#ethari has a scarf callum has a scarf

[hiimtheproblem87times]

Rayllum 🤝 Ruthari

Being the only matching ship in the whole series

Also, day 2 being a ruthari shipper in S6

[starry-skies-writes]

I like how they have things to remember their fathers by

Ezran has Harrow’s sword (crafted into his crown)

Callum has Damien’s scarf

Rayla has Ethari’s crafted swords, and her braid that is like Lain’s

Claudia has Viren’s staff

And Soren has Viren induced trauma

[beautifulterriblequeen]

S4 hopes

A quick list of stuff I’d like to see in S4:

if Rayla has had markings on her shoulders the whole time, revealed by a wardrobe change, OR if she gets them painted on for the first time, ft. Callum’s steady hand

if Ethari has something else under his scarf

angry Ethari

Ethari with his shirt off (but for not-dungeon reasons)

Claudia with a new hairstyle that makes the black and white more angsty

bigger Zym

Janai knowing ASL

if there’s anything to the hints of Gren x Corvus

Aaravos with yet another new look for the new season

backstory for Sunfires and Moonshadows

Aanya being a badass, but also Aanya being soft

more cute animals

tie-ins to things we’ve seen in other TDP media, like a BH reference that deepens our understanding but doesn’t confuse people if they haven’t read it

cameos by the Tales of Xadia pre-gen playable characters

moonfam flashback with Laindrin

Nyx doing crime

combat between characters: old rivals and/or battle couples

Claudia making very logical and horrible decisions

also that one adoraburr she kidnapped from its friend

magical constructs like the little mechanical bird from ToX’s Tale of the Corrupted Core

[numptypylon]

Observations/speculations from this angsty-rayllum-fighter-jet-shipping-fuel frame:

1) Unlike the clips where he’s in the castle, he’s wearing his scarf and probably his sketchbook or bag, something with a diagonal strap that he wasn’t before. So he’s dressed for a journey, left the castle with a purpose, maybe to find Rayla since… he did find SOMETHING of hers. And we know from the recap he’s definitely still pining.

2) His devastated face and slumped shoulders and the way he’s almost reverently cradling the sword, it looks like grief rather than fear or anger or determination, not like he’s about to go find her but like he believes he’s already lost her. There might be circumstances around where and how he found the sword that makes it even more ominous than it already is.

3) The sword is unfurled, so she presumably lost it in battle, if he found it like that. It doesn’t have any dirt or blood or anything else on it to indicate that she lost it long before he found it or that she was fighting something at the time. He might just have found it closed and unfurled it to make sure it was really hers. Did she teach notoriously uncoordinated Callum how to do that before she left? That’s at least a sweet thought in the midst of all the angst! TTM did mention them practicing together.

4) He’s alone? Did he fly ahead, leave the castle alone? The scene with Ezran in it, he’s not wearing the scarf or shoulder strap, so they’re presumably still in the castle. If Ezran or Soren were there with him, you’d think they’d be close/comforting him when he’s clearly very upset. So my theory is he left alone (my shippy heart says to find Rayla, but there could have been other reasons, like mirror-Aaravos tricking him into it or a combination of the two) leaving him vulnerable to Aaravos who’s almost certainly very interested in a talented young human primal mage and prime for some solo adventures and character development, since he pretty much always had backup in the first three seasons. Control of his own mind has been his weakness, he tends to spiral and need other people (mainly Rayla and Ez) to pull him out of his funk, so I’m really interested to see him on his own!

5) Stormclouds with a little bit of sunlight. Did his strong negative emotions make stormclouds gather as he fell to his knees in despair, thinking this the end of the line for his search in the worst way? I loooove emotionally powered magic, I so want that to happen.

6) The fact Rayla’s sword was left behind. Presumably only one of them, from the way he’s holding it with BOTH hands. She wouldn’t have left it, they’re pretty essential and almost certainly custom made for her by Ethari, and if she’s still banished, not replaceable. The fact that only ONE sword was left rules out it being a sign of her leaving her quest behind and Callum finding her unscathed and trying to be a normal npc somewhere. So it was presumably an accident or emergency of some kind, and the context of previous points, it was a battle scenario and she had to leave it to escape with her life. Point 6) might be its own post later when I’ve speculated some more 😄

[jelzorz]

80.

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes there are days when Callum has lessons or meetings or other Prince-y things he's not allowed to bring Rayla to, and Rayla shuts down hard.

Soren kind of gets it. It's weird having an elf around. Callum having a girlfriend is weird, and Rayla turning up at dinner sometimes in Katolan red is weird, and the general vibe of seeing her wandering around the castle on her own is weird—but it's gotta be weirder still for her. Ezran hadn't been particularly specific about it, but Soren thinks she's here to begin with because she can't go home. Some stuff with her family or something and, well, Soren definitely gets that so he doesn't ask.

But the weird goes both ways, he thinks, and that's the point. She's quieter when she's on her own, and part of that is probably because she's a heck of a fish out of water without Callum glued to her side. Soren's seen the other guards watching her with various shades of scrutiny, some worse than others, and as awesome as it must be to live in the castle, she must miss home sometimes, and that's gotta suck one way or another.

Anyway. This is how he finds her one day. Callum's been dragged off to a meeting with an ambassador from Del Bar and they're not so comfortable with the idea of Rayla being in attendance just yet, so she's sitting cross legged on the wall overlooking the bailey. She's got her nose tucked into Callum's scarf, her fingers fidgeting absently with the end, her back hunched like she's trying to make herself smaller than she is, and Soren cocks his head at her and hoists himself onto the wall next to her without waiting to be invited.

He prods her shoulder. "Are you pining?"

Her nose twitches likes she's caught between a scowl and a snort. "You can't pine for someone who's already your boyfriend."

Soren smirks at her. "You look like you're waiting for him to come back from a war." He pitches his voice up and puts on his best impression of her accent. "Oh, Callum, I miss ye' sooo much."

"Moon and Stars," breathes Rayla.

"It's been twenty minutes and I'm so lost without you."

"I will push you off this wall."

"Come back to me soon, my heart can't take it."

"All right, we're done here." Rayla shoves him so hard he wobbles dangerously on the bricks, but Soren still catches the little spark of amusement in her eye and silently congratulates himself for a job well done. "Why're you here anyway? Shouldn't you be in that meeting with them?"

Soren shrugs at her. "Corvus and General Amaya are both in there with them, they don't need me. Besides. You looked sad."

Rayla glances at him sharply from the corner of her eye. "What's that got to do with you, exactly?"

Soren shrugs again. "Nothing, I guess. Just figured you could use a friend."

She doesn't argue. Soren tries not to look too surprised about it, but it's the way that she blinks that gets him: it's hard to miss the tears in her eyes. "It's not him I miss," she mutters.

Soren stares at her. He hadn't thought he'd get this far. He's never been good at feelings-y things and Rayla must be really sad if she's willingly talking about this to him. He coughs. "Oh?"

She snorts. "I miss my family," she whispers. "My mum and dad. Runaan. Ethari. It's—don't worry about. It's stupid."

And maybe Soren hadn't realised how similar they were to begin with, but hearing her admit to it feels like a punch in the gut. He snorts ruefully and pats her shoulder. "Not that stupid," he says quietly. "I miss mine too."

Rayla pauses. She stares. She scoffs. "Guess we're both pining a little then, huh?"

Soren lets out a sad chuckle. "I guess so."

[yurayuramiharin]

Hey just wondering what are your favorite headcannons about tdp characters for me it has I to be Viren being related to that jellytart Baker (like his uncle I don’t know why I have that headcannon but I love it 💗💓💗💓)

That's a fun hc you mention, haven't heard of this one before!

Let me think.... 3 random headcanons:

- Runaan was the one who made Ethari's iconic scarf,

- either Ezran or Callum or both have some elven ancestry,

- Aaravos is the only Startouch elf alive rn. Most of them were either eradicated by Moonshadow assassins or the other elven races just cut off their support and starved them or smth. Kinda like the Air nomad genocide in ATLA, or the massacre of the innocents. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why Aaravos wants to seize Xadia and do some dark shit there - he is avenging not only himself but also his people

[ask-runaan-anything]

Runaan@NYCC 2021 AU headcanons

If Runaan actually attended in person with the characters voiced by the VA's who will attend: gosh the muns got self-indulgent, this is long

Runaan leaves home for NYCC 2021 and sends Ethari a single Pleading Face emoji every time he thinks of him

Ethari gets 2472496 Pleading Face emojis while Runaan is away

Runaan brings his favourite book(s) with him to keep him company and also for Serotonin

Rayla mentions this to Callum

Runaan is all WHy did you Tell the HUMAN

but Callum did the exact same thing

Runaan is unexpectedly supported and he's not sure he likes it

they also make a plan for what he (and Rayla) can do if he ever gets very overwhelmed

Ethari@Rayla: Rule #1 is, do not let him shoot anyone

Rayla; *very serious nod*

he rehearses what he'll say at the panel beforehand, using flash cards

and some of the cards say things like "Thank you" bc Ethari worries he'll forget

Ethari color coding the flash cards for "Social" and "Informational" so Runaan can flip through them if he's put on the spot

he also asks Ethari what he can mention about him+what's off limits bc he doesn’t want to make Ethari feel exposed or anything

Runaan: please don't have a Q&A section please don't have a Q&A section please don't have a

host: so let's open it up for a little Q&A now-

Runaan, internally: *bleep*

Under the table he starts flicking through his flash cards

he doesn't realize there's no tablecloth and everyone can see him do it

he watches the recording of it later to find all his faults but Rayla sits right next to him and she's all, "Yes yes they saw you and guess what, no one assassinated you over it, it's okay!"

Runaan goes Soft™

it's like he can feel Ethari there with him through Rayla's words

he has to thank her but words aren't his style so he offers to let her drag him out of the hotel for the first time that trip

ten steps outside and he has regretti

but he promised and his honor is at stake now so he keeps going

Rayla takes him to a bookstore

its slightly outside his comfort zone but it's quiet, and the city streets are so noisy

Ethari texted her a list of recharge spots, and one was a bookstore, with a reading nook, so she takes him there and they curl up on pillows and hammocks for a while

Another time they go out to a coffee shop at 3am

Runaan sends Ethari a Pleading Face emoji

Ethari replies with “!!” and “IT’S 3AM GO TO SLEEP YOU HAVE A PANEL IN THE MORNING”

Runaan just sends him another Pleading Face

Runaan has noise cancelling earshrooms if he needs them

Ethari wears them while he hammers

Ethari sends Runaan jokes to distract him just before his panels start

And Runaan lies down at night to talk to Ethari with his phone near his ear so it feels like back home when Ethari cuddles him

Ethari sending his own homemade "good luck" memes just before Runaan’s panel, so Runaan can fall back on showing them to the audience if he gets nervous, which he does, and they LOVE it, and Runaan is like, “I can see my husband has some support in the human lands, I'll be sure to tell him,” and the room cheers and Runaan is like "Aaaaa this is making me feel so seen but also yes, my husband deserves all the support"

Runaan sleeps surrounded by like 8 extra pillows in the bed so he can feel as snuggled as when Ethari's actually there

and one is Ethari's

Ethari lending Runaan his scarf bc it smells like him

and Runaan not only sleeps with it right near his nose but he wears it during the panel

Runaan wearing his serious face at the panel and answering hard or angsty questions, and the whole time he has earshrooms in and their lil stems are pokin out of his ears

If Runaan is here then all the other characters with VAs at NYCC are also here, so it’s a panel of actual characters

Viren using chopsticks to try and steal one of Runaan's earshrooms out of unbridled curiosity, and Runaan just. takes them away from him. without looking over. and slaps them on the table like. no, bad human, do not steal my earshrooms while I'm talking.

Claudia's flipping through a book but it's a recipe book and she's looking up mushroom soup

Ethari made Runaan an anti-dark magic charm so he's safe and no one can use it on him, so he feels safe attending the panel at all

someone asking about Lachir and Runaan just brightening

also pspsps that person is @hoothalcyon

Runaan goes off for ten minutes unprompted and uninterrupted about his moonstrider, it's about as animated and excited as anyone has ever seen him

Clauds over on the side making big heart eyes

she asks if he has a picture and he says yes and she bounces over to him and squeals loudly

Rayla texts Ethari just then and Ethari gets a FaceTime call going so everyone can see Lachir in person back home, because ofc she is fine and alive

and Lachir looks derpily at the camera like "wat dis"

She do the blep, sniffs camera, makes it smudgy

Ethari laughing and protesting off screen

the entire panel and audience is all "awwwwww"

Viren loudly demanding a cute pet so people will like him too

Runaan does a discreet lil happy stim and it's so discreet that barely anyone catches it except one or two ND's who are like aaaaa

Rayla slipping behind Viren and putting an adoraburr on his ear tho

"One cute pet, courtesy of Xadia! You've had your Adorapox vaccinations, right?" she chirps sassily

yes the pox look like adoraburrs

you are very contagious and very adorable

Janai, someone asks her about Amaya and she gets flustered and Runaan feels seen

audience question during the Q&A: Runaan, who would win in a fight between you and Janai?

Janai, immediately: Me.

Runaan: Her.

Janai flexes, literally

Runaan is happy to give her the spotlight, which is why he lied, bc ofc he thinks he could take her, he'd do it at night and he'd steal her sword first, obviously

nowhere in the question did it say "fair" fight

Amaya is in the audience and she keeps signing flirty things at Janai no matter how loud the room gets or who's asking who what, and Janai keeps getting more and more flustered and distracted

Runaan has one (1) moment where he's actually relieved his husband isn't there

Ethari would want to tease him so badly

Q: Runaan, are you a good dancer?

Runaan: I'm passable, with the right partner.

Q: So can you show us some moves?

Runaan, blushing: Distinctly not.

whistling and clapping ensue

Rayla jumps up and grabs Callum's hand and says, "I can show you some moves!"

and they dance very sweetly and cutely with some basic Moonshadow moves

and Runaan is like "I can't tell if this is worse"

Q: Runaan, how did your marriage proposal go?

Runaan, after a long flustered moment: ...Successfully. *taps his horn cuffs*

Q from someone wanting to know how to follow Runaan on social media: Runaan, you're amazing, where can we find you?

Runaan: The Silvergrove, but you can't actually-

Q: No I mean, what if we want to follow you?

Runaan: You'd need to know the key dance, and that's protected information. Also, stalking isn't nice.

Q: But you stalk people.

Runaan: *dramatic eyebrows* And it isn't nice.

Next Q: Has Ethari ever gotten hurt, and what did you do?

Runaan: *crushes water bottle*

Host: Okay another question then!

his answers would be really short if he did not feel comfy interacting, which is probably most of the time

Rayla took away Runaan's bowblade before the panel started

Runaan: but that's my emotional comfort trick weapon

Rayla: No. Ethari's Panel Rule #1. No stabbing or shooting people.

they pass a weapons display in the artist alley and someone made a replica of the Bloodborne bowblade and Runaan’s like, hm that looks familiar

Runaan wandering the con and talking to all the cosplayers with cool looking weaponry tho

he takes pics for Ethari

Runaan wandering the con and asking Runaan cosplayers, "So who are you supposed to be?" bc he genuinely doesn't know

he doesn't think he should be in the pictures for security reasons but he takes pix of Rayla posing with everyone dressed as Runaan

social media gets flooded with pix of his hair from the back though

#itssosoft trends on Twitter

Rayla sets up a pic where half a dozen happy fans get to brush Runaan's hair at the same time, and he's stuffing his face with moonberry surprise so he doesn't get nervous

it actually makes him look happy and social and Ethari is like HOW, HOW DID YOU MANAGE THIS, MAGIC

people shyly approach him and ask if he and Ethari can adopt them and he says yes

he ends up in a coffee shop zone with a couple dozen people gathered around and tells them the importance of found family in Moonshadow culture and he doesn't understand why they're all crying

Rayla teasing Runaan and telling him to tell a pirate story

Runaan is like, "Spoilers for Season 5"

some superfan nerd like mun tries to get him to admit how much he knows about Xadia and history and the show's plot, and he does that one line that all stabby people say. "I could tell you. But then I'd have to kill you."

he gets half a dozen volunteers and he is so concerned

Runaan, Protector of Secrets

Soren starts to spill about 14% of a secret and from across the entire con hall a green fletched arrow just zips by

Soren is like "You know what, never mind"

Cracky: Viren runs through the room looking for protection, and Runaan is like ugh fine who's after you this time, and Viren's all, "No one, my children are just being so silly and I just need a break for five minutes, can we please have a grownup conversation about something serious and angsty, please I’m actually begging you"

Runaan spots the adoraburr on Viren's ear and he's like, "Adoraburrs get lonely if they're alone," and he puts another one on Viren's other ear

and then a bunch more so they stack like a hairband and they're happier

Runaan just smirks and walks away

the adoraburrs start squeaking to each other and Viren is like, "Ugh, I preferred my children's terrible puns" and the adoraburrs get huffy and all hop down and abandon him

he does not in fact get adorapox because Viren believes in inoculation

some attendees would try to convince Runaan to "seek asylum" in NY and not return to Xadia or something, and he'd be like "But. Ethari."

they remind him that if he goes back he has to wait in a coin, and he doesn't get it

"Wdym. Ethari is there. Not here. I have to be there."

"BUT. COIN."

"BUT. ETHARI."

Rayla's like, I ain't Naruto running all the way back

She clicks a car fob and there's a *boop boop* noise

and this hovering coin like Tenser's Floating Disk shows up and they hop onto it and surf into the distance

Rayla shouts "SPOILERS FOR SEASON FOUR I KNOW WHO DIES AND IT’S-"

and Runaan is like "RAYLA DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO SHOOT YOU, I COULDN'T DO IT LAST TIME AND I CAN'T DO IT NOW, DON'T GET ME IN TROUBLE I SWEAR TO THE M-"

talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, everyone hopes they come back next year too

[hiccstrxd]

Kisses from the moon

Hello! I wanted to write shameless fluff with lots of kisses and this is exactly what it is. I’d like to believe that for a first timer in the kissing department, I did it okay lmao

It's rated t btw. You can find it in ao3 as well. Enjoy!

Summary: She didn’t know how it happened, the only thing she recalls is that they had meant to depart with one chaste kiss on the lips and somehow it had quickly escalated to unknown territory, though for sure not quite an unpleasant one.

It hasn’t been that long since the battle of the Storm Spire and relationships among the neighboring kingdoms couldn’t be any more restrained — the shifting alliances have been slightly worrisome but the newly pledge between the Dragon Queen and the young King of Katolis compensate all the arising uncertainties, if just a little.

Rayla doesn’t know that much about politics but she supposes that last bit gave enough solace to the kingdom. A bright occurrence amidst the cataclysmic disputes and deadly wars.

And since this was now her home away from home, she was very well informed — rather unwillingly — in its state of affairs.

Both Callum and Ezran (and Bait too, apparently) had firmly made her know that if she was one hundred percent sure and at ease with the idea overall, she was more than welcome to stay in Katolis, no matter if it was merely a temporary arrangement. It took quite a lot of arguments and counterarguments from both parties and even further persuasion from the two brothers (and frog) for her to concede to the proposition with an underlying hesitation.

She was fairly certain that her residency in the kingdom — and in the castle no less — will not be as gladly received. She’ll have to withstand many scornful looks and insensitive judgments left and right, her presence won’t do any good there. Plus, she would feel so out of place and a little bit too conscience-stricken for her liking. But then again she didn’t have anywhere else to go, nowhere to call home.

It was all very confusing and frustrating, rightfully so.

Later that night, with the moonlight casting shadows over the two lovers that were basking in the company of one another and with no impending death hanging in the air, a five-fingered hand was tenderly holding her four-fingered one, a warm smile on each of their faces. Lazy strokes were traced on her wrist, going up to her palm and finally detouring to each of her fingers, making careless doodles with the tip of his forefinger. She let out a sigh of contempt.

A murmured ‘I love you’ was softly said to the wind followed by an imaginary heart being drawn on her palm.

She looked over at him. His eyes had softened a great deal and he now sported the gentlest of grins, he redrew the heart for emphasis. Rayla intertwined their fingers together and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

She’ll never get tired of hearing it.

“I love you, too.”

And maybe that was the little push that she needed to make up her mind.

That’s how she got here. In Katolis, she meant. Definitely not with her back pressed slightly against the wall and a pair of gentle hands that held onto her with urgency, if just a little shyly.

She didn’t know how it happened, the only thing she recalls is that they had meant to depart with one chaste kiss on the lips and somehow it had quickly escalated to unknown territory, though for sure not quite an unpleasant one.

They were both expected somewhere else, the kiss was just a farewell gesture, something to get them through the day until they could be close with each other again — which was most likely to be late at night or early morning for how tight their schedule was today.

Rayla needs to break it off. They need to get going. She doesn’t.

She felt his hands that were once placed safely on her waist, slowly trail down to rest on her hips with a lose grip. Hers started their journey upwards, tracing his neck with feather-light touches to finally cup each side of his jaw. Their lips moved against one another at a deliberately slow pace, their noses brushing every so often with each gentle pull.

They have kissed before, of course, but nothing like this.

A loving peck on the lips, a quick kiss on the forehead, even a small brush of lips against each knuckle. They had definitely had some kisses that had lasted more than they should have but even those seemed to be cut short. No, this is new.

The gap between them came to be nonexistent, their breaths mingling together in their shared space. She felt warmth blossom in her chest as he pulled her even closer, his thumb slowly drawing small circles on her hip and when she felt him smile against her lips she couldn’t help but let a small smile out too.

Kissing him has always felt quite exhilarating, a rush of feeling that made her heart soar and her mind numb. A tingling sensation that extended from the tip of her fingers up to her very lips, a warmth that consumed her and spread like a wildfire within. Rayla has never kissed anyone before — she hadn’t felt the need to, having little interest in that sort of matter before— but she had seen Runaan and Ethari display little shows of affections every so often, and as a kid, her inherent curiosity had led her to wonder how loving someone felt like.

Ethari had said that it was like holding your whole heart in between your hands, so delicate and precious that the rest of the world blurs and fades away having no point of comparison with its beauty. Runaan, ever the pragmatic, said that it was a matter of sentiment — you feel everything more intensely.

She reckons that both are quite true, to some extent. Though, she might add her own contribution to the mix: it felt like a typhoon of emotions all at once; you feel weak yet strong, confused yet never more certain in your life, vulnerable yet empowered. It’s warm-hearted, a tender gesture. But then again, it’s something that she cannot fully put into words because the concept is so abstract and the action is so blissful that no notion will ever do justice to what she feels.

Soft kisses soon became frenzied presses of lips and their hands seemed to have a mind of their own, moving on their own accord and trying to frantically touch every patch of skin, clinging to the fabric of clothes in an attempt to be closer. His breath faintly tickled the skin beneath her nose, their heartbeats rhythmically pounding against their chests, and the almost inaudible sighs of delight, whenever their lips brushed against each other, was all she could hear in the secluded corner of the castle. Her senses were overflowed with his presence.

She couldn’t help the soft gasp she let out when he gently bit her bottom lip and pulled it in between his own. It was definitely something they haven’t done before and the action's intimacy promptly took her off guard.

And then he was frantically pulling away, eyes wide with horror and with eyebrows that seemed to reach his hairline, his lips the tiniest bit swollen from their whole encounter. His hands were still on her hips but if he was desperately trying to bring her forward before, he was now doing his best to hold her at arm’s length.

He was quite a sight and she would find it in herself to poke fun at his ridiculous countenance if she didn’t think he was on the verge of a mental collapse.

“I-I’m so sorry, that was not— and I just— I got carried away... Not that that excuses it! I — oh Gods,” Callum stumbled over his words, hand clasped over his eyes, and shifting uneasily on both feet. Rayla had trouble deciphering the inarticulate unfinished sentences that were being stuttered past his mouth but his body language could clue her in.

She raised a single eyebrow whilst fighting an amusing smile from breaking out.

With tentative fingers, she reached forward to lace their fingers together with the hand that was covering his face, his momentary flinch didn’t go unnoticed as she did so.

“Hey,” she softly said with a small smile on her face because leave it to him to straight-up freak out during one of the most intoxicating kisses they have shared so far in their relatively new courtship. She gently rubbed her thumb on the side of his hand as a silent way to reassure him that it was all good. He visibly relaxed a tiny bit, though still showing a little apprehension for his actions done in the spur of the moment. “I liked it.” She shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes and she wanted to smack herself for the uncharacteristic demeanor.

She felt a coy smirk tug at the corners of her mouth, “I really liked it.” Rayla relished the way his face went from rueful to downright embarrassed, a deep flush spreading all over his cheeks and up to the tips of his ears. She couldn’t stop the heartening laugh this time.

“O-oh?” She heard him mumble. He rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that was not holding hers, and she playfully rolled her eyes at her dorky human prince’s antics.

“In fact, I wouldn’t mind tryin’ it out again.” She said while mindlessly arranging the scarf on his neck that has become rumpled by her own doing. She looked at him solemnly, this being a little unfamiliar to both of them and the uncertainty of how to approach was slowly killing her. With a clear of his throat and his forest green eyes thoroughly searching hers to silently confirm what she had put into words, he shifted forward.

“Well, in that case,” He brought one hand to pull her closer while he raised the other one to caress her cheek lovingly. His eyes stared earnestly at her as if he could find all the wonders in the world by solely looking at her. It was wistful thinking, but she’d rather not dwell into that right now. Not when the only thing that matters was the blitheness from her heart and the prince that was the cause of it all.

He drew her toward him as the space between them once again diminished and with half-closed eyes, slightly pursed lips, and with the erratic thumps of the heart filling the air, they slowly leaned in again.

He nudged his nose against hers and placed a small kiss in the corner of her lips. Callum smiled, he went to do the same on the other side but she’d have none of it. She looped her forearms loosely at the back of his neck and lunged forward — she took delight in the muffled hum of surprise.

Their lips glided lazily but surely against each other, and this time — with the self-consciousness fading away and the overwhelming feelings of adoration rising in its place — the kiss quickly took a passionate turn. Fervent lips searched hers and she returned the gesture in equal measure.

When they came to this corner almost hidden from any prying eyes to share a light kiss, one which swiftly became so much more, Rayla had been concerned they would get caught. They never seemed to get any privacy in the heavily guarded walls of the castle and sneaking around resulted in their last resort, something that both thrilled her and troubled her; there was always a crown guard just around the corner, a handmaid that not so subtly eyed them from afar, or worse, the High Cleric that without fail appeared around inopportune instances.

The number of times she had wished the earth to open up and swallow her whole were unimaginable.

But now, as she now pulled his bottom lip in between her own, that thought was dismayed and stored in the back of her mind because kissing Callum made all of those seem as insignificant worries as every kiss felt like the very first one — she was sure there wasn’t a greater feeling than being in his arms. She could stay here forever.

That was until a nervous cough could be heard behind them, a few paces away from the darkened corner. They jumped apart.

“Prince Callum,” Corvus gave a slight bow, eyes not quite looking directly at the couple, “your presence is required in the throne room.” He cleared his throat, posture uptight as always but shifting from one leg to another rather uneasily.

Oh, sweet primals.

Rayla could already feel the burning sensation on her face and ears and quickly disentangled herself from his embrace in an attempt to put some proper distance between them. He was not expecting her briskly move and promptly stumbled over his own two feet, arms flailing to catch his balance before he fell somewhat unceremoniously on the ground below.

“Corvus, hi! Yeah, I was just on my way. I was just telling Rayla about the... uh,” He trailed off, unsure of what to say that would be credible enough to somehow cover up their real deed. Rayla was sure she was just about to die from embarrassment.

Corvus placed both his arms behind himself and with a deadpan expression affirmed, “I assure you, your highness, I do not need an explanation. It is all good. Nevertheless, let’s not keep the High Council and the King waiting, shall we?” Rayla could have guaranteed the corners of his mouth lifted in the slightest — almost imperceptible — in what she could only assume was amusement. “And Rayla, Soren is waiting in the courtyard for your daily training session.”

With that last bit, she nodded in acknowledgment and went straight to where she was initially supposed to be nearly fifteen minutes ago. And she almost gave Soren the triumph of his life since the only thing on her mind was how much she had enjoyed their little rendezvous and the excitement of its reprise was as annoying as it was enthralling.

[blutopaz15]

1, 3, 5 and 7 from the otp asks with Rayllum!!

I have #3 queued up in another ask :)

1, 5, and 7 below the cut 

1: Who spends almost all their money on the other?

I think it’s obviously gotta be Callum, but if we’re not AU-ifying this, I would kind of reframe this as Callum just making absolutely sure that Rayla has everything she could possibly want/need, especially if we’re talking about teenaged rayllum in Katolis. I don’t think that either of them are particularly materialistic but I do think that royalty still comes with some trappings of luxury that Callum is more than generous with...perhaps downright insistent on sharing with Rayla.

I feel like it starts from a place of desperately wanting Rayla to be comfortable and feel at home in the castle, so everything Rayla even looks at...it’s hers. Rayla wants the bed by the window? Not even a question. Rayla stops in the hall to look a vase full of flowers? oh, look at that, a bouquet has appeared at her bedside. Rayla likes that muffin but not those muffins? suddenly all muffins in the castle are the kind Rayla likes. 

But then, like, that shifts into outright gifts. Rayla is spoiled. The hem on Callum’s pajama top that she’s been borrowing starts to unravel? Suddenly Rayla has a new pair of pjs for every night of the week. Rayla mentions that she might like to write a letter to Ethari? a new stationary set appears on Callum’s desk for her. Rayla misplaced her whetstone? Here are three of the finest in Katolis to choose from.  

also, now I’m sad thinking about Callum not getting to spoil Rayla for her 16th birthday. :’( 

5: Which one tries to make food for the other but burns it all by accident and which one tells them that it’s okay and makes them both cookies?

hehehehe, I have a little ficlet with a rayllum cooking mishap and a multichapter fic where they bake some moonberry surprise together in Katolis that this one makes me think of. 

I think that honestly this one could go either way, because they both a) want to do nice things for each other and b) don’t want the other to be sad ever.

but also:

Imagine Rayla has a bad day and comes back to their little apartment (like could be their own private quarters in the castle or we can take this the modern au route too) and just wants to have dinner with Callum but it’s her turn to cook/he won’t be back til later so she has to cook, but then this happens and everything’s ruined and she’s just an upset, crying, pissed off mess when Callum comes home and finds her sitting on the floor in the kitchen. At first, she tries to insist that she’s this pissed off just because she burnt dinner, but then Callum gets to the bottom of it to hear about the rest of her horrible day before offering to take her out/send for food/get take out. 

And then I want them to bake cookies together after Callum cleans up the kitchen bc I say so, that’s why. (: 

7: Which one constantly wears the other’s clothes?

Rayla. 

PJs? CONFIRMED. 

Scarf? No one can convince me that doesn’t happen all the dang time. (also until I am proven wrong, I refuse to shut up about my headcanon that she stole the scarf at the end of TTM. It’s just So! heartbreakingly sweet!!

Jacket? YES PLS. IMAGINE THE CUTE.

Let’s face it: Callum’s clothes are just a lot more steal-able than Rayla’s and Rayla, as cuddly/touchy-feely as she is...yeah, girly definitely wants to be all up in Callum’s business, and that absolutely involves a whole lot of clothes-stealing. And Callum, of course, does not mind one bit. :)

otp headcanons thing

[raayllum]

no but like rayllum’s romantic development was so good in s3 i could cry, like, episode by episode

3x01

reaffirms how much rayla values and cares for callum, who has probably never been this highly praised in his life

causes callum to begin to confront the very real fear of losing her: “this is the worst idea you’ve ever had, he’s gonna burn you to a crisp!”

shows how well they can problem solve and communicate silently

“my best friend.” 

that fact that callum is absolutely ecstatic to be called that

3x02

shows them having just having fun together in xadia with shared enthusiasm

teasing but all in good nature, even about appearances: “no, that’s a good look for you, really”

rayla telling callum more about her childhood and sharing a special place with him

and proving just how well she knows him: “i thought you’d like them.” “i love them!”

them laughing together added ten years to my lifespan

3x03

rayla sharing a magic custom with him that includes adorable dancing, and her unbridled enthusiasm at showing off where she grew up that again, he fully matches

“i want to show you everything! [...] i can take you where they make the best moonberry surprise! i can show you where i grew up, where i went to school—”

callum meeting and remembering her remaining family

“tall? pointy? aimed a bow at me. mmhm, he seemed nice.”

“hey! ethari was it? you didn’t even give rayla a chance to explain herself.” listen to me! rayla doesn’t deserve this!”

3x04

making decisions together and weighing the pros and cons of trusting nyx

callum telling her about his childhood/family and trying to get her to open up

the fact he can make her laugh even when she was crying just a few moments ago

running after her and not letting her push him away even when she snaps at him because he knows she’s hurting

“rayla, you’re the most amazing person i’ve ever met.” 

and saying all of those things just because he believes them and needed her to know and wanted to cheer her up

3x05

proves that these two work as friends and teammates first and foremost, and regardless of any romantic mishaps, they would stay friends

her saving his life without question

him waiting until she gives consent/permission to touch her

callum trusting rayla when he jumps on the ambler

the look on his face when he decides that now is the time to confess

the way rayla hesitates after she grabs his scarf and their eyes meet for a moment, like she’s double checking. “i’m going to kiss you now... okay?” and his soft little wow, because he really loves this girl

3x06

them having fallen asleep together in such a simple way with his head on her shoulder, but it says so much about casual physical intimacy and how safe and comfy they feel with one another

rayla listening and supporting callum when he talks about the dragon king and his family.

like she dismissed his “i hear your big feelings” thing before, but that’s exactly what she does now: “of course it does. it’s painful. how could you feel any different?”

for that matter, callum opening up about sarai and telling rayla about his mother, which was something he closed up about in s1.

3x07

the casual flirting and teasing and being able to make fun of themselves

how casually affectionate and comfortable they’ve become with each other and their soft smiles when they pull away from their kiss

holding hands when they go to make ibis

like really, they’re just best friends who are dating now, and it’s the best thing ever

3x08

callum being there for him when she’s in a place that hurts the same way she was for him in 3x06. him taking her hand and tugging it closer to him

rayla giving him the pendant as a symbol of her love for him to hold onto 

callum refusing to just let her go and watching what happened to her parents alone, because he knows she wouldn’t agree and if they really did run, watching them do so would break her

“it’s your choice,” he says, letting her move on. knowing she may still make the same choice as before, but having had time to process it. “no one else’s.” 

and rayla choosing to include him anyway, now that she’s let go of her past, because he’s a part of her future. “we should decide together.”

3x09

rayla calming him down with just the touch of her hand (like in 2x03) and them appreciating the sunrise together.

callum wanting to tell her he loves her just so she knows, even if they’re already a couple

“go to her.” god bless you ezran

the sheer anguish on callum’s face and his scream when rayla goes off the edge

and him deciding he’s either going to save her or die trying

her hands in his hair when they kiss and soar upwards 

them lacing their fingers together and holding hands, all smiley in front of the dragon queen

like all the casual arm grabbing and hand holding, the way they could make each other smile and reassured one another like no one else, callum being there while she dealt with the loss of her family the same way she had for him, making each other laugh and all the teasing, them still always being best friends at heart even if they’re giddy and excited about this new stage of their relationship.

them making each other the happiest they’ve ever been even while on the hardest part of their journey warmed my heart so much

they’re so perfect i love him

[foxie-roxie]

why rayllum is a MASTERPIECE part 3

*RUBS MY CLAWS TOGETHER* IT IS SEASON 3 TIME BITCHES AND H O L Y S H I T I LOVE THIS SEASON SO MUCH

i even rewatched it for this!

this time i’ll try to have SOME order, and go by episode. this will however still include unintelligible screaming

1. DAMN THESE FUCKERS BE PINING MORE THAN A PINE TREE FOREST!

first off, affectionate eye rolling, nose boop, and head bonk is the best thing.

second, IF SOMEONE SAYS THAT DURING WHEN CALLUM WAS HELPING RAYLA PUT ON HIS SCARF AND THEY J STARED AT EACHOTHER FOR A BIT BEFORE RAYLA TURNED AWAY THAT HE WAS N O T LOST IN HER EYES? they’re wrong. this is fact now.

third, their teamwork and decision making is excellent. they agree to try and sneak past sol regem, and when that fails try talking to him and then decide to simply trick his senses with the scarf. and instead of rayla shooting down callum’s “smelltriloquism” idea, she simply adds onto it! LOVE HEALTHY FRIENDSHIPS

“i think it’s good luck!” YES IT IS RAY THAT’S UR BOYFRIENDS SCARF

also, here you go. you’re welcome.

2. STILL PINING. GOD DAMN.

first, CALLUM BEING SO EXCITED BY ALL THE MAGIC IN XADIA IS S O CUTE! MY SON. this might turn into an overrall review of s3. o well

second. FLUSTERED RAYLA AND FLUSTERED CALLUM. Y E S

third, THE ADORABURR FIELD! their smiles were so fond and soft and A. they make me cry of joy. 

an overall look on it, i like how this episode really shows their feelings clearly. no “will they won’t they”, at least for rayla. it’s clear she has feelings.

3. AH FUCK. ANGST.

first i love how when rayla mentions that she’s excited and happy but also terrified, callum tries to comfort her. good boi. best boi.

second, elf callum. i love that scene so much even if the second-hand embarrassment kills me, and rayla is j like “why the fuck do i love you. im gonna kill him.”

third, DANCE! callum not being rude and saying her home is “modest” before rayla explains it’s an illusion, his BLUSH WHEN SHE HELPS HIM, and the softness in general. rayla’s excitement that she’s home and talks abt that she can show callum where she went to school, the best moonberry surprise place, until...

fourth, AH FUCK. A N G S T T I M E. rayla being crest-fallen before callum says that it must’ve been a mistake, and she realizes that ethari would probably understand!

and then CONFIRMED GAYS. YES.

rayla realizing ethari ghosted her too and then callum GOING O F F. he angy and when rayla runs out callum IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS (like in a later episode) and comforts her again.

when ethari comes down and breaks the spell and says to callum “trees to meet you too” and rayla’s like “don’t encourage him”

also callum trying to get on the shadowpaw and ethari being Concerned is AMAZING. concerned dad content

i’ll talk more about ezran/ruthari/the dark magic trio in a later ted talk

4. H E R E W E G O

first, rayla clearly being sad and callum picking up on that quickly (he even seems to be almost falling on purpose, perhaps to make her smile?) and asking if she’s ok before being shot down by rayla insisting she is fine. GOD DAMN. THAT HURTS.

second, their interaction with nyx is so amazing. rayla being protective of zym and callum being a DORK is awesome, but also their decision making.

after rayla reluctantly decides that they can go see how nyx could get them across the desert so quickly, they see the ambler and then their reasoning is amazing.

“what do you think?”

“the dragon queen is dying.” and then i forget the rest of the exact quote but they give a subtle nod to eachother. they make their decisions TOGETHER. AS A TEAM. AND THAT’S ON HEALTHY FRIENDSHIPS X2!

third, callum continuing to gently press for rayla to express her emotions. he doesn’t pressure her, but seems to simply let her know that if she needs to talk (when she insists she’s fine), he is there. 

four, MORE FLUSTERED RAYLLUM. YES. TY NYX but also fuck u for taking zym but also ur hot- A N Y W A Y

five. OOOOOOH. MY FAVORITE SCENE.

rayla’s crying and callum tries to reassure her. nyx is plotting, while rayla runs away and callum follows. Y E S.

rayla talks about how there’s nobody left that cares about her and she lost everything.. and then the SPEECH. i have this speech memorized i’ve watched this scene so many times

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU'RE TALKING CRAZY. JUST, LISTEN TO ME. YOU'RE TOO GOOD TO FEEL THIS BAD ABOUT YOURSELF. I KNOW THAT, AND YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT. YOU HAVE TRUE COURAGE, AND A BIG HEART! I'VE SEEN YOU GET KNOCKED DOWN SO MANY TIMES AND EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. YOU GET UP AGAIN. THAT'S REAL STRENGTH. AND.. AND YOU'RE TEN TIMES FUNNIER THAN ANY HUMAN I KNOW! chuckle SEE? SEE YOU KNOW YOU'RE AMAZING. YOU'RE SMART AND FAST AND BEAUTIFUL. RAYLA YOU'RE THE MOST AMAZING PERSON I'VE EVER MET."

LOVE THEMMM

and then rayla kisses him and that’s all that happened. callum was not a dumbass. right? RIGHT???

5. MY FAVORITE EPISODE!

first, rayla saving callum from the soulfang serpents and callum helping her get up is AMAZING, LOVE THAT.

second, callum tryna get a good position and rayla j saying to hold onto her and callum GETTING FLUSTERED. BOY IS PINING also he didn’t have to hold her that close.

“I DON’T THINK OF HER THAT WAY” “YOU AND I DON’T HAVE THAT YET” LIAR.

three, THEM JUMPING OFF THE AMBLER AND. THAT WHOLE MOMENT? THE ROMANTIC TENSION IS KILLING ME

four. DAMN CALLUM RLLY DO BE HAVING HEART EYES @ RAYLA WHILE SHE KILLS LIKE 80 SOULFANGS HE IS PINING PART 2

five. THE SPEECH. THE SOFTNESS. THE KISSES. GOD DAMN. FAVORITE SCENE OUT OF THE ENTIRETY OF TDP. LOVE THEM.

also here you go again

what can i say except YOU’RE WELCOME

6. ANGST BUT ALSO FLUFF ALSO REUNION

once again won’t b talking abt ezran specifically but there’s some passing mentions of him from now on

first, rayla and callum reaching the stone thunder and callum asking “is it... a statue?” and rayla sadly saying “no. it’s not a statue” A. I CRI.

1.5 ayla and callum best dragon parents

i’ll get to an actual analysis later

second, THIS MOMENT IS UNDERRATED EVEN THO IT’S ONE OF MY FAVS why has nobody mentioned the lil tender moment where ezran is by phoe-phoe and rayla puts her hand on callum’s shoulder AND CALLUM PUTS HIS HAND ON HERS. SO SWEET.

third, OK I’LL STOP MOST OF MY UNINTELLIGIBLE SHRIEKS AND ACTUALLY ANALYZE THIS.

callum is upset because of thunder and rayla sympathizes immediately. this is similar to how callum lets rayla let out her own emotions, and rayla is doing the same. he explains how he feels angry, upset, confused, sad, and rayla quickly empathizes. he keeps on venting, not knowing whether to feel regretful, or glad, and how he’s confused because that’s sarai’s spear. he feels sorry that all this happened, but rayla reassures him that zym and ezran are going to break the cycle! that’s hope! and then they hold hands and i screech

AND THAT’S SO FUCKING HEALTHY AND I LOVE IT. THEY RLLY BREAK ALL BAD HET RELATIONSHIP STEREOTYPES (coughbutistillheadcanonthembothasbiandcallumistransilldieonthishillcough)

7. angst but not rayllum angst so its ok

first, they begin to go up the storm spire and i really love their banter. “and i’m guessing the dragon queen didn’t make her den at a nice, halfway kinda place?” “nope. tiptop!”

cuties.

second, ASSDHFNF THE FACT THEY M O C K THE IDEA OF A FORBIDDEN RELATIONSHIP. THEY’RE IN LOVE AND THE WORLD CAN DEAL WITH IT. LOVE THAT FOR THEM

third, RAYLA CATCHING CALLUM. IT’S. NOT RLLY BIG I JUST LIKE IT AND THINK IT’S CUTE HOW EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS ALSO OUT OF BREATH SHE RAN UP TO CATCH HIM. 

four, AHSDHGDHFG THEY DEADASS FORGOT EZRAN WAS THERE. more flustered rayllum i love that

8. FUCK IT’S RAYLLUM ANGST NOOOO

one, ibis is j a good boi. back to rayla and callum

two, rayla going in to see the dragon queen and when she runs out callum QUICKLY FOLLOWS to see if she’s ok. asks her if she’s ok, and she OPENS UP!! CHARACTER GROWTH BABY!!! and then they hold hands and i once again shriek

three, AH. HELLO ANGST.

before we go to the actual angst, can i say that THE LAUGH AFTER RAYLA SAID “STORM SNEEZE” IS SO CUTE. CALLUMS IN LOVE. MY SON.

oh no.

*bonks rayla on the head* nO SELF SACRIFICING!!

although their fight is super angsty and i hate it, it does provide some conflict and more plot because it gives callum a reason to want to find out the truth about rayla’s parents. and then he does! people argue that this fight was unnecessary or that callum was a jerk, but this was needed i think. he did let his worry become a bit of anger, and that was not a nice move, but he knows he fucked up and fixes it!

and then we get soft rayllum this is fine

9. AND YOU THOUGHT LAST EPISODE WAS BAD N O *CRYING*

there’s not much rayllum featured in this ep, but the amount we do get is 80 PERCENT ANGST AND I WASN’T OK WITH IT

first, the fluff! callum trying to do the wing spell and rayla teasing “did you pull a muscle in the middle of a jumping jack?” is so cute. i LOVE THEM. also they hold hands and i SH RIEK again. 

also soren how dare you interrupt callum he was abt to confess

second, callum when he’s explaining the battle plan and his ZAP HAND. rayla is j watching him like “yep. that is my dork.”

and CALLUM SEEMS SO FOND WHEN JANAI CALLS RAYLA THE LAST DRAGONGUARD. PERHAPS I SOB

skipping forward in time a bit for the angst oh no

third, callum going up to the storm spire after ez encouraging him to go to rayla. love that soft brotherly relationship. and we think “oh, soft rayllum, right?”

NO. VIREN’S UP THERE.

fourth, THEY DIDN’T NEED ME TO BE ROLLING ON THE FLOOR WTF. the fact that rayla’s blade went right in front of callum and he looks up and sees zym in danger, viren is there, and RAYLA is there, p a n i k.

and then rayla jumps and the entire rayllum fandom SC REAMS after callum’s “no!” before she jumps and “no, no, no, RAYLA!”

fifth, CALLUM NO WHY ARE YOU JUMPING TOO- oh wait its ok he did the wings and im still crying fuck

THAT CONFESSION THO- i cri tears of joy now. they’re in love

sixth, I J WANNA KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE EZRAN SHOWED UP. like it’s clear that they’re talking or something, but abt what is the question. also yes they hug and raylas fond

seventh, THEY HOLD HANDS!! soft bbs,,,

AAAND IM DONE! this is. quite long so if you read all of this i hope u have a good day and thnx for listening to me ramble with some coherent thoughts

[theredhairedmonkey]

Do you think that Callum might kinda become for Rayla what Ethari was for Runaan? Like, use his magic to create special items for Rayla to use in battle?

I don’t think Callum would become a craftsman like Ethari—enchanting objects or smithing magical artifacts seems to be a different skill than casting spells. While Callum might learn some basic craftsmanship, mages don’t seem to be engaged in the same work that we see Ethari doing.

But to your general question—would Callum be like the Ethari to Rayla’s Runaan—I think that, while there are some parallels between Ruthari and Rayllum (I’ve pointed one out here), I don’t think Rayla and Callum’s dynamic is simply a Ruthari 2.0.

In 3x03, through the flashback with Runaan and Ethari, we see that their character traits seem to line up pretty well with Rayla and Callum, respectively. At the time “Ghost” takes place, Rayla is quite a bit like Runaan, while Callum more closely resembles Ethari--he even has a similar scarf to Callum’s!

I think you can draw that parallel here, but if you look at the direction the story goes from here, it’s a bit more complicated.

In fact, I didn’t realize this imagery before writing this, but…there does seem to be something suggested by the mounts that Rayla and Callum each choose to ride.

Rayla’s mount is a Shadowpaw, a creature known for having a “protective and familial nature.” Many have speculated that this was Ethari’s mount.

While Callum’s is the Moonstrider, notoriously stubborn, solitary, and far more difficult to tame. Many have speculated that this was Runaan’s mount.

I think the symbolism here is that, while Rayla learns to become more comfortable in being vulnerable and accept the softer, gentler side within her, Callum learns to handle the wilder and more ferocious side of learning magic and being a mage.

And indeed, Rayla has always had Ethari’s gentleness, especially when comforting Callum and trying to comfort Ezran.

While Callum has always had Runaan’s fierce determination and a kind of steely resolve that says “no, you move.”

Soren: "Woah! Slow down there, step-prince. The king's pretty busy right now, trying not to, you know, die and stuff."

Callum: You’re not stopping me.

These layers underneath each character are what @beautifulterriblequeen has described as “very Moonshadow” type of traits.

But while Rayla and Callum have these layers within them, the former was more comfortable bottling up her emotions while the latter prefers to avoid being in the thick of the action. 

However, S3 pulls both of them out of their comfort zone. Rayla is forced to confront her inner turmoil.

While Callum has to put himself front and center against Viren’s army of darkness.

Leading up to these moments, we have the best parallel between Rayllum and Ruthari. We all know the one—the soft hand gesture on the other’s cheek.

Runaan and Rayla are letting their love know that, while they may not survive, they care deeply about their partner, and hope they will remember them should they not return.

And, at least Ethari is willing to stay behind, watch over the lotus flowers, carrying the torch and hope that his husband returns, but at peace with at least having a memory of Runaan with him.

But Callum…

…utterly rejects that peace. He is not content with settling for just a memory of Rayla. He crushes the pendant, much like Runaan does in 1x01.

In prior seasons, he was more comfortable letting Rayla run off while he remained behind. But not this time. He’s not going to leave her behind, and in the end, Rayla decides she won’t stand alone anymore.

“We should decide together.”

Callum and Rayla develop quite a bit in S3—he grows into Runaan’s fierce resolve while she learns Ethari’s emotional depth.

And this development is on full display during the Battle of the Storm Spire. While Callum fends off waves of Viren’s soldiers, Rayla tries to comfort Zym. She had to overcome her instinct to always jump into the midst of the action, taking on Callum and Ezran’s usual role of remaining behind to watch over the Dragon Prince and keep him safe.

Runaan once told her that her heart wasn’t hard enough to do “whatever it takes,” but moments like these that help show why her soft heart is actually what makes her stronger. Her emotional connection with Zym pushes her to sacrifice herself to protect the dragonling.

And when Rayla was willing to sacrifice her life for Zym, Callum was willing to sacrifice his for her. He’s learned to take initiative, to not second-guess or figure out whether there’s something he can do.

When Rayla had them dive hundreds of feet off the Ambler, Callum was amazed and wondered how she learned to do that. Turns out, Rayla had no idea—she just went ahead and did it, figuring out the how on the way down.

Callum takes that lesson to an absurd level, diving down thousands of feet and figuring out a rare and complex form of magic on the way down. He proves to himself that he doesn’t have to be content with hoping and waiting the love of his life will be fine—he can just go ahead and save her himself.

So, it’s not that Callum and Rayla enter Ethari and Runaan’s shoes respectively, nor that there is some kind of role reversal at play. Callum and Rayla each learned how to incorporate Ethari’s kind nature and Runaan’s assertiveness, without repeating either of their mistakes.

Ruthari is such a beautiful couple, and both Ethari and Runaan have many positive qualities. But neither Moonshadow elf is without his flaws. Runaan’s adamant refusal to see the conflict from his enemies’ eyes became his downfall.

Ethari’s gentle nature tethered him to the Silvergrove, caring deeply about Runaan and Rayla but unable to actively protect either one. 

Rayla and Callum end S3 with a better understanding of themselves. Ralya realizes that she has Ethari’s softer side, while Callum recognizes that he has Runaan’s more daring side. 

When they stand before the Dragon Queen, neither one stands behind the other. They stand side by side.

Because that’s how they’ll face whatever dangers lie before them—together.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

BH: souls

Alright so in this post we've got Runaan getting turquoise burstline panels in Bloodmoon Huntress, whenever he focuses hard on something.

But he's not the only character in the graphic novel to get a color-coded burstline panel, and omg guys I gotta delay the coolest bit with a little setup here first, just bear with me:

IT'S WINGALING TIME

Listen, I love this lil gadgety winged mouse so much okay, it's adorable, but it's so much more precious than just a cute construct or a protective device.

Remember when Ethari said that Rayla could be family with him and Runaan, way back at the beginning of BH?

When he gives Rayla the wingaling and makes her feel welcome, he enchants the little construct with some pretty glowing gems. Those gems have three colors:

Turquoise on its wings - for Runaan

Purple on its horn - for Ethari

Gold in its eyes - for Rayla

Runaan's soul is literally turquoise

and when he gets his intense focus panels in BH, they come with turquoise backgrounds.

It's interesting that Ethari doesn't have any of these panels in the graphic novel, which is kind of a message in itself...

but Rayla does!

And look at its background color:

Gold, just like the eyes on her wingaling.

Rayla's focusing everything she's got in this panel, on thwarting Kim'dael by chucking that vial she wants so badly. It lends a lot of weight to Rayla being capable of the same dedication and self-sacrificial choices that Runaan has, since they both get these kinds of panels, but Ethari doesn't.

(She even gets a gray-coded panel when she slips into full Moonshadow form, because just like Runaan's gray panel, her focus is entirely on life and death right here)

Okay but: gold soul?? GOLD SOUL????

Do Moonshadow elves have different-colored souls? Does everyone?? What does this mean? And how can they tell? Do these elves just. See each other's soul color like an aura or something? Is this the real reason that Runaan and Ethari drink from mugs in each other's colors? Is this the real reason they have those mug colors in the first place?

👀

I was not prepared for the idea of Rayla's soul being gold but

oh my god what an amazing idea, because

in TTM, Rayla's wearing gold pajamas. They could've been red, as the other main Katolian color, but they're gold.

What's Callum's color, then? Is it red, like his scarf, is it blue, like his jacket? Because now, they gotta swap, see. They gotta use each other's colors too.

Please consider the depth of intent behind the simple imagery of Callum drinking his coffee out of a golden mug.

[friendlyneighbourhoodelf]

tdp characters at pride

claudia is covered in glitter and paint

she manages to also cover soren in glitter

it is e v e r y w h e r e

she also has rainbow hot (not) brown morning potion

no one asks how she made it rainbow

aanya goes with her mums - they’re alive because i said so

amaya and janai’s energy is somewhat terrifying, but in a good way

they’re lesbians with swords and shields; they’re icons

also they fight terfs

callum and rayla go together

because bi people dating someone of a different gender are still bi

callum wears a pride flag as a scarf

rayla wears one as a cloak (because cloaks are cool)

bait glows rainbow

we don’t ask how

ezran carries bait round like a rainbow light

ezran also has jelly tarts, but with different colours of jam

so rainbow jelly tarts

runaan and ethari are the sweetest couple

ethari made runaan a necklace (with lots of swirlies)

they both have really beautiful face paint

runaan and ethari, and amaya and janai get on really well (i don’t have a reason for this, but anyways)

gren gives out free hugs, and makes everyone smile

soren gets a hug

because soren really needs a hug

[foolsiwillshowthemall]

Rayla doesn’t do slow burn.

Random thoughts on Rayllum, heavy with TDP Season 3 spoilers, following.

Rayllum has been the most likely endgame ship among the main characters for a while, which is ironic considering that it wasn’t even planned from the start of the series.  The writers just realized midway through Season 2 that the chemistry between the two of them worked out really well.  For me, it clicked when Callum was reading the letter from his father, who advised Callum to seek a narrative of love instead of power.  It’s not clear if this line was written before or after the writers decided that Rayllum would be a thing, but it does fit perfectly with the love of a human prince and an elven assassin/Dragonguard helping bring peace to the two sides.

However, while I was expecting them to get together, I was expecting it to happen a lot more slowly than it did.  Usually in these kinds of shows, they’ll string along the will-they-or-won’t-they dance for as long as possible to build tension, and only resolve it in a season or series finale.  We were all expecting a slow burn situation.  But in a brilliant bit of character-driven storytelling, just as the existence of the relationship was driven by the chemistry between them, the pace of the relationship was also decided by the characters.

Because Rayla is just not a slow-burn kind of person.

Callum could do a slow burn, easily.  At the start of the show, it’s implied that he’s been pining over Claudia for some time.  Years, maybe.  He just doesn’t have the confidence or any idea on how to progress that relationship.  In an alternate universe where the Moonshadow elves never attack, he and Claudia could spend years dancing around each other before finally ending up together.  He’d probably also end up apprenticing to Viren to become a dark mage in that alternate universe, so it’s just as well that didn’t happen.

But Rayla isn’t the kind of person to do a slow burn relationship.  Rayla makes sudden, life-changing, emotionally driven decisions.  Deciding to not kill Marcus after he discovered the assassin team, or deciding to take the Egg to Xadia along with the human princes, or to go and save the downed red dragon from Soren and Claudia.  And when she makes these decisions, she acts on them, immediately and decisively.  So once she realized that she’s in love with Callum, she’s not going to sit around pining for him or wondering if he feels the same.  She’s going to immediately start courting him, Moonshadow elf style.

Admittedly, we have no idea what Moonshadow elf courtship looks like.  But we do know that they keep their feelings secret, they’re not supposed to admit to fear or apparently anything else openly.  So Rayla’s not going to be ready to openly declare her love just yet.  But a lot of her behavior in the first few episodes of Season 3 makes more sense when interpreted as attempted courtship.

Episode 1:  Sol Regem.  When all else fails, Rayla makes a heartfelt speech praising Callum’s virtues to try and convince Sol Regem to let hum accompany her and Zym into Xadia.  It’s totally wasted on Sol Regem, but really we know this speech was meant for Callum.  It’s Rayla’s way of letting Callum know how much she likes him, without actually admitting anything.  

I suspect that praising someone you like to a third party, where they can overhear, is a common courtship method among Moonshadow elves, as it lets them know you like them without you having to admit any feelings of your own.  “I don’t admit to personally having feelings for them, I’m just stating how amazing they are as a fact” is a distinctly Moonshadow-ish behavior, and something that both Rayla and Callum have done for each other.

Also, she keeps his scarf, although unfortunately not past the end of the episode.  This comes after they’ve established how strongly it smells of him, because apparently Rayla likes the way he smells.

Episode 2: The Crown.  Moonshadow elves are all about concealment and secrecy, so showing somebody a secret place where you played alone as a child is an incredibly intimate and personal step.  Rayla might as well have stripped naked in front of him for all that she’s laying her life bare.  Fortunately, Callum has responded positively to her courtship so far, although at this point he doesn’t realize that this is what she’s doing.  As incredibly empathic and perceptive as Callum is, he’s fairly clueless at figuring out matters of romance, and has no idea that Rayla likes him that way yet.

Episode 3: Ghost.  Courtship is going well, so Rayla takes the next step of introducing Callum to her one remaining parental figure and showing him where she grew up.  Unfortunately, things don’t go well, as she’s been magically banished and is reminded of how she’s disappointed everyone and was more or less responsible for all of the other members of the team being killed or sealed in coins.  Callum tries to comfort her, and we might even have proceeded to the scene we do eventually get in the next episode, but Ethari interrupts them and gives them the means to start seriously traveling onwards again.

Episode 4: The Midnight Desert.  Enter Nyx.  Nyx is a conman (Con-woman?  Con-elf?) who is skilled at reading people.  She figures out pretty quickly what’s going on with these two, which is why she makes that teasing comment about whether they need one blanked or two.  She’s also smart enough to realize that Callum and Rayla will, given the chance, provide enough distraction to each other for her to slip away with Zym.

It’s in this episode that we get the continuation of the emotional moment interrupted by Ethari.  Rayla is wallowing in self-loathing, but Callum comes along and starts praising her virtues.  At last, Rayla thinks, the big dumb human has caught on and is reciprocating my courtship.  So she kisses him. 

Unfortunately, Callum wasn’t actually trying to court her, at least not consciously, so things get all awkward and stuff.  Poor Rayla is very confused, as what seemed to be fairly clear signals weren’t what she thought they were.  It turns out that Callum does actually like her like that, he just didn’t even realize that it was an option so far, and they probably would have resolved things with a little more talking, but Zym’s been abducted and they have to put the courtship on hold to deal with that.

Ironically, if Callum hadn’t backed down and had been kissing her back right away, Nyx would probably have gotten away freely.  Emotional awkwardness saves the day.

Episode 5: Heroes and Masterminds.  Zym has been rescued, Nyx has been defeated and then also rescued, and Callum get the opportunity to praise Rayla to someone else in front of here.  You can see the surprise and hope on her face as she’s trying to figure out the meaning of this gesture, not wanting to mis-interpret his intentions again.  You can also see that Nyx figures out pretty quickly that this speech isn’t for her benefit, as she turns and walks away halfway through it.  Rayla still isn’t sure what Callum’s intentions are, but he makes them more clear when he kisses her.

He then gets flustered and tries to back down again, but Rayla knows what the deal is.  If she wants the relationship to proceed, she has to take the initiative.  Fortunately, she’s more than capable of doing so, and Callum is willing to let her.

So where do things go now?  At the moment, we don’t know if there even will be a Season 4.  Netflix likes to cancel shows after 2 or 3 seasons, and the internal drama among the creative team at Wonderstorm still might tear the company apart.  Personally, I’d be satisfied with the story as it is if it ended here, since the third season wrapped up the initial plot very nicely, but I’ll also happily watch season 4 and any more that they make.

It’s rumored that there will be a timeskip before the next season, and if so then presumably the relationship between Rayla and Callum will only develop further during that time.  Although she won’t be able to actually show him around the Silvergrove until the banishment is lifted, and it will probably be a while before they can free her parents from the coins they’re probably trapped within.  I think that I speak for many in the fandom in hoping that the writers don’t split Callum and Rayla up for cheap drama, since they’ve been pretty good about not doing that kind of thing so far, and since Rayllum wasn’t even planned for part of the story initially it’s probably not going to be a major driver of the plot.  Which is actually kind of a relief, if they can just be a stable couple together while the rest of the plot is going on around them.  There’s enough drama happening in the world of TDP as a whole, they can just be the rock that keep each other stable and safe.

It’s also been really amusing seeing the fanfiction sites react to season 3.  So many slow burn stories that are now just completely AU compared to how quickly things went in the canon story.

[arcadialedger]

Your Soul is My Treasure — a Rayllum One- Shot

Set in my vision of season 4, Callum discovers a spell to get Runaan and Rayla’s parents out of the coins. However, Callum doesn’t get the warm parental welcome he was hoping.

“Callum-- are you sure this is going to work?” 

Rayla’s words lodged a dagger in his heart, because he wasn’t. From the moment that he and Ibis had found the fallen bag of coins on the floor of the Storm Spire, Callum had tried tirelessly to find a spell to reverse Viren’s horrific incantation.

But he didn’t want to get his hopes up, and he could tell that Rayla had been hesitant to herself. Still, he owed it to her to try. Callum knew all too well what it was to lose a parent. 

“I don’t know, Rayla,” he admitted, unable to look her in the eye, “The spell was cast with dark magic, and it might require dark magic to reverse it.”

Rayla gave his hand a squeeze, and gently turned his face to look at her own. Her light, lilac eyes were filled with both hope and sympathy. 

“Listen to me, Callum,” she said sternly, “I will not be angry if the spell doesn’t work. You understand? And we will not even consider the alternative. I do not want you risking your life with dark magic for me again.”

Callum smiled, and laced his fingers through hers. He had only a few months training. He was just a boy. Something about Rayla’s presence, however, always managed to make him feel as though he could do anything. 

“Ready to try?” Rayla asked.

Callum nodded, and Rayla released her hand. With a deep breath, Callum stepped forward and outstretched his hand, and from his fingertip drew an intricate rune of delicate swirls. Rayla let out a light gasp, entranced by the beauty of the rune. She had never understood how Callum could so effortlessly draw something so graceful, so elaborate. 

Callum closed his eyes— as he always did when he tried to connect to the arcanum— and incanted.

“Your soul is my treasure. Absolvisti te ipsum.” A gentle wind blew into the corridor, and Callum repeated the words.

“Your soul is my treasure. Absolvisti te ipsum,” he shouted, his tone more forceful and determined this time.

The wind began to increase- now swirling in a giant spiral around the perimeter of the corridor. With his arm outstretched, and his scarf blowing behind him, Rayla couldn’t helped but be awed by how powerful Callum looked. In only months time, he had come so far.

“Come on— work!” Callum cried out in frustration, “Absolvisti te ipsum. Absolvisti te ipsum!”

Rayla watched as all of the color drained from Callum’s face, and suddenly all of the hope in her heart turned to worry. 

He was pushing himself too far. 

“Callum— stop!” she yelled, but Callum could not seem to hear her. Instinctively, she went to run towards him. She made it not a step before a gust of wind caught her and blew her backwards onto the cold, stone floor. 

“NO!” she screamed, her eyes now wet with the sting of tears. She got up to her knees, as Callum shouted the spell one last time.

“ABSOLVISTI TE ISPSUM!”

The coins on the ground before Callum began to glow, and the entire corridor burst with a blinding light. 

_____

Rayla awoke to three shadows standing over her.

Her vision focused slowly— the outline of three tall figures turning to color, and then clarity, and then…

By the moon…

“Mum? Dad? Runaan?” she choked, as she slowly pulled herself back up to her feet.

“Rayla,” Tiadrin cried, and only then was Rayla able to believe it was real. Unable to hold back her sobs, Rayla engulfed her parents in a hug.

“He did it,” she remarked in disbelief, “He actually—“ 

With a jolt, of realization, Rayla pulled herself out of her parents embrace.

Callum. Where was Callum? 

Ignoring her parents, and Runaan’s inquisitive looks, Rayla raced past them.

A few feet in front of the coins— which now lay dull and empty on the stone— Callum laid crumpled on the floor.

“No, no, no, CALLUM!” Rayla cried. Unconcerned about her parents watching, she ran and dropped to her knees beside him.  When she grasped his hand, it was cold, and clammy.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, and she clasped his hand tighter, “You have to stay with me, Callum.”

Rayla rubbed her hands together, and placed them tenderly against his forehead. He was so cold…

“You know I couldn’t bear losing you, you big dummy,” she whispered, “You have to stay with me.”

Slowly, Rayla bent down to give him a kiss on his forehead. 

Then his green eyes shot open, and he sat upward with a start. 

“Rayla?” he croaked, his mouth curl into a stupid grin which she wanted to kiss a million times over, “Did it work?”

Rayla let out a sob of elatement, and tackled him in a big hug.

“You always wake up at the worst time,” she laugh, her tears dripping down onto his jacket shoulder, “Don’t scare me like that.”

Callum laughed, and hugged her tightly back, before kissing her gently on the forehead, “I’m sorry I scared you. I’m okay now.”

“Rayla,” a called said from behind her—  Lain— “What is going on? Why are you with this… human?”

Callum looked at Rayla, eyes wide.

“It worked,” she says quietly, a smile spreading across her lips, “You did it.”

Callum’s eyed widened to a beam— his happiness for her happiness so pure and clear. 

With one quick squeeze of Rayla’s hand, Callum stood up to look at Tiadrin, Lain, and Runaan. 

“Hello,” Callum announced, as he raised his hand to a dorkish wave, “I’m Callum, the, er, human. Nice to meet y—“

Before Callum could finish his sentence, Runaan lunged forward in a blur of motion. Callum found himself pressed up against the stone wall, his lifted up so he was eye to eye with Runaan. The cold steel of Runaan’s blade pressed his throat. 

“Runaan, don’t!” Rayla yelped, “Don’t hurt him!”

“He’s the crown prince!” Runaan snarled, “Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because he’s my friend,” Rayla explained, thinking back to her conversation with Sol Regem, “Runaan, he and King Ezran helped return Zym to his mother. They’re good! Runaan, Callum risked everything to save you and my parents. For me.”

Runaan’s eyes dawned with realization. Slowly, his grip of Callum loosened as he let him gently back onto the floor. 

“He did dark magic,” Tiadrin remarked, her eyes narrowed with skepticism, “To release us. He’s a human!”

“I practice primal magic,” Callum clarified, his voice raspy from Runaan’s hold on his throat, “the sky primal, specifically, although Rayla has been teaching me some moon magic as well.”

“That’s… impossible,” Tiadrin gasped, “A human can’t learn a primal!”

“It’s not impossible. Callum’s just the first” Rayla explained.

“You look just how I remember from when I casted historia viventum,” Callum remarked, as he looked at Tiadrin and Lain, “You look so much like your mother, Rayla!”

“Rayla,” I will not ask again, sneered Lain, his eyes cast at Callum in disgust, “We are gone for years, and we wake to find you with a filthy, disgusting human. They hate us, Rayla!”

Rayla’s brows furrow in anger, 

“How dare you, dad? How dare you insult Callum after he saved you. Everything we knew about humans is wrong, father. Yes, some are bad, but no more than us. Callum and the people of Katolis put aside the prejudices they learned about us when he met me— can you please do the same? Callum is not a filthy human, dad. He’s smart, brave, talented, funny, caring, and meeting him has been the best thing that ever happened to me. So please, give him a chance because I love him and I know you can grow to love him too.”

Out of breathe by the end of her passionate speech, Rayla gasped, as the full reality of everything she just said truly processed. Lain and Tiadrin stared at her in shocked silence.

“It’s true,” Callum added, “Elves and humans— we don’t have to hate each other. Things are changing.”

Tiadrin and Lain slowly turned to each other. After a moment of silence conversation and a nod, they stepped forward to their daughter.

“My Rayla,” remarked Tiadrin, “You have grown a lot. Haven’t you?”

Rayla’s heart sobbed with relief, and she nodded. 

“Yes, I have,” she agreed.

“And you were never one to follow convention,” Lain adds, “You couldn’t have just found a nice Moonshadow boy and joined the Dragonguard together, could you?”

“I was banished,” Rayla stated flatly, to which Runaan lowered his head in shame, “This is my home now. Callum, Ezran, and Zym— they’re my home now.”

Callum, who had quietly walked up to stand beside Rayla, put a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

“We visited Ethari,” he mentioned. Runaan’s downcast eyes moved upward to meet Callum’s at the sound of his husband’s name, “He misses you, Runaan. He… he thinks you’re dead.”

“My flower,” realized Runaan, “When Viren cast his spell, it…”

Rayla nodded, “It sank. Mine was the only one left.”

Callum could see the glimmer of tears in Runaan’s eyes. Stoic as ever, however, the elf held them back.

“Runaan, he’s going to be so happy to see you again,” Callum insisted, and “And I’m so happy to meet you, Tiadrin and Lain. Your daughter is the most incredible person I’ve ever met. I can already see how much you she has in her.”

Lain gulped, and turned to speak to Rayla.

“You understand, Rayla, that this is going to take some… getting used to,” he stated. 

“I understand,” Rayla assured, “It’s just… I have my old family back, and Callum has lost all of his parents— his father, his mother, and his step father.”

Runaan flinched, yet Rayla continued, “But we’re all here now, and I was hoping we could form a new one. Together.”

Tiadrin smiled, and took Lain’s hand in her own. 

“We should all get some rest, and talk more in the morning. We’ve much to discuss.”

“You may rest,” declared Runaan, “I am leaving for the Silvergrove. My husband has waited long enough for me.”

“And you,” said Rayla, as she turned to Callum. Sensing that Rayla wanted to address him privately, Tiadrin and Lain walked off to find a place to sleep. “Should also get some rest. You’re still cold, and pale.”

“Maybe I could do mage wings?” Callum thought out loud, “The feathers could help.”

“No. No more magic for you today,” Rayla decided, “I’ll make you a fire. And here— take my cloak.”

Rayla unclasped the long, green cloak she had taken to wearing at the Storm Spire due to the cold temperatures, and draped it over Callum’s shoulders. 

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she said softly, “I almost lost you again.”

Callum gazed downward, “I know. I just— I could feel that I was so close. And my parents are gone for good, so I thought, if I could do this for you, this one thing, it would be worth it. And…”

Rayla’s brow arched quizzically, “And what.”

“Did you really mean everything you said back there?” Callum asked, “I mean, what you said to your parents. About me.”

Rayla rolled her eyes in amusement, and slung her arm over Callum’s shoulder.

“Of course I did, you dummy. Don’t you know that your soul is my treasure?”