to every bit of warmth he can get. Words: 17,000 Chapters: 7/7 Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

To the Place I Belong by halotolerant “I am going to have to see you eventually, Galahad,” Tristan pointed out. “Or else undertake this mission blindfolded.”Abruptly, the door in front of him was flung open. He had to fight not to take a reflexive step backwards. “If you even begin to laugh…” Galahad threatened, hissing. Tristan surveyed the sight of him. No, he still didn’t feel like laughing at all. Words: 14,823 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Offer Up by halotolerant Tristan is not in the business of giving Galahad what he wants. Words: 6,870 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Postwar by cognomen Arthur glances back at him, over his shoulder, eyes dark and miserable before he steels himself. Galahad thinks he is as much mourning his dreams and bright memories of Rome as he is his lost men. Briefly, Galahad is angry about it, but he does not have the energy to hold it for long."You'll join him, you know," Arthur says, and when he turns there is a firm line beneath his chin, tension through his jaw and his profile is so typically Roman and proper that Galahad could laugh. "If you keep forgoing meals and sleep. I've lost enough.""You've lost one less than you think," Galahad tells him, and Arthur nods, concedes the point, and reaches down to push Tristan's messy hair back from his forehead to check for fever. Words: 16,994 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

The Tale of Sir Galahad and the Ridiculous Chicken by Devereauxs_Disease Tristan's hawk takes a sudden interest in Galahad, stealing his things whenever Galahad isn't looking. Tristan is unhelpful at solving this problem. Fluff and crack in the time of chain-mail. Words: 4,928 Chapters: 2/2 Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Sometimes in Summer by trr_rr Galahad is horny in Summer. He's not getting any. Tristan gives him some. Words: 1,391 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/Non-Con

It Takes Two by Devereauxs_Disease When Tristan is found barely breathing after the Battle of Badon Hill, things look grim. Galahad sits vigil by the scout's side, promising to confess his feelings if Tristan pulls through. But when Tristan opens his eyes, a whole host of new issues present themselves — including Bors' oldest daughter.Can Galahad finally win his knight? Or should he just break another plate over Tristan's head and call it a day?  As always, this work is finished and will be posting on Wednesdays. Words: 29,633 Chapters: 9/9 Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Skirts by StratsWrites, whiskeyandspite Come nightfall, the boy’s stance had developed a bit of a falter, but he had no complaints. He sat by the fire, one knee drawn up, and Tristan knew that if he shifted just an inch, he’d flash the lot of them. Something had to be done. Otherwise, the skirt would be nothing more than a belt by morning. If that were the case, he’d beat the boy with it. Words: 3,702 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Bathhouses by frogo Tristan and Galahad are interrupted during an...intimate excursion in the bathhouses. Embarrassment and morbid glee are had by all. OR; Lock your doors if you’re going to get frisky - or else your commander in chief might walk in on you. Words: 1,778 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

[sir-phineas-lost]

Continued

I’m moving my discussion with @theredhairedmonkey​ so as to not bother other people with constant notes.

Well, you’re the one who wants this exchange so badly. And look at the result, the number of notes you got for this post is in the high-80s now! Is that a new record for you? 

Is that supposed to be an attempt at sass? Dude, it wasn’t even my post. All the notes went to the original OP.

And I don’t “want” this discussion. I just refuse to let cowards who won’t debate in good faith win just because they think they can force the burden of proof onto everyone else.

Anyway, your criticism seems to boil down to “they could have made it better” and “they should have made it more obvious.” That’s just moving the goalpost. The way they did Ezran’s scene (which was remorse, not sadness, of the fact that he enabled Viren to make others do horrible things) was sufficient to get the point across. If you’re really going to argue that you’re too dense to pick up on that, fine. But that’s not really all too convincing of an argument. 

Again, you really don’t seem to understand what “moving the goalpost” means. And remorse doesn’t look like that. We have seen what faces other people in this series makes when they are remorseful.

And it looks nothing like Ezran’s face during Soren’s speech, and it is always accompanied by vocal admission of guilt. That really is what it boils down to. I don’t buy that this was just supposed to be “subtle” because this series has never been subtle about these things before. You making a huge leap from “Ezran looks sad” to “Ezran regrets his choices as king” doesn’t make you smart unless you can actually prove that this interpretation is consistant with the storytelling until this point.

The whole point of storytelling isn’t lights and design, but character arcs. Do Viren’s motivations become corrupted over time? Yes. Does this make him a villain? Absolutely. And that’s not a comment on his moral complexity, any more than Runaan’s status as a villain suggests he’s pure evil. Anti-villains have a place in this story too, to contrast with the motivations of the heroes. 

And in a visual medium, those arcs are communicated through lights and design. And again, you keep harping on Viren’s “corruption” even though I have repeatedly made a case for why that isn’t the point of his arc without ever addressing any of my arguments. Why does Soren make the point about “who his dad really is” if it is supposed to be about him being “corrupted”? If you are so ignorant about the language of visual storytelling that you think this...

...or this...

...is communicating that the person in the middle is an “morally complex” and not pure evil, then that is your problem. Like, the second picture doesn’t even require interpreting the visuals. He is just straight up admitting that he has no problem with throwing his best friend’s kid in jail. You would think that would be hard for him if he is supposed to be morally complex.

And here we see Viren’s motivations are complex too. He still wants to create a bright future for humankind, eschewing conquest until he’s convinced it’s necessary. He willingly risks his life at Lux Auera to reduce potential casualties on his side. And even though his status as the main villain is over, his arc will still continue. 

Yeah, except we have no reason to believe he really didn’t want to conquer Xadia from the beginning. He was raising an army long before he met Aaravos and Aaravos didn’t have to make any kind of argument for why conquest was “necessary”. He literally just went:

...and Viren relented. Again, no analysis of the “lights and design” necessary here. This is clearly portrayed as a man who wants power and conquest looking for any excuse he can find. And I remind you, this is explicitly confirmed by Soren to be Viren’s true character, not a corruption.

I have no doubt that Viren’s arc will continue. And it will continue to make him the only one responsible for everything that goes wrong in the world. Mark my words. When King Ahling is upset because Aanya murdered his son the solution will no doubt be to prove that Viren “killed him” first by turning him into a monster.

...yea, making Ezran’s arc simplistic and having enough time to flesh everything out are *totally* incompatible concerns! Seriously, all your edit of the exchange between Callum and Ezran demonstrates is that you’re angry the story shows rather than tells. That line you made up is campy, anvillicious, and unnecessary, because Ezran’s actions explain everything that line does. Maybe *you* didn’t pick up on that, but that’s a different problem. 

I wouldn’t say that they are incompatible, just that “simplicity” only seems to be concern for you in this specific case because you sure don’t seem to have a problem with Callum telling rather than showing his feelings.

And I really don’t see how the exchange I made up is in any way more campy than Soren’s monologue or Ezran’s pitch for peace to Kasef. Like I said, I just don’t buy that this show suddenly thought they could be “subtle” with Ezran making a complete heel-turn when they have always worn their intentions on their sleeve previously.

And no, this change needed more connective tissue to make Ezran’s choice of “no fighting” to his choice of “burn them all” to make any sense and not just come off as him always putting cute magical creatures over his own people, which is something of a pattern with him I might remind you.

This is part of what makes it difficult for me to see his “actions” as an indicator of anything but a preference for dragons.

Really? Corvus says Ezran is noble and wise? I seem to have missed that part. He doesn’t tell him he did the right thing, only that at the end of it, he’s shown great strength and courage. Ezran didn’t have to have made the right decision to be those things, and this was certainly the encouragement he needed to hear. If you paid attention to the rest of his arc as much as you do to this one line, maybe you would have picked up on that. 

Fair is fair, I kind of extrapolated the “wise” part but “noble” and “graceful” are synonyms (and isn’t it interesting that you did apparently miss that part?).

Ezran’s arc of not running from his problems came to a head at the end of last season when he went back to be king. This could have worked as a continuation of it if they hadn’t insisted on praising his every decision so darn much. Whatever you may think of Corvus little pep-talk it sure as fuck doesn’t express any indicatiion that Ezran just wanted to avoid the problem. And I think what Ezran (and his “arc) needed was something more along the lines of “you may not have thought everything through but you still have all the qualities of a great king”. You know, something to actually encourage him to work on these flaws.

When I look at Ezran’s entire arc, I see a kid who repeatedly claims to have empathy for everyone but abandons it when it is convenient for the people he cares about the most. It will always be “right” to help the dragon who burned his people alive before even checking to see who made it out of the blaze. It will always be “necessary” to fight a bloody battle and kill soldiers who have famillies at home when it is to defend his little dragon friend. And the story will helpfully make that even easier for him by dehumanizing the soldiers for him first. That is the pattern I see when I look at Ezran’s actions as a whole.

By long term consequences to Ezran’s actions, you mean “how people acted and reacted to his choices,” which...doesn’t change whether his choice was a good or bad one. Viren’s defeat was not a reasonably foreseeable outcome of Ezran’s abdication. I should not need to tell you.

Have you been listening to anything I have said? This is exactly why I have a problem with this whole thing and why I keep coming back to framing. Ezran couldn’t predict that this would save everyone so he shouldn’t have made that choice, but this is a story and by having the soldiers he saved come back to save the day again the narrative is telling us that this is something Ezran is responsible for and giving him credit for the victory. Combine that with the constant praise and the lack of any criticism and you have a story that says “Ezran always makes the right choice, even when all logic tells us that it shouldn’t work”.

How people act and react to his choices absolutely changes whether the choice was good or bad, because it is a story. This is how storytelling works. The way the characters react and the consequences of what happens is what tells us, the audience, how we are supposed to feel about it.

This dissonance between what we as real people can tell is bad leadership and what the story rewards as good behavior is literally the core issue I have been talking about since the beginning.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

If your Runaan is King theory is true, do you think there might be any parallels between Runaan and Lain friendship and Harrow and Viren friendship (before Viren was taken over by dark magic)? And if Harrow died before he and Viren drew apart, would he have asked Viren to take care of his kids (same way Lain did with Runaan)?

Oh man, this is such a fun question! Gosh gosh gosh. I think there should be parallels there, yes! Lain is Runaan’s BFF, and Viren was Harrow’s. Like, that parallel is already there. The BFFs have/had a wife, and the leaders have had spouses too. There’s a group of four for each of them, two couples, with these pairs of men as the closest friends. 

Both sets of relationships are complicated, and though we know a bunch of the issues Viren and Harrow have dealt with, we really don’t know much about Lain and Runaan’s friendship or how it’s affected their friend group and marriages, aside from two things: Lain got Ruthari together by encouraging Runaan to tell Ethari how he felt, and Laindrin trusted Ruthari with Rayla’s upbringing. That’s kind of all we got so far.

But I would love to see a handful more really key mirrors and parallels in place. Some things that are the same, and some that are different. That’s really how this show’s characterization works, so I’m practically expecting it.

Viren and Lissa divorced because Viren was creeping her out with his dark magic, apparently. Lain and Tiadrin are still together, and they fight as a dedicated battle couple. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t face some kind of crisis moment too, where maybe Lain had a hard choice to make and Tiadrin decided to support him instead of pull away--or maybe Tiadrin was the one making the choice. 

Maybe it involved having Rayla? Or joining the Dragonguard? If Lain was the one invited, and he really wanted to go, Tiadrin would have to choose between staying with Rayla or staying with Lain. That’s a big echo of Claudia’s “Don’t make me choose!” right there, so maybe there’s something to that? (I have an angsty hc that Runaan, as the assassin leader, sent them both to the Storm Spire for many reasons. If one of them was to prevent Tiadrin having to choose, and if he chose to suffer the loss of both so they could remain together, gosh...) If they struggled with a decision and then left together, then Runaan and Ethari would have to support their friends’ departure while trusting that they’d be stronger together. Oh man, the feels.

Harrow and Viren are both men who will do things on their own if they must. We saw Sarai as more of a “I can go with you or leave you to your folly but clearly you need my help” kind of person when it came to the Magma Titan mission. And iirc there’s a tweet out there saying that Tiadrin and Sarai would be great friends if they met under peaceful circumstances. 

So maybe Tiadrin, with her tactical mind, has the same approach as Sarai, and Lain is more of a “Dude, bro, dude, let’s just do the thing, bro my dude my guy, I gotchu.” He’s very supportive, but that can also become enabling if it goes a little too far, so maybe Lain has gotten Runaan into some tight spots, or at least not talked him out of said spots, over the course of their friendship? And it was Tiadrin who saved their butts, which she does not let them forget. I can see Sarai teasing her boys about their follies and her needing to save the day, too, gosh I love that.

We don’t know what kind of societal role Lissa had. I’ve been assuming she didn’t fight like Sarai did, but I could be super wrong on that. If she isn’t a combatant, then she actually kinda parallels Ethari. Three fighters and someone who doesn’t fight, but with the pairings are swapped. That just adds more possibility to the paralleling options, though. 

And I’m wondering, maybe Runaan and Ethari had a moment like Lissa and Viren, where Ethari might’ve had to choose whether to stay with this stabby idiot after he saw something very unpleasant. Perhaps it was Runaan getting his scars? Viren sacrificed someone (presumably) to save Soren’s life. Perhaps Runaan nearly sacrificed his own on a mission. There’s a really dark parallel with these two about how little they value life--extra ironic and complicated for Runaan as a Moonshadow--and I can totally see a big scary moment happening where their spouses realize exactly how different their loved one’s philosophy is from their own. Except that Ethari stayed and Lissa left. and now Runaan has gone but Viren remains, aaaaa

I wonder how the other couples might’ve played out, there. When Viren and Lissa split, how did Harrow and Sarai handle it? What did Harrow try to do for his friend? Did they try to reconcile the couple? Probably. That could’ve felt like political pressure to Lissa. And I wonder if Harrow even knew what Viren had done to save Soren’s life, that he killed someone. I bet Viren wouldn’t tell him that part. Maybe he even lied, because his need to be Harrow’s friend, to be close to power and allowed to practice his magic, was so strong.

Lain and Tiadrin would’ve tried to talk to Runaan and Ethari too, I’m sure. They’re both assassins, just like Runaan, so they’d see his side, and Ethari might’ve felt very pressured as well, to just submit and go along. Not just as a freaked out spouse, but as the craftsman who made weapons for the assassin leader and for others, keeping them safe. If he left... who would keep Runaan safe? That’s kinda sus, bro. But I can see the Moonshadow logic in it.

Viren has attached himself to Harrow as friend and protector, and he’s dedicated years of his life to helping Harrow protect their people. Possibly Lain had the same motivation? “This guy’s important, so I wanna be his friend and help him out with that.” That’s not a bad thing at all. Viren’s motives were a little tainted by dark magic. Maybe Lain’s a stand-up guy. But maybe he also has some kind of self-interest involved in being Runaan’s best friend, too. Moonshadows be complicated.

tl;dr: Yes anon I am very here for an interwoven, complicated friendship between Lain and Runaan that involves spouses and plenty of good and bad history, similar to the long and complex relationship between Harrow and Viren. I am jonesing for more moonfam backstory so bad.

As to your other question, I do think that Harrow would’ve wanted to entrust his children to Viren before he and the dark mage drew apart. The question that arises for me is: when did that begin? 

I think it began with Sarai’s death. Harrow had his own plan, but he trusted Viren and did it his way, and he lost his wife in the process. Fifty thousand lives is a lot more than one life. But that one life was the most precious one to Harrow, and it made the sacrifice personal in a way that losing fifty thousand citizens never would be. 

Harrow might still have given his kids to Viren. But Amaya was also a choice. The general or the mage? Neither are super safe for a childhood environment.

Interestingly, in this parallel, Amaya is a lot more like Runaan: the fighter, who would’ve trained Callum and Ezran to fight because they grew up in such a dangerous environment. I wonder if there was another option for Laindrin to give Rayla to, one that was more magical, or more dubious? Lujanne comes to mind! Hah, can you imagine? Crikey!

I think that if Harrow and Sarai needed to give their boys to someone, Sarai would advocate for Amaya and win: “With troops like Gren and Corvus and the whole Standing Battalion to protect and raise them, there’s no safer place in all of Katolis!” It sounds like something Tiadrin would say about leaving Rayla with Runaan and Ethari, amidst the assassin corps. It’s not ideal by miles, but I can see why she, as a warrior herself, would see safety and a like-minded community as the strongest benefits.

If it was only Harrow, after Sarai died, it might still be Amaya, because his trust in Viren had begun to fracture, but it’s hard to say. I get the feeling that Harrow has never really seen Viren as dad material, even though he has kids. That hug thing in the S1 novelization was really weird, and I will never unsee Viren saying “familial clasp.” Viren, why are you like this. Anyway, Harrow might just decide that leaving his kids with a guy who literally doesn’t know what a hug is, might not be the best move for their emotional development.

He’s a good dad, an angry widower, an iffy king, a great jokester, a loving husband, and a loyal friend. He’s as complicated as Runaan is, kings or no. But I hope that he and Viren had many years of true friendship, just like I suspect Runaan and Lain have had. Positive, healthy relationships are good for everyone.

Please though, TDP, moonfam friendship stuff. This parallel is begging to happen and things don’t feel balanced without it. What’s that, there’s not enough time? 

*magically sprinkles five extra minutes onto each episode* Reality schmeality.

[salty-and-spiraling]

Day 11: Fave Quote

"Good. You don't deserve any."

[tdpholidayexchange]

A Moonshadow Test

Hi Lyn, @lodestarting here is your Secret Santa, a long fic where Callum tries to impress and keep his cool around Runaan. I hope that you like it. - @ladyandherbooks.

Callum was annoyed, this was not how he envisioned his journey to the Silvergrove going.

‘‘Ez are you sure that Opelli can’t handle this? You appointed her your regent while you’re away, let her deal with it.’’

Ezran sighed ‘’I’m sorry Callum but the delegation from Neolandia requires an extra day to finalise their new trade agreements with the elven territories and I need to be there to help them. After what happened with Prince Kasef his father wants to ensure that he mends the bridges that his son tore down in his quest for revenge. I need to be here.’’

‘’It’s okay Ez, I know how important this meeting is to you. Don’t worry I’ll be fine, it’s only one day. One day in the Silvergrove with Rayla and her four scary parents being my only company will be fine.’’

‘’ They aren’t that scary Callum, especially not Ethari, Bait loves him.’’

‘’You weren’t there when he saw Viren try to kill Runaan after he was freed from the coin. Runaan, Tiadrin and Lain might be hardened assassins, but I’d rather go up against them in a fight than Ethari when he gets angry. I think Aaravos might have even been a little bit intimidated.’’

‘’You’ll be fine, they’ve known you for a year and a half now. They know how much you love Rayla, how much you desire peace for Xadia and how much you are willing to risk and sacrifice for both. They like you Callum, they trust you, I’ve seen it.’’

It appeared that he had no choice. Hugging his brother quickly Callum then turned and made his way to the end of the balcony. Strapping his bag around his chest he climbed onto the ledge, raised his painted arms and spoke, his arms turning into wings as he stood in the early morning light.

‘’I’ll see you tomorrow Ez.’’

‘’Bye Callum.’’

He leapt and immediately feeling the wing beneath his wings, soared away from the palace, towards his destination, the Silvergrove.

  As they entered the Grove Callum could feel is nerves returning, what if his brother was wrong? What if the four of them decided that he wasn’t a suitable match for their daughter? What would they do to him? Was there an ancient Moonshadow elf test to prove your worth to your girlfriend’s family? He wasn’t as accomplished in Moon magic as he liked but he’d give it a shot if it meant he could show them just how much he cared for Rayla.

‘’Are you alright?’’

‘’Yes, of course I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong, I’m okay. I’m great.’’

‘’Callum.’’ Rayla looked at him, one eyebrow raised as she silently judged him. She knew him too well, he couldn’t lie to her.

‘’Okay, fine I’m a little nervous. I just didn’t expect to be spending a day alone with your parents. What if I mess up, say something stupid or offensive? What if they something funny and I laugh so hard that whatever I’m drinking comes out my nose?’’

‘’Has that ever happened before?’’

‘’No but it might.’’

‘’Callum,’’ She said taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. ‘’It’ll be okay, I promise. And you won’t have to spend time with all four of them. Mum and Dad had to take a quick last-minute trip to Whitegrove to get some supplies for the festival. They won’t be back till tomorrow it’s just Ethari, Runaan and I until then.’’

‘’Oh, okay well, I guess…’’

‘’Callum, it’s going to be okay.’’ She kissed him on the cheek.

‘’Now come on I’ll race you to the tree house.’’

 The last time Callum had been here he had only ever ventured into Ethari’s workshop. He had hoped to see Rayla’s childhood home, since she had already infiltrated his and to have a chance to sleep in a bed for the first time since he had left the Moon nexus. However, it wasn’t meant to be, and they left the Silvergrove less than two hours after their arrival. Now however, his reason for visiting were guaranteed to be a much happier instance. Finally, he would get to see the place where Rayla grew up, where she went to school, were she played, he would get to see everything. He was excited.

As he reached the top of the curving staircase he bent down, resting his hands on his knees catching his breath as he tried and failed to keep up with his athletic and acrobatic girlfriend. He looked up and was met with Rayla smirking down at him, the look of triumph plastered all over her face.

‘’You cheated.’’

‘’Did not.’’

‘’Did too.’’

‘’No, I, unlike you just used all the skills I had to win. You for some reason decided not to use your magic to fly to the top. That way you would have at least stood a chance at winning.’’

‘’I thought that it was a running race.’’

‘’I never said it was, you just assumed. Always a fatal mistake.’’

Callum was about to reply when the door behind Rayla opened to reveal Ethari.

‘’Ah Callum you’re finally here, come in, Runaans in the kitchen helping me prepare food for the festival.’’

‘’That sounds dangerous’’ Rayla said as she entered her home.

Ethari laughed ‘’Don’t worry, he’s only helping with the prep work. I’ll be the one doing all the cooking. He is planning on making you a giant Moonberry surprise though.’’

‘’Really? Are you serious?’’

‘’That’’ came a voice from the kitchen ‘’was meant to be a surprise.’’

Callum rounded the corner and entered the kitchen and paused as Rayla rushed past him to Runaan, excitement radiating off her as she approached her second father of her heart.

‘’But you only make it for me on my birthday.’’

‘’Well this going to be the first Solstice festival that we’ve all been together since you were three so I thought that I might surprise everyone.’’

His eyes, which had been bright and full of love for Rayla suddenly turned dark and hard as his gaze found and fell on Callum. Callum gulped and stepped into the kitchen.

‘’Hello Runaan, lovely to see you again. You have a lovely home, nice panelling, sturdy.’’

‘’It is a tree house. We live inside a tree.’’

‘’Of course, yes, how silly of me.’’

Feeling his ace heat up with embarrassment Callum looked around the room, hoping to find something to comment on that wasn’t tree related. As he did, he could feel Runaan’s eyes burning into the back of his head. He turned his back so that the older elf could not see how nervous he was and tried to compose himself. He could do this, he could handle a day or two without his family and friends to distract and take up Runaan’s time. He’d endured and survived much more dangerous and stressful missions than this. Yes, he thought, straightening up, this would be easy.

‘’What are you doing?’’

Callum jumped and spun around to see Runaan standing right behind him.

‘’Oh, uh nothing, just uh looking at things.’’

‘’I see.’’

‘’Yeah, uh, lots of things to look at here.’’

‘’You’re looking at a sink of drying dishes.’’

‘’Oh, well, they’re very interesting, so ahh white, yes, very white and pretty.’’

Runaan didn’t reply, instead he just stood there, arms crossed, one eyebrow slightly raised as he watched him, silently judging him as he bumbled through an obvious lie. Then, as if by magic, and he very much hoped that it was, a smiling Ethari approached the pair and told him to put his bag in his room. Thankful for a chance to escape he hurried away to his bedroom to unpack his things. Once he unpacked Callum made his was back to the kitchen and found the three elves sitting around the small kitchen table, a glass of Moonberry juice in front of each of them as they chatted. Ethari noticed him and smiled.      

‘’Runaan and I were about to go to the market to stock up for the festival. Would you two like to come?’’ He turned to Rayla.

You could show him the centre of the Grove.’’

Rayla smilled and nodded.

‘’I wanted to show Callum around the Silvergrove so I guess that would be a good place to start as any. Let’s get going.’’

Callum sighed, this was going to be a very long day. He couldn’t wait until Ezran arrived.

 The Silvergrove was much bigger than Callum had imagined. As the four of them made their way to the market Rayla pointed out various buildings and landmarks, recounting different memorable moments she’s had at each. Despite his nerves and the knowledge that Runaan’s judgemental gaze was constantly fixed on him he soon found himself falling in love with Rayla’s childhood home. His gaze was constantly switching, never lingering, Silvergrove was incredible, filled with such wonder and magic that he felt a slight twinge of jealousy and longing for a childhood filled with such wonder. Then his gaze fixed upon the market and Callum’s awe and excitement grew. This was the place to be. Beside him he felt Rayla gently tug on his arm, guiding him to a fruit stall located on the left side of the market’s entrance.

As they made their way around the market and the various shops found in the heart of the Silvergrove Callum could feel Runaan’s eyes burning into the back of his head and could feel his judgment as if it were a brand on his skin. Runaan may have been a Moonshadow elf but his gaze had the burning intensity that one would expect from a Sunfire elf. More than once Callum found himself stuttering or dropping whatever he had picked up, his nerves were getting the better of him. They followed the two older elves as they walked through the market, stopping every now and then at a stall or a shop to examine and purchase some of the produce and wares on sale. It did not take long for Ethari’s basket/bags to fill up with food for the festival in two days’ time. Adjusting the strap of one of the bags he had slung over his shoulder Ethari turned to them.

‘’We’ve gotten everything we need for the moment so if you two want to head off you better go now. We’ll meet you back here at the Blue Moon in an hour for dinner. Have fun you two.’’

Beside him Rayla grinned and waved to her father’s as they headed off back in the direction of home.

‘’What’s the Blue Moon?’’ he asked.

‘’Only the best place to eat in all of the Silvergrove.’’ She pointed to a large white building on the opposite side of the town square.

‘’This was the place I told you about the first time you came here. This is the where you can get the best Moonberry Surprise. Before my parents left for the Dragon Guard we used to eat here once a week. Runaan and Ethari used to take me there too but not as often, they prefer dinner in. It was the first place that they ate together as a couple though, so we did come here quite often, they even let you order food and take it home with you to eat.’’

‘’That’s unusual.’’

‘’It’s the best, when I was growing up Runaan would take me here after a long day of training and he’d order dinner for us to take home. Now hurry up, there’s still so much of the Silvergrove that I must show you.’’

Over the next hour Rayla led him around most of the grove, showing him her school, the training grounds and parks where she’d learnt to be an assassin, the thermal pools where the elves liked to unwind and the shopping district where Callum saw shops catering to every and any need that a Moonshadow elf might have. Suddenly his eyes fell on one shop and he gasped in excitement.

‘’Rayla, a bookstore. Can we go in?’’

‘’We have a little bit of time left before dinner so as long as we don’t take too long, I don’t see why not.’’

Nodding in agreement Callum raced over to the shop, dragging a surprised Rayla behind him. He opened the door, the little door bell ringing as they entered and Callum immediately felt at home. There were so many books, so much magical knowledge that Callum almost squealed in excitement. He ran over to the nearest bookshelf and grabbed a thick, leather bound book and opened it, finding a book filled with illusion spells and charms for daily life. He grabbed another book, this one a spell book filled with protection charms and runes. Beside it was a book dedicated to illusions to change one or more of an elf’s physical features.

‘’This is incredible, I’ve never seen so many magic books. I want them all.’’

Every other shelf and bookcase had at least one book that caught his eye. From basic spell books, to tomes on potions to gigantic, leather bound box sets that told the history of the earliest uses and developments of Moon magic, this book store had everything that he could have wanted. Each shelf and bookcase was dedicated to a different field, level or speciality of Moon magic. He didn’t want to leave, he could spend an eternity here. He grabbed the books that had first caught his eye, made his way over to the nearest table, pulled out a chair and began to read.  

‘’Easy there Callum, you’ll be here for a week remember. There’s plenty of time to find the perfect book or three.’’

Callum looked up from a book on the basics of Moon magic and instead of seeing Rayla’s face he found himself surrounded by a very tall wall of books. Somehow, in all his excitement he had managed to build himself a book fort without realising what he was doing. Glancing around the carefully constructed fort he found his now exasperated girlfriend watching him. Behind her stood an elf that Callum guessed was the owner of the bookstore. Rubbing the back of his head he jumped up quickly, grabbing the books that he had bumped in order to prevent them from falling.

‘’Sorry, I’ll put these all away right now.’’

The elf chuckled and shook his head ‘’It’s perfectly fine my boy. If there’s one thing, I’ll never be/get angry about it’s someone’s love of books and knowledge. Take all the time that you need and don’t worry about the books, I’ll put them back when you’re done.’’

Fifteen minutes later Rayla, with a great deal of difficulty, managed to drag Callum through the shop’s front door with the promise of spending as all day in the bookshop later in the week. Walking away from the shop Callum heard his stomach growl loudly and he realised just how hungry he was. He didn’t have to wait long as within a few minutes he found himself in front of the restaurant that Rayla had pointed out an hour ago.

‘’Rayla, Callum, perfect timing.’’

Callum turned and saw Ethari and Runaan walking hand in hand towards them. Callum saw Runaan’s gaze go from happy and content to intense and hard as he looked from Rayla to him. He gulped but stood his ground nervously as he felt Runaan’s scrutinising gaze give him a once over before settling back on his husband, a small smile now replacing the hard lines that had just graced his features. Ethari giving no indication that they had noticed the look Runaan had given him smiled at him and led the group inside. When he entered Callum temporarily forgot his nerves as he took in the restaurant and it’s interior. The restaurant was airy yet cosy, filled with, to Callum’s surprise comfortable couches and big cushioned chairs surrounding large and small white tables decorated with traditional Moonshadow patterns and designs. Rayla gently tugged his arm and guided him through the restaurant to a small table nestled in a back corner near a large window.

‘’Best seat in the house.’’ She stated as she made herself comfortable on one of the small couches. Callum went and sat beside her while Runaan and Ethari took the couch opposite them. On the table in front of them were 4 menus, written in elvish. The others picked up their menus and began perusing the meals available, debating what they were going to eat. Callum picked up the final menus and tried to decipher the elvish before him. He’d tried, over the last year and a half to learn as much elvish as he could but there were still many words that he still didn’t know. As he tried to decipher the words in front of him a young Moonshadow elf with a purple apron tied around their waist approached their table

‘’Hello everyone, can I get you anything? Drinks? Food?’’

Ethari looked up at the young waitress and gave her a warm and friendly grinmaking the young elf blush.

‘’Just drinks now, I’ll have a pint of Moonberry mead please.’’

‘’Moonberry juice for me and the same for Callum’’ Rayla replied.

‘’I’ll just have a water.’’ Runaan replied simply.

The waitress nodded and left, promising that she would return with the drinks shortly. As she left Ethari turned to Runaan and spoke

‘’Only a water, you’re being very boring tonight.’’

‘’Well I know what you’re like when you drink, someone has to be the responsible one and make sure that you get home safe.’’

‘’I’m not the lightweight Runaan, I can handle more than few drinks.’’

‘’You know what I’m talking about.’’

Ethari smiled and put an arm around Runaan’s waist and placed a kiss on his cheek.

‘’Don’t worry Runaan, the only one I’ll flirt with tonight will be you.’’

Looking over the edge of his menu Callum saw Runaan’s face soften and, in that moment, he saw all the love, a love which had grown and deepened over many years appear on the former assassin’s face. This was what true love, real love looked like, the kind that his mother and father would have had if tragedy hadn’t struck and taken them far too young. The kind of love Callum hoped that he and Rayla would have one day. It was truly a beautiful site to behold and Callum found himself unable to look away. That is until Runaan, sensing another’s gaze upon him turned to look at Callum, his expression now stern and hard, displaying none of the softness it had had mere moments ago. Not wanting him to know that he had been staring Callum ducked behind his menu, his face almost certainly turning bright red in embarrassment. He couldn’t afford to annoy or upset Runaan, not when he was to be a guest in his house for an entire week. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rayla look over at him, her eyebrows raised.

‘’What’s wrong? Why is your face red?’’

‘’Nothing, nothing’s wrong I’m perfectly fine. My face just does this sometimes.’’

Rayla didn’t appear to be convinced but she didn’t press the issue, merely shaking her head and muttering about how weird humans could be.  

‘’I think’’ Ethari began ‘’that we should just get a few dishes and a few extra plates so that we can pick and choose what we want. Then Callum can really see and try Moonshadow cuisine for himself.’’

Callum smiled at the older elf as the others nodded in agreement. He’d been struggling to read the menu and even if he had been able to read it, he knew he would have had trouble deciding on one dish. Just then the waitress returned with their drinks and Ethari and Runaan thanked her before giving her their order. The waitress left promptly, and the two adults turned back to the two teenagers and asked them about their tour of the Silvergrove. Soon Callum found himself in a lively conversation as he recounted the last hour as well as all the wonder and amazement he had felt as he had finally explored/toured/discovered Rayla’s childhood home.

‘’We haven’t finished yet though.’’ Rayla continued. ‘’Tomorrow I want to show Callum my old/first home. Not to mention that I promised to take Callum back to the bookstore he found this afternoon.’’

‘’Just if you don’t stay out too long. We need you to help us prepare for the festival in two days’ time. Ethari’s going to need help in the kitchen tomorrow and I need someone to help me set up the pavilions and help with the decorations. So, go out and have your fun in the morning but make sure that you’re back by lunchtime.’’

‘’That shouldn’t be a problem, if all goes well Ezran, Aunt Amaya, Corvus, Gren and Soren should be here by lunchtime tomorrow.’’

‘’Mum and Dad should be back by tomorrow afternoon too so by then we should have more than enough people to help you get ready for the festival.            This is going to be the best festival ever. I can barely remember the last festival that I spent with mum and dad.’’

‘’Well you were three at the time so it’s very surprising that you have any memories of that festival at all.’’

‘’I remember being wet.’’

‘’That’s because you decided that you wanted to play with one of Ethari’s floating decorations in one of the pools and you fell in when you tried to grab it. Lian looked away for a second and when he heard the splash dove in right after you.’’

‘’When he pulled you out you were soaked through, miserable and terrified and that was the end of your time at the Solstice festival.’’

‘’I felt so terrible after you fell in that I fished one of those flowers out of the pool and gave it to you as your parents took you home. You grabbed the flower and didn’t let it go for days.’’

‘’Well I almost drowned to get it, there was no way  I was letting it out of my sight.’’

Listening to this story from Rayla’s childhood Callum wanted to laugh or at least smile but was too nervous, especially with Runaan sitting right in front of him. He didn’t know what to do, his nerves told him to try and find something witty and enlightening to share and add to the conversation, but he knew that if he tried, he’d almost certainly ended up rambling and he knew that this would not help in his quest to get Runaan to like him. So, in order to save face, he kept silent, watching the conversation happening next to him as he did his best not to buckle under Runaan’s harsh gaze. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of silence their waitress returned carrying three different dishes, each sending out a different but very appealing smell. Behind her another elf followed, carrying one final dish and four plates, setting each of them down in front of them before giving them a small bow before retreating to the opposite end of the restaurant. In front of them sat four very different dishes, each looking and smelling just as appealing as the others. The first dish was a savoury pie, filled with Moon Stag venison, vegetables and herbs was hearty and filling. The next was a curry, vegetarian, with a thick, spicy sauce, served with rice and pickled cucumbers. The third was a salad, made with what Callum believed to be various leafy vegetables of green, red and purple, Xadian oranges and nuts with a simple dressing. The final dish was fish, a type that Callum had never seen or heard about during all his months in Xadia. It was battered and crispy with a large serving of thick cut chips beside it, with a generous serving of a tangy and creamy sauce beside it which Rayla informed him was known as Tartare sauce.  Eager to try everything he piled his plate high with a generous helping of each dish, an act which would have made his little brother proud. Each dish was so delicious that he found it very hard to pick a favourite, the flavours were so different yet so complimentary he loved them all.

‘’I think that it’s that time, Moonberry Surprise time. I knew the chef when we were children and I’ve helped him out now and then when he needs, he needs heat protection charms or a new utensil. In return for my services I’m allowed into the kitchens where I can get fresh Moonberry Surprise straight out of the oven. Come on Rayla, let’s go and get some.’’ He gave Runaan a quick peck and left with Rayla at his heels, leaving Callum no time to protest or to stop his girlfriend from leaving him with her most intense parent. Callum nervously looked over and found Runaan staring at him intently.  

‘’So, uh, dinner was nice. How’s retirement? Must be nice to finally relax and take things slowly. Not that I’m saying that you’re old, you’re still very young, real young, I’m sure you have many more years ahead of you.’’

‘’I need to say something/I want to talk to you.’’

Callum shut up.

‘’Something that I’ve wanted to say for a long, long time.’’

Callum panicked ‘’You see I’’

‘’Thankyou.’’

‘’Wait what.’’

‘’Thankyou for helping Rayla, for saving her life, for helping her and for being there when I could not. I’m glad Rayla found you, that you found each other. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for her, to grow up and find someone that loves her and cares for her as you do. Someone willing to risk it all for her, someone who is willing to die for her. That is what my daughter deserves.’’

‘’So, you like me, you approve of me.’’

‘’Yes, I do. I have for some time now.’’

‘’But what about all your scrutiny and all those scary, Moonshadow death glares?’’

‘’That was Rayla’s idea, not mine.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’You see you aren’t the first non Moonshadow to fall in love with a Moonshadow elf and in these situations a certain tradition must be followed.’’

‘’Moonshadow death glares.’’

‘’The tradition is to put pressure on the outsider in order to determine if they are worthy of the love of a Moonshadow elf. If you can withstand the pressure then you’ll win the respect and approval of your love’s friends, family and community. If you fail, well, your love was never strong enough to be worthy/to withstand/weather life with one who walks between life and death. All who have failed this test have proved that their love was not as great or enduring as they believed.’’

‘’But if you already approve of me, then I must have already passed your test.’’

‘’Yes, but I’m not the only one you must impress and seek approval from. Lain and Tiadrin have expressed their intent to test you during your stay. Rayla though that it would be a good idea to give you a taste of what was to come, to see how you would handle such pressure and scrutiny when you aren’t in a life or death situation. So, she asked me to put some pressure on you as soon as you arrived to see how you would react.’’

‘’How did I do?’’

‘’Apart from the rambling I believe that you did quite well. I have no doubt that whatever Tiadrin and Lain’s tests are you will pass them with flying colours, just as Rayla predicted.’’

‘’She knew that I’d pass.’’

‘’Of course, she had faith in you. She just wanted to make sure, as did Ethari and I. Lain and Tiadrin can be very intense and stubborn, believe me, I’ve known them for almost my entire life. We all needed to know for certain if you were going to be able to handle them.’’

Runaan stopped and observed him for a moment.

‘’Callum, you earned my approval and respect a long time ago and many times over since then. You earnt it when I leant that you flung yourself off the Storm Spire to save Rayla. You earnt it when you helped free me and tried everything you could to help me heal and recover. You earnt it when you tried to help make Ethari smile when I could not. You earnt it when you let go of the hatred and anger you felt towards me even though you were completely justified in never letting it go, never forgiving me for killing your father. You do not have to prove that you are a worthy recipient of Rayla’s love.’’

‘’Thank you Runaan. That means a lot. But I must ask. If Rayla asked you to do this in secret, why tell me?’’

‘’Well I thought that you might like a bit of a heads up. As I said before I know Lain and Tiadrin. Lain and I have been best friends since we were five years old and I’ve known Tiadrin almost as long and I know that they’ve been planning for this week for quite a while/some time. This is not something that you should be going into unprepared.’’

‘’What are they going to do to me?’’

Runaan was about to reply but closed his mouth quickly, leaning back into the couch as Rayla and Ethari finally made their way back to the table.

‘’Try and look nervous, remember I wasn’t meant to tell you that this is a test.’’

Luckily this wasn’t difficult at all and by the time the other two had returned Runaan and Callum had schooled their features back into that of a judgmental and disapproving father and their nervous, rambling boyfriend. When they got to the table, they set down three plates of what Callum guessed was the famous Moonberry surprise. Ethari also set down a streaming hot cup of tea in front of his husband before snuggling up next to him/sitting beside him, legs touching and offering Runaan the first spoonful of his dessert.

‘’Runaan isn’t a big fan of desserts so he usually just has a bite or two of Ethari’s or mine. He does like fruit tarts though, but they didn’t have any today so we couldn’t bring him one.’’

Callum picked up his spoon and dug into the deep red mousse and its golden crumb base and took a bite. As he bit down something burst inside his mouth. He looked down in surprise but found nothing.

‘’What?’’

‘’Isn’t it great’’ Rayla said, her mouth filled with the surprising dessert.

‘’Why am I tasting pomegranate? I thought that this was Moonberry Surprise.’’

She grinned ‘’ That’s the surprise in Moonberry Surprise, you think you’re going to get a secret Moonberry treat but surprise, it’s pomegranate. You hide the pomegranate with an illusion so that every bite is a surprise.’’

‘’It is very surprising, but a very tasty surprise. Ez would love this, I can’t wait for him to try it.’’

‘’Just wait until you try Runaan’s, he makes a syrup from unripe, tangy Moonberries and drizzles it on top. It’s the best.’’

Out of the corner of his eye Callum saw Runaan flash him a very quick smile before his face returned to that of the stern and disapproving father, a persona that Callum now knew to be a charade/façade. He fixed his face into what hopefully looked like that of a nervous and awkward teenage boy, a feat which, after the events of the day was not too difficult to achieve.  

  As they made their way slowly back to the tree house Callum smiled, today had not been as bad as he had thought it would have been. Silvergrove was beautiful, he’d gotten to spend the afternoon with Rayla, he’d found an amazing bookstore, finally tried Moonberry Surprise and Runaan didn’t hate him/actually liked him. If he had dreamt of a perfect day in this place, then today would have been very close to perfect. Taking Rayla’s hand he strode forward more confidently than before. A few paces/strides behind them Runaan smiled, the small act catching Ethari’s eye.

‘’You told him didn’t you.’’

‘’Of course. Did you expect me to let him deal with Tiadrin and Lain totally unprepared? Rayla might have faith in him but she doesn’t know her parents like we do. The boy needed to know.’’

‘’Of course he does. But what happens when Rayla finds out that you told him what you were doing?’’

‘’She won’t. Callum can keep this secret. I have faith in him.’’

Ethari leaned into him, wrapping an arm around Runaan’s waist.

‘’You really like him don’t you. You wouldn’t have let him in on Rayla’s plan if you didn’t.’’

‘’He’s a good man, loving, protective, smart, creative. He reminds me of you. How could I not like him?’’

Ethari smiled and leant in, giving his husband a gentle kiss.

‘’I’m proud of you.’’

Runaan smiled and returned his husband’s kiss.

‘’Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to tell him what Lain and Tiadrin had planned for him.’’

‘’Oh dear.’’

‘’Yes’’ Runaan agreed, pulling Ethari closer ‘’Suffice it to say that this week is going to be a week none of us will ever to forget.’’

[dragon-prince-6-3]

Spoilers for dragon prince season 7

I was a little unsure before what aaravos plans where and how Viren was factoring in there, because I always saw aaravos as a madara of Naruto kind of character. You don’t know how he predicted everything in advance but every move is calculated and has a reason for existing. This kind of thinking made me have a lot of theories what aaravos actions will turn into later ( sir sparklepuff creation must have a deeper meaning, there exist a plan for callum, etc. ). Now I understand I got the character wrong. While he is a manipulator, he is not a mastermind.

Aaravos wants only revenge with no details, like when it happens or what happens after, set in place. His only goal at the beginning is getting free. He is good in seeing opportunity’s and using them, allowing him to change his plans constantly. But that also means that things he himself sets up can actually fail or lead to nothing. This makes him still skilled since he got what he wanted in the end. But also more realistic, because he can’t know everything and all those villains with their ( everything you did, even defeating my army, was always part of the plan ) are getting overused anyway. In short aaravos is a good manipulator but not omnipotent and so his plans do not always lead to something he actually needs or wants. He will also change his approve considering with who he works with and how he feels about them at this point. Changing his plans further. To prove this I will go through every big decision he made and explain what he thought will happen ( why he did this ) and if he succeeded in his plan or had to change tactics which will lead to his next decision.

First his goal was to stay in contact with Viren and gain his trust so he has an ally to get out. The caterpillar was needed for this reason as well as aaravos listening to virens troubles with the monarchy and trying to help. As long as some progress in virens position was accomplished and Viren didn’t die, aaravos goal was archived. That Viren actually became king was not part from the beginning but once aaravos saw the opportunity with Ezran he told Viren to take it. Mentioning that claudia was an great acced was still meant to built trust with Viren ( complementing that he played well, showing him what a good position he has, etc ). This goes on with seeing aaravos and archiving virens dream of conquering zedia ( aaravos has no interest in actually conquering anything, he just wants to destroy and virens plans are not stopping him from that so he will gladly help for fun and still gaining trust ). All considered aaravos archived his goal of trust and contact with some mistakes where Viren was angry or suspicious with him, but still good work.

Aaravos next goal was getting the map for his prison. For that he needs access to zadia and maybe grow the worm ( I don’t know if the last part was needed but I will just assume right now ). And since he seems to be aware or suspect an arch dragon to have the map, aaravos needs Viren to be prepared for that. With Viren wanting to conquer zadia this is actually fitting nicely into his hands. Technically he could possess Viren and force him to leave katolis and look for the map and skip the whole battle. But with Viren winning the fight Aaravos gets more exploring freedom, which means more magic for the worm and Viren and possible eliminate future threats of dragons in one ( absorbing zim ). So the whole dragon fight was not needed for the future but was an opportunity aaravos took. His goal of getting the map was not archived jet but if successful would have laid the groundwork for that.

During this aaravos saw an opportunity to corrupt the sun forge right know instead of later. It was a step he could have taken after his priority of getting out was successful but he believed in Viren enough to risk it.

That Viren died was not part of the plan but Viren wasn’t necessarily at this point since aaravos had Claudia. If aaravos was only interesting in archiving his goal he could have ditched Viren right here. But Aaravos did care for Viren. He saw him as a friend and ally. When Viren fell the worm immediately built an cocon for him. And this point aaravos plans changed into getting Viren back first. He waited long enough already he could wait a little bit longer. His escape got put behind and the necessary steps for the resurrection started. This included getting Claudia trust and changing the worm into sir sparklepuff. The caterpillar didn’t have a bigger role except for guide but his fate got changed because aaravos plans changed. This made staying in contact harder but he accepted this consequence in exchange to get Viren back. Only than would he get back on his plan to get the map. This goal could be archived with both Viren at the start or later Claudia. There was no other reason for delay here except his priority change. Made even more clear when the first thing aaravos did when Viren got near was ignoring his freedom and talk with him about the spell. Before understanding aaravos I thought he needed Viren for something. While else go throw all this trouble. But the truth is he didnt need to. Viren was an exchangeble pawn at the beginning but deserved in aaravos eyes the effort of getting to stay longer and he respected Viren enough to accept his decision to die. It wasn’t aaravos plan that failed Viren resurrection. But Viren himself decided he didn’t want that. Since Viren wasn’t needed, Aaravos didn’t have to force him to do anything. If Viren died it would be waisted effort but not a failure. Aaravos goal of resurrection was an later included part that did not fail but was deemed unimportant the moment Viren chose to leave.

The sun elves plot and Sol Regem where not planned but opportunitys again. Aaravos had probably multiple ideas how to get the pearl if thinks changed.

That Viren died was not planned but an betrayed friend or ex taking revenge when he saw it. That aaravos plans with Viren could change this fast was all because aaravos cared about him and was improvising the whole time. This explains all the waisted effort, not because aaravos is stupid but he is flexible.

Than did aaravos use Claudia. He didn’t plan from the beginning to always replace her dad with her. He only did this now. Just like he had no plan for her the intere season 7. he saw her as his daughter and was adapting to her so he could include her in his plans the whole time. Even though he didn’t need her for the death army.

There was also never a deeper plan for callum. Aaravos only predicts what callum could do and looked if he could use that ( like switching the pearl ). But there was no mastermind plan to get callum into a position aaravos wants him in.

All together where there never any great long term plans I looked for everywhere, because I saw aaravos as a mastermind who had to have a greater reason for doing something. But mostly only skilled manipulation, adapting and disregarding of plans. Because aaravos acts only like an intelligent human there don’t have to be Elaborate thought out plot points. If he waisted 5 years to resurrect someone he kills a few weeks later it still makes sense for his character.

Just for clarification I get it that I saw the character wrong in the beginning and that it makes sense for him to have conterdicting plans. But the first seasons all hinted at a different characterization so I am still a little angry that there really are no deeper meanings to some of his plans.

[raayllum]

Q: "Was Callum's in episode 9: "I'm so glad that you're come back!" Actually, the reaction to her coming back a second time now (meaning how she left again in episode 9). So the reaction to her second comeback?"

DG: Yes, it was written this way to have a double meaning! Great catch. This was an opportunity for Callum to say and do the thing he should have done the first time he saw Rayla in Episode 402 (“Fallen Stars”): Hug her and tell her he's glad she came back!

Q: "Callum and Rayla are understandably awkward in season 4, and Callum is understandably angry with her; however, his behavior in particular often seems intended to antagonize her. To what extent is he just so mad around her that he can't think straight, or is his behavior calculated to get back at her for hurting him?"

DG: In Season 4, we get to see Callum struggling with a lotof difficult feelings. This is in part because he’s a teenager—and that on its own is ROUGH—but it’s also because someone who hurt him deeply (a person whom he still loves deeply) has now come back into his life. He expresses some of this struggle to Ezran—that he's both angry and happy that Rayla has returned, and that it’s hard to sort out. Callum definitely does intentionally antagonize Rayla a little, which is obviously not the healthiest response to everything that's happened between them. I wouldn't call it calculated, though, just him emotionally lashing out. By the end of the season, though, Callum does come to realize that his happiness in having Rayla back in his life very easily wins over his anger at her—which we get to see with the "I'm so glad you're back" hug reunion at the season's end.

Q: "will we get a longer callum & rayla conversation and apology about how much she hurt him by only saying goodbye through letter, leaving for 2 years, and suddenly coming back?"

DG: This kind of growth and healing between Callum and Rayla happens gradually. In future seasons, they'll have some discussions about trust—and what to share with each other vs. what they keep to themselves. It's an important part of the dynamic of their relationship going forward. They have so much to work through!

Q: "Obviously you can't spoil too much, but can you give any hints about what Callum and Rayla's relationship dynamic will be like going forward?" 

DG: The line between deep friendship and romantic love is a complicated one, isn't it?

[doyoubelieveinwhateverr]

An idea to lighten things up

Season 4, alternate scenario.

It's near the end of the road for Aaravos/Viren/Claudia. All their other plans have been thwarted by the gang (now consisting of Callum, Rayla, Ezran, Zym, Soren and Ethari because there needs to be at least one responsible adult!)

The villain squad do a last ditch attempt to stall the heroes, they release Runaan from his coin, possess him with dark magic and have him obey their every command.

Rayla is distraught, having to fight her father figure again, Callum and Ezran are terrified of the man who nearly killed them once before, Soren is unsure if they can win this one, he only won last time because the assassin was injured but now he's supercharged with Dark Magic.

And Ethari?

Ethari is clearly holding back tears, seeing his husband dripping in shadows with empty, glowing eyes and he lowers his head.

The villains chuckle, convinced victory is assured.

"Destroy them, assassin."

The possessed Runaan approaches, raising his sword menacingly.

Ethari raises his head, eyes full of fire.

"So it has come to this." he mutters. He never thought this would have to happen, but he had no choice now.

He takes a deep breath, steels himself . . .

And speaks with a particular tone of voice.

"Runaan Moonshadow Elf! If you come anywhere near me with those swords and I promise you, you're going to be on the couch for the rest of your life!"

Runaan freezes, sword aloft and glowing eyes comically wide.

"I make you those swords as a gift and this is how you thank me!? You put those down right now!"

He slowly lowers his arm.

"What are you doing!? Strike them down!"

He raises his arm.

"Ah bup bup bup bup! Don't even think about it mister!"

He lowers his arm.

And everyone just watches in awe as the power struggle goes on, the possessed Runaan trying to figure out which fate is worse.

An angry master?

Or an angry husband?

[sorayla]

Hi again~ Any soulmates headcanons for Rayla & Soren? Like mark's or names on the skin or so? Would it be obvious that their soulmate is an elf/human? And if so what problems would that cause for them and those around them?

Helloooo

I'm really sorry it took me ages to answer you, but here are my headcanons for sorayla as soulmates, I hope you like them:

~once you meet your soulmate, the date of the day you first met appears (like a tattoo) somewhere on your skin (yours and your soulmate's appear on the same spot of your bodies). Not everyone has a soulmate mark, it only appears when two people have a really deep spiritual connection~

Rayla's and soren's soulmate marks appeared on their lower backs

Soren is still recovering from -ahem- the accident when he finds out about his mark. Claudia found it, actually. She was helping him change his chest bandages when she saw it:

-"Soren! You have a soulmate mark!"

-"WHAT? WHERE? HOW? WHAT DOES IT SAY?"

(Soren gets super excited because he is secretly a hopeless romantic. I like to imagine that before their mother left she used to read love stories and poems to them. He thought they were lame back then but after she left, he would read romance novels whenever he missed her because the genre reminded him of her. He ended up becoming a fan of love-related literature. Yes, I like to believe that my son Soren has a brain shsujsishuahsia)

-"it says XX/XX/XXXX! Who did you meet on this day??"

-"I don't know! Where wer-THIS WAS THE DAY WE FOUND THE PRINCES"

-"...THE ELF GIRL, SOREN! THE ELF IS YOUR SOULMATE"

-"AHA! I KNEW SHE WAS INTO ME!" (Referring to when he says "did you catch that intense look I got from the elf? I think she's into me")

Claudia starts rambling about how the soulmate mark doesn't mean that Soren and Rayla really need to be a couple and that there must exist some spell able of detaching their souls, because of course her brother can't be forever bound to an elf.

While Claudia is panicking a little, Soren is just staring timidly at her. When she stops the rambling he says:

-"Claudia...... I... I don't think it's... bad..."

-"How is it not bad!?"

-"well... she is... a good fighter... and... she's also...pretty cute..."

Claudia:

.....

Rayla, on the other hand, is not so okay with the soulmate situation

Callum was the one to discover her mark when they were bathing/swimming in some river in Xadia (at some point they will have to bathe and will have to do it in their underclothing, so I'm assuming that Rayla's underwear exposes her lower back). He is a few meters away from her so he doesn't see it clearly and doesn't understand it is a soulmate mark:

-"Rayla, what does your tattoo mean?"

-"which tattoo?"

-"the one on your back...?"

-"I don't have any tattoo on my back"

-"um.....you do"

-"I don't!"

-"you do!"

-"Moonshadow elves only get tattooed when we turn 18 and become adults!"

He gets closer and reads it out loud

-"it says XX/XX/XXXX... Rayla... this is a soulmate mark!

-"it's a what?!"

-"a soulmate mark!"

-"WHAT IS A SOULMATE MARK, CALLUM?!"

(Since Rayla was raised by moonshadow elves, who don't seem to be very romantic, and lost her parents at a young age, I believe she doesn't know about soulmate marks, so Callum has to explain everything about them to her while she completely freaks out)

-"BUT CALLUM THE ONLY PERSON I MET FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT DAY WAS SoReN"

-"then Soren is your soulmate, Rayla!"

-"IT CAN'T BE SOREN"

-"Calm down, you don't need to marry him! I mean, I think the universe wants you to marry him but you don't have to! Destiny is a book you write yourself. Your souls are for some reason connected and that's all"

-"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! I'M NOT EVEN SURE IF HE HAS A SOUL"

-"don't be so dramatic, Rayla, he is my friend, he's nice"

-"HE WAS TRYING TO KIDNAP YOU AND EZRAN, HOW IS THAT NICE?"

-"You have a point but... Soren and Claudia just don't know yet that they are on the wrong side, they are not bad people"

-"YES THEY ARE! And Soren isn't even good at being bad! MY SOULMATE IS A DUMB BAD GUY!"

It takes Rayla a couple of days to stop grumbling about the topic. Knowing Soren is her soulmate only makes her dislike him more

........

I believe that soon Soren and Claudia will realize that their father is not doing the right thing (Viren is kind of possessed by Aaravos so now he will probably be even more cold-hearted than he usually is). Then they will change sides and start a journey to Xadia in order to search for Callum and Rayla and help them. This means that next time Rayla and Soren meet, they will already be on the same side. Callum will more than happily welcome his old friends, but Rayla still won't trust the siblings, especially Soren, so she will always keep an eye on him and be rude towards him (kinda how Katara acted when Zuko joined the gaang heheheeheh). At first Soren tries to win her over by acting flirty but this behaviour lasts for less than a week because Rayla can be very intimidating when she wants to.

However, Rayla gets less angry at him with each passing day because he proves to be loyal and to really care about their group's safety. As they become friends she will VERY SLOWLY get over Callum and grow really fond of Soren

Claudia and Callum will obviously ship them but no one will feel comfortable to talk about the soulmate marks, well, not until the day Claudia finds our two lovebirds secretly smooching during what should be their swordfight training........