#he was playing with the cube like Callum in s1

[dreamerwithnightmares]

The truth is that Key of Aaravos is actually his fidget toy.

Bro sits and puts his cube to the ground to watch it glow. Or he walks up to Aditi to put it next to her face and watch the rune glow. Or to himself.

It's like a toy for children who have to match the circle to the shape of the circle. He was learning where the source of magic was.

And then he gave the toy to others to play with, and they think it's some powerful magical item.

Aaravos Prankster of The Xadia

Riddle solved, you are free to go now

Goodbye

[amber-in-the-rough]

been rewatching tdp seasons 4 to 5, I'm currently at s4 ep2 and there are 2 things I figured I should put down for myself:

just so you know, in any media the first thing I pay attention to is music. Like, half the reason I enjoy Star Rail is because of music. The same thing goes for the Dragon Prince. When I rewatch s1 to 3, every time I'm almost melting because of how beautiful the melodies are. They are generally both sad (the Last Sunset my beloved) and full of hope (the main theme), but they can also be ominous and insidious (hi Aaravos' theme) and also loving and tender (Because She's Rayla). But when I first watched s4 and then s5, I didn't notice music at all. Like, at most I made a mental note about two (2) melodies in s4 ep1. The rest went unnoticed :/ Which admittedly is uncharacteristic of tdp. But... Now that I'm watching s4 again, I'm so relieved to finally hear the beautiful music I had been expecting from tdp. It's there and it's been there this whole time. It's really the Mystery of Aara- Music haha.

what caused me to make this post is s4 ep2. A couple of minutes before Rayla's return we see Callum is done with the translation of the runes and he now has the full text of the riddle. "In Darkness, gaze upon the Fallen Star". Then we hear Aaravos' theme start playing (woahhh), the Star rune on the cube lights up and Callum walks around with the book. It's honestly terrifying to think that- it would have taken him only a tiny bit of time to figure out the meaning behind the riddle text (that he needs to put out all the light). And if he gave it a shot (which he would) and put out the candle and pulled the curtains (the moonlight was there), he would have met Aaravos. *curtain call* Oh god. And then the story would have gone an entirely different route. That is, if Rayla came just a tiny bit too late (god, I need a fic based on this au). But she comes just at the right time to mess things up and save Callum from the dangerous path and it's then that we hear Rayla's theme start playing (Silvergrove OST / Because She's Rayla). I love how the two melodies are interwoven. The ominous Aaravos' melody slowly gives way to the hopeful Rayla's tune. Perilous darkness gives way to the bright moonlight. And that is just so freaking beautiful.

P.S. I sometimes see in the fandom the thing about Callum having two paths before him. The one is Rayla (moonlight & love) and the other is Aaravos (darkness & also love?.. we don't know his pre-story but I think it all comes down to the same thing. to love). So what I want to say is- the music confirms it.

[raayllum]

Soooo you don't think that shot of white-streak Callum in the trailer is a dream/vision/hallucination or something, right? We had something similar in the s6 trailer (Dark-magic Callum that ended up being a nightmare), and I'm really hoping it isn't something like that again. I have two logic thought-processes about this: 1) they wouldn't show something that big in the trailer, so it must not be a real occurrence and 2) they wouldn't bait us again, so dark-magic callum must be real

but idk

what do you think???

I've gone back and forth on it (more discussion of the shot itself here) and unless the cube itself can be corrupted, I lean towards that portion of it being a dream. However, I could see Callum's corrupted face and white hair being more real, as we've seen dark magic dream visions and reality collide in S5 with Viren, and his nightmare in 6x03 didn't have the white streak. More notably, if the whole thing is a "vision colliding with reality" for Callum's appearance, that does make sense to me. We know Aaravos can give visions (Janai in S5 and implicitly in S6 with her continuing nightmares) even to people who haven't done dark magic or aren't even mages.

His mouth in the scene does seem to match up with the "however dangerous," so I wouldn't be surprised if that line is happening concurrently with Callum looking at the cube.

The biggest indication that it's not quite reality is, of course, the cube itself, as we've only seen it take on that red dark magic symbol appearance in Callum's 2x08 dreams, although there it wasn't upside down. (Maybe it is now because he knows the promise of power is ultimately false and temporary?) I think it's worth noting, though, precisely what that version of the cube represents.

So is Callum having a dream or a vision — a glimpse of who / what he'll become, because he has full awareness of what this choice will do to him? The dark magic cube represented a predetermined destiny, symbolized by the path of being a dark mage ("I have followed a dark path" / "the path of fate is already chosen" / "what if I'm on a path of darkness?" / "and destined to play right into my hands"). The fact that Callum is holding it, considering it, and the fact that "however dangerous, however vile" is in the trailer at all? It seems like maybe he's accepting his 'destiny' and doing something he knows is dangerous/vile but worth it ("I would do anything for you") to him in the "In the name of love" show/arc.

While Idk if the trailer clip is reality or a mixture of both dreams and reality (it could be entirely Aaravos sending him a nightmare or something), I think the "however dangerous, however vile" + all the previous seasons set up from even s1 is clear that the "Callum does dark magic and gets corrupted/possessed again" is what the narrative legwork is currently pointing to. They can't really bail on it because every season of arc 2 has directly contributed to it (s6 allowing it to be wholly Callum's choice/agency because unlike in 5x08, he's not vulnerable to Aaravos regardless anymore) and because it's the last season of the arc, so it'd be strange to 1) push it to arc 3, and 2) not talk about sacrifice ("you told me to never sacrifice the greater good for one person, no matter who it is") in the "sacrifice is the theme of s7" season. Like Callum has to get corrupted so he can be possessed so Rayla can have the other half of the plot line in killing him or not (and she'll save him the way he saved her, so). Yeah.

That said if you're interested in more specifics, I'd recommend this meta I wrote about how S6 sets up Rayllum's S7 plotline(s) a few weeks after S6, cause like every part of the trailer was just another drop in the "yeah this is where we're going bucket", tbh.

[heroesandmasterminds]

Book One: Moon Appreciation Week

S1 E4: Bloodthirsty

Massively late because my WiFi has been terrible this week!

1. It's taken me this long to notice the gigantic lake in the south of Xadia. And even then it might only be because I saw it in the novelisation's map.

2. The music paired with the episode's name in the title card is eerie.

3. Rayla's early attempts to wrestle with the binding are so endearing and that staring contest with Bait is just top notch!

4. The Valley of Graves scene is so haunting and beautiful. The music, the sadness on everyone's faces, the light so visible even from high above and the winding path it makes. This shot is stunning. It's clear how beloved Harrow was.

5. I stan Opeli. She is the original anti-Viren activist and we adore her.

6. The music is used masterfully - Callum's theme plays not in spite of his and Ezran's absence, but to highlight it. Utter genius.

7. I get LOTR vibes from the statues at the entrance to the Valley of Graves itself. (Having only started it a few days ago, I am now noticing all the LOTR-ish aspects of TDP I never did before.)

8. And Claudia has invented coffee. The beautiful hot brown morning potion.

9. VIREN IS FULL-ON SCAR AND CALLUM AND EZRAN ARE SIMBA SO DOES THAT MAKE HARROW MUFASA AND PIP IS ZAZOO?! OHHHH DAMN WOW THAT'S GREAT. And Viren, I have to admit, is a great public speaker.

10. Opeli, you beautiful badass lady. She's having none of Viren's scheming.

11. The way Claudia plays with the spider, letting it scuttle on her hand for a few seconds before crushing it, is something that is so telling about her character and the apathy and disregard she has for other living things.

12. Rayla can't help but like Callum right away and it's adorable!

13. At first I thought the 'cube thingy' was some kind of primal stone for all the sources so Callum could use them all. Turned out it wouldn't be that easy.

14. Also I was like, 'THERE WILL BE HUMANS BECAUSE YOUR DAD WAS SENDING YOU THERE' literally from the moment they mentioned the Lodge.

15. The taffy hippo!

16. Aww Callum's just trying so hard to apologise and make up for it after sticking his foot in his mouth!

17. That smug look he gives her even though there's a tree between them is just... AAAAHHHHH THEY'RE SO CUTE!

18. Callum's drawing must be so precise and speedy, to get such an accurate rendering of the game room that quickly.

19. Yes Ezran well done for remembering!

20. AMAYAAAAAAAA also the way she just tosses her helmet for Gren to catch is gold.

21. It's so sweet how Callum makes a fool of himself to warn Rayla.

23. I just love that shot of Callum holding Ezran's shoulders as they smile at each other. It's so sweet and a lovely reminder of the positivity of their dynamic.

22. That death stare Rayla gives Callum.

24. It's interesting that Amaya thinks Moonshadow elves are the worst kind when supposedly it's Sunfire elves Katolis particularly hates and is likely to find on the border.

25. That fight between Amaya and Rayla is brilliantttttt.

26. When Rayla says 'I'm alone' - I have a whole meta about that line.

27. Ezran trusts Rayla to know what to do and she does!

28. I appreciate that Callum at least tried to avoid hurting Rayla by signing the 'monster' stuff instead of saying it out loud.

29. I love that bit with Rayla and the arrows!

30. It's just so sweet that Callum apologises right away when it becomes clear that he hurt Rayla.

31. I feel so bad for Soren - he just wants his father's approval.

32. YES AMAYA STEAL HIS THUNDER!

33. I love those sketches of Callum and Ezran with Amaya and Harrow respectively.

Best lines in the episode:

Rayla: Unbind yourself! Unbind... thyself. Unbindo!

There's something to be said for the fact that these are the first lines in the entire episode.

Rayla: Don't judge me! So what I'm talking to my ribbon thing? How is that any worse than talking to a... whatever it is you are.

Rayla: Callum? Callum. Hey! That's your name, right? Callum? Clem? Or was it Camel?

Callum: Uh, it's Callum.

He doesn't know what to make of the non-stabby side of her and it's adorable.

Callum: Look, Rayla. Princes are supposed to be good at things. Swordfighting, leadership, riding horses. But I've always been kinda bad at, well... everything. So when I tried that spell, I was sure I'd end up on fire, or covered in spiders, but it worked. And then you called me a mage, and that felt... right.

Ahhh it's That Speech! The first time Rayla caves in and makes a detour for Callum's sake.

Amaya: I don't believe in locks.

Amaya: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Callum: This is one of your weirdest ideas.

Ezran: Weirder than snail armour?

Callum: Ez, snails already have armour.

Ezran: Then why do they keep getting smooshed?

Ohhh I love that scene. It's a reminder that yes, they're on a dangerous mission, and yes, Callum had to be a surrogate mother to Ezran, but they're also still brothers.

On the whole, I like Bloodthirsty because it's an episode where they're all just fumbling, wanting to trust each other but not sure how this whole thing will work, and Callum learns a few lessons about Rayla and remembers them, particularly in regards to her safety. Also, AMAYA.

[d-pennants]

Spoilers for the Dragon Prince Season 4 and beyond.

My collated notes of all the hints about what is coming up in the Dragon Prince, from interviews, AMA, ComicCon panels. Updated with stuff from Through the Moon.

There will be 7 seasons of 9 episodes each total and possibly some side projects. The story will be in three arcs with a time skip between the arcs. Books 4 & 5 makes up the next arc, which may be called the Mystery of Aaravos. Book 4 is Earth.

Side projects have been confirmed to all be part of canon and include a video game set in Xadia, an tabletop RPG game called Tales of Xadia, a possible feature film of the Orphan Queen and a possible side story set during the reign of Sol Regem featuring Sir Phineas the Cursed and his travelling companion an elf professor Delilah Geel (Who wrote the Secrets of Xadia book).

The video game was in play testing in October 2020, and Wonderstorm was still hiring staff to work on it. After S3 came out they said there was going to be an announcement about the game in 2020, but things may have been delayed due to Corvid.

Through the Moon graphic novel is set between seasons 3 and 4. It feature’s Rayla, Callum and Ezran having returned to Katolis and receiving a request from Lujanne to go the Moon Nexus  for a ritual at new moon and bring Phoe-Phoe’s ghost feather. While there Rayla seizes the opportunity to use the lake’s power as a portal between life and death to try an answer the questions that have been plaguing her about the fate of her parents, Runaan and whether Viren is truly dead.

There will also be a second graphic novel set between seasons 4 & 5.

Reminder - stuff said in interviews, AMA & so forth is subject to the team changing their mind when it comes to actually putting stuff in the show or books. They’re still planning things out. So take things as “the current idea is this, but we’ll see how it pans out”

There’s no word on how long the time skip between season 3 and 4 will be, however, Through the Moon starts 3 days before new moon and S3 ended 2 days after full moon, which is only 11 days. About 17 days pass in TTM. The Tales of Xadia TRPG is also going to fit in between these season too. AE said a vague ‘lots of weeks.’

Season 4 will include the hero trio trying to address how to heal and start to change things in the world, however there are scars history has left that will impede them. Aaravos will bring those scars to bear, though the creator did say that Aaravos himself didn’t cause those scars, he ‘brought it out’ in the people who did.

There’s a big theme of understanding what’s happened in the past and how it affects what’s happening now. Questioning what their fore-bearers have done, admitting fault and forgiving mistakes. (BTW, this is on both human and Xadian sides).

“Ezran is the key to everything.” Ezran’s empathic ability will allow him to play a role in the world no other can as he can connect to non-human beings. Though the circumstances of S1-3, who his parents are and his strong compassion, Ezran is in a unique position to cause real change.

Callum will learn more Sky magic spells well as obsessing to work a connection to another arcanum - he is dedicated to being the best mage he can be. Callum will always have a conflict between what do you want to do with magic and what will you do for magic. One hint given is that Callum cannot perform healing with his Sky magic. On an Instragram Live AE admitted he was trolling a bit, but said a betting person would pick Callum being the first human archmage. On an AMA there was a hint that historically there may have been elves that learned a second arcanum. (However, interview stated Aaravos’ mastery of all the primals is just him - he’s special).

Callum’s ‘destiny’ is tied in with the Key of Aaravos Rune Cube. It will be very important coming up. The Key is being pulled towards a location in Xadia. The closer it is to the location, the stronger the pull. (Reminder - it previously belonged to Aaravos and unlocks a great power in Xadia). In Callum’s Spellbook it says that once Zym has been returned Callum intends to find out what the Key does and make Harrow proud.

Writers have been very cagey about whether Callum being able to learn an arcanum means other humans can. “Callum learning Primal magic means that Callum learned Primal Magic.”

They’ve referred to him as the first human to learn an arcanum. However, another interview indicates that humans may have been able to connect to the primal sources in the past - thus Callum relearned something that has been forgotten for over a thousand years

Are non-magical species able to evolve into one that can use magic?

JR: There have been humans long in the past that could have AE: Yeah, right JR: They’re like [waves hand], but modern day he’s a phenomena. Like nothing is done like this no longer. AE: Yeah, I mean if Callum is developing the ability to do Primal magic do you believe that Callum is special because he’s the only human who’s able to do it or do you believe that that Callum is special because he’s the first human in forever to realise it is possible for humans. You know that kind of a little bit the question - I mean he’s special either way and right, but is he special because he’s realising that that maybe those limitations weren’t true or is he an exception to to this limitation.

Cartoon Universe interview

Though they did point out there’s not been much incentive in the last 1000 years for humans to learn Primal magic, given that Dark magic is both easier to use and more powerful.

Rayla will have an inner conflict about her future as a Moonshadow elf that she needs to figure out. Including how being friends with humans and wanting to be a protector rather than the assassin she was raised to be will affect her relationships with her people. (Plus, the whole being ghosted and ghosted parents issue needs to be addressed). Update info from TTM: Rayla ends TTM by going on a quest by herself to locate Viren. Her clues are the Storm Spire, a cave and... a giant cocoon.

There is an unspecified but important storyline involving Runaan. But the coins will get addressed at some point.The coins would require very powerful magic to release the trapped elves and it may not be possible for Primal magic. However, Viren is capable of releasing people he has coined.  Also, Rayla knows something happened to her parents, but doesn’t specifically know about the coins. Viren showed Rayla a pouch and mentioned adding her to his collection. AMA answer suggests Callum didn’t see what Viren did in the history spell - he just know Viren did something to Rayla’s parents. TtM seems to confirm Callum’s spell didn’t show that part. Whether Gren saw Runaan in the coin seems up to debate - in the novel he knew Viren used magic on Runaan came out holding something small, like a button or coin.  (PS. They also confirmed Runaan slew Harrow, and Harrow is dead dead).

Soren has a complicated future ahead of him as he’s lost the only support system he’s known his whole life. He has a lot to learn and many places to go.

Claudia is going to get a lot worse and there’s a long way to go for her, though they did hint that there’s hope for her in the end. Her motivation is love and family, not power. However, she is willing to go to great sacrifices for her family... Also, her hair will get whiter. 

“When we get back to her in Season 4, there is some amazing stuff, just in the first few episodes, which by the way are also funny and quirky and all the things we’ve come to love about the character, but she becomes a very critically important driving force of the narrative in Season 4.”

Inverse interview.

It will be explained in S4 how Claudia was able to perform the resurrection spell. It hasn’t been used previously because she either a) didn’t know it - as in Aaravos taught her it - or b) didn’t have what was necessary to cast the spell.

The story about how Claudia managed to find a supposedly extinct for a 1000 years unicorn and capture it will be addressed in S6.

According to Claudia’s VA -  Racquel Belmonte - Claudia will likely have a protege dynamic with Aaravos. She will change her mind a bit on disliking all elves and open up a bit on seeing Viren’s connection to Aaravos.

They have a backstory about why Viren treats Soren so harshly compared to Claudia (though he’s manipulative of both), though it’s not indicated when this backstory will be shown. New info from the book said that Viren used dark magic to save Soren from dying of an illness. This ravished his appearance and whatever he did scared his wife, Lissa, into leaving him. Also Viren wanted a son who would carry on his path and is disappointed Soren isn’t like him. Viren feels some resentment towards Soren that he refuses to acknowledge.

AMA confirmed that Lissa will not be making an appearance in S4 or 5. There is a possibility she may be included in S6, but it’s just a potential idea. Early mage fam life involving Lissa will come up in the novels.  (BTW she currently lives in Del Bar and was in no danger from the smoky assassin as she has nothing to do with the leadership of Del Bar)

Viren became a bit of a card carrying villain in season 3, however in season 4 & 5 some of the complexities behind his actions will be revealed. (His VA said that Viren had understandable reasons in S1 & 2, but was a villain in S3, however, he’s happy with how S4 & 5 will develop Viren. Also he gave a strong hint that Viren will have a kind of “fresh start” thing going on, and “do a 180″, and his story is apparently kinda wild). 

Viren and Aaravos: Viren didn’t take Runaan’s warning that “you found something worse than death” seriously enough. Viren is ‘in hot water’ in his dealings with Aaravos. The question over time would be - “Wait, am I making my own choices or am I being led to choices you wanted me to make, Aaravos?”

This current era will be known as the Return of Aaravos. Apparently in S4 & 5 Aaravos is going to be very... mysterious. In fact the arc could be called The Mystery of Aaravos.

“The next two seasons are about understanding who Aaravos was, who they thought Aaravos was, how they realized what was happening, and imprisoned him.” 

This is tied into the Orphan Queen storyline, for more info see this post. Parts of this storyline will feature in flashbacks S4 onwards.

A lot of Aaravos’ motivation comes from a relationship he had with a character whose name is featured on the map from the novel. (Candidates are Skall’s Hook, Ruins of Elarion, Mount Kalik and Eboreus. They said on a Q&A that Elarion wasn’t referring to a person, just the city).

Aaravos has a speech coming up in S5 that explains about the history of magic and why he’s interested in humans. Summed up - Over 5000 years ago there was only one kind of magic, deep magic, and it was very difficult to wield, then something happened that split magic into the 6 Primals Source and gave every creature and plant a connection to one of the 6 Primal Sources, which were much more practical magics. Except humans. 

When asked what was coming out of the cocoon an interviewer gave “Aaravos’ physical form” and some jokes options. Ehasz replied, “I’m gonna say none of the… well, I’m not gonna say.” TtM update: In the world between life and death the cocoon held a corrupted version of Viren - a month after Viren was resurrected at the end of S3. Rayla says Viren is caught between life and death, but in the living world.

Janai is Queen Khessa’s heir, so she should be the next Sunfire Queen. Janai also has a brother. (Sunfire elves also have a Light Being form with healing powers that’s even rarer than the beserker Heat Being form. This fact has come up a couple of times so they’re likely going to introduce a character with this form - could be Janai’s brother). 

Janai will find out that Aaravos whispered something in Khessa’s ear before he killed her.

Also on Amaya and Janai:

Also, they did a reveal page for Janai's mount, a Twin-Tailed Inferno-Toothed Tiger, with some interesting info. These flying firecats are believed to only tolerate those of pure-heart and aggressive to those of ill-intent. You can't give a factoid like that and not use it somewhere.

Tales of Xadia will feature storyline content that bridges the gap between Season 3 and the newly-announced Season 4 of The Dragon Prince,” according to Fandom’s press release. “Players can explore the ruins of Lux Aurea, try to restore the corrupted Sunforge, and fight to stop the spread of the evil monstrosities it radiates. This off-screen story will come alive in game supplements—as well as in organized play events—prior to Season 4’s release.

Forbes

Sol Regem will be in season 4. (No character makes me think of “scars of the past” more than this character. He is not going to be interested in reconciliation between Xadia and humanity).

There will be a new elf character - Terry the Earthblood elf. Has similar powers to Toph from Avatar tLA and is said to be very funny. For reference this Earthblood elf is from Callum’s Spellbook;

Also a new dragon in season 4 - Rex Igneous (Fire King) the Earth Archdragon, who lives underground but comes up every hundred years. He’s appeased by food he hasn’t tried before (looking at Ezran and his jelly tart habit here);

They mentioned that both Earthblood and Tidebound elves will be introduced in seasons 4 & 5.

There’s another archdragon who has been mentioned at SDCC and in the novel, Luna Tenebris, who reigned between Sol Regem and Avizandum.. Ehasz said that the end of her reign is being explored in S4, but no current intentions to explore the beginning.

JR mentioned that the territory of the Skywing elves will be visited at some point, and how having a small portion of the population that has wings, and a even smaller population that can magically manifest wings, has an affect on their culture. (The three types apparently have different outlooks - with winged elves being known for moving on when they don’t care to deal with things).

They’ve mentioned a character that will be introduced in the video game will make it into the show. AE & JR were talking about how they were currently writing stuff for S5 and how this character just got their moment, so I think this character is due in S5.

Core novel Book 2: Sky will introduce a very important Dark Mage character not yet featured on the show.

Also, as a tidbit from AE - there’s a scene in S5 where someone makes a sacred promise to Bait.

Sarai will feature in the show again. AMA confirmed Callum’s father is “fully human.” His father may come up in the novels.

In the novel new lore about unicorns was introduced. This lore will be incorporated into the show at some point.

The reactions to elf/human romantic relationships will be a thing.

Aanya will be featured again. Ezran and Aanya will be friends. 

Queen Fareeda of Evenere actually survived the smokey assassin’s attack - she just went missing for a bit. Her story may come up later on.

Captain Villads and Berto are likely to be featured again, but not confirmed. 

They do have some stories about Callum’s father they want to tell, but it’s likely to be in books rather than making it into the show.

Crow Master has scenes coming up. The Crow Lord is real but that’s all they’re gonna say.

Some very epic beings will eat jelly tarts in the show.

And a finishing note to put the fear in you - possible major character death.

PS. It has been confirmed that Rayla, Callum, Zym (and Bait) are the main characters for all seven seasons, so this leaves... Soren, Claudia, Viren and Amaya. 

[raayllum]

Let’s break this baby down symbolically

Originally this post was longer but my draft didn’t save so I’m doing a quick notes version; if you want more thoughts or have a clarification question please feel free to drop them in my inbox, but hopefully everything will still carry across

Light and dark motif with Callum unintentionally / unknowingly getting close to the darkness, with Ezran and Rayla more in the light. The surface world does not seem to be particularly stormy, more so bright and happy, which is a departure from the previous promo art(s) really highlighting the storm, and how often storms in TDP foretell transformation and disaster (1x01, 2x04, 2x05, 2x07, 2x08, 3x01 when Ez comes home, 4x01, 4x04 before Aaravos possesses Callum at dawn, etc). 

The light-dark duality mirrors Callum’s worries of “What if I’m on a path of darkness” due to its associations with Aaravos: “In darkness, gaze upon a Fallen Star” and “already tainted with darkness, ad destined to play right into my hands.” 

Darkness = dark magic; octopus tentacles have associations with dark magic (Claudia) specifically being used to drag people down (the boys) or catch them (Viren) in terms of control; dark magic / octopus tentacles = control. Control is attached to Aaravos

This is doubly true with associations of water and destiny (“Life is like a river - don’t try to control where the river goes”). If you’re interested in more thoughts on that, check out this meta

Callum perhaps being lured in with curiosity or magical impulse, only to realize he’s in way over his head / being dragged down by something he can’t escape (tentacles having similarities to puppet strings) and/or mirroring his dark magic dreams from 2x08

Ezran being closer makes sense, as he is emotionally closer and currently more reliable to Callum than Rayla has been due to their separation. 

It’s also a nice parallel to Ezran saving Zym (another brother / soulmate) under the ice as well as Rayla and Callum then working to save him, as well, with now Rayla and Ezran working together to save Callum, especially since Ezran almost drowned and Rayla has a specific fear of drowning/water.

In the S1 novelization, Ezran states that his mother’s spirit helped guide him through the darkness to find the glowing (light) egg of the Dragon Prince. Given that Sarai also helped guide Callum towards the Sky arcanum, Ezran possibly carrying / embodying his mother’s spirit while saving his brother would be really beautiful. 

As stated, Rayla being further away makes sense, but it does align her further with the light, and I do think her reaching for Callum (as opposed to a more generic swim pose) is purposeful due to Rayllum (and the show’s) consistent reaching motif.

Rayla’s fear of water isn’t literally about the water (after all, she saved Bait 1.5 days in when she and the glow toad had an immense mutual dislike of each other) but what it represents: shame, self-reflection, fear, guilt, trauma. Rayla left in TTM because she didn’t know how to love Callum and be scared to lose him at the same time in a healthier manner, leading her to majorly hurt both of them. Her swimming through the water could symbolize 1) helping to save Callum (per other foreshadowing as well) in addition to 2) her beginning to learn how to deal with that fear in a healthier way that also lets her stay and be/do what she wants to do. 

And as always, the foreshadowing that Aaravos’ specific prison (darkness, dark magic, tentacles, ocean, etc) is underwater and it will be found / we’ll get some answers about the cube in S5:

[raayllum]

One of the tricky things about speculating from a thematic and symbolic basis is that it gives you a very good gist of what the pieces are and what to derive from, but of course is harder to predict when - and sometimes precisely what - is going to happen. 

For example: Callum has always been a character who has a tendency to get stuck in his head, hence why 2x08 has this happen literally. He also something in his possession related to Aaravos that he got in a situation that had good intentions but ultimately with sideways. From these two facts I deduced, 2-ish months post-S3, that Callum’s tendencies and behaviours would lead to him being more like Viren than he was comfortable with; that he’d have a part to play in Aaravos’ plans; and that his worst fear would be his mind being unsafe / his mind being invaded by Aaravos in some manner (dreams, nightmares, etc). I didn’t think it’d be quite so Literal and total as possession (although I did note Callum’s new S4 outfit with the circles around his wrist were rather like chains), but it was ultimately just a different take on the same thematic basis. I had all the right pieces and the right gist.

With all that said, here are the next set / ongoing set of pieces in approximate order of dissection:

Game Motif

Callum’s Associations with Freedom

Light and Dark Motif

Book 6: Star / Destiny

The Game Motif

The game motif is most interesting to me personally, as many people know. In S1-S3 it’s primarily carried through in Rayla’s comments regarding the Key of Aaravos, found in the game room (and pointed out) by her in 1x04. As of S4,  the game motif has a subset consisting of Ezran’s hide and seek motif (given that the key and Aaravos’ prison was hidden), the literal puzzle it takes to figure out the placement of the prison (S4), and four figures displayed as game pieces: Viren (S4 intro), Callum (S4 intro) with the cube as a bonus, Avizandum (flashbacks in 2x06 and 3x06; also literally turned to stone), and Rayla (elven toy in 1x04). 

The two theories regarding the Key of Aaravos that I’ve had are centred around the assumption that it is something Aaravos wants or needs back (as this could not be the case). The first, most likely if the Key’s use is revealed in S5, is that it’ll relate to his prison. The second, perhaps more likely if it the secret is only revealed post-S5, is that it is a Key related to Aaravos: his chest piece, a memory holder, or something else he needs to seemingly regain his full powers. 

The Game Motif, therefore, on a certain level works quite well with TDP’s tendency to be both more literal than expected (see: possession plot line) and simultaneously less literal than expected. If the Key is related to his prison, then it’s more literal, in which a captured chess piece can be exchanged for a pawn if the latter has reached the end of the board (hi, Aaravos getting out in S5). If it’s related to something else Aaravos adjacent and is involved in S6, then it’s still literal, but involved not in his escape but in his victory, or checkmate, if you will, key squares with pawns and kings and all. It would also make sense that Viren is the primary pawn in S5 and for Callum to be the primary pawn in S6 (as indicated in the Ziard-Viren-Callum game motif art forever ago).

But more on that later.

Callum’s Associations with Freedom

I’ve talked more about Callum’s associations in this meta about how TDP is inherently thematic, so I won’t repeat too much of it here. The core of it is that of course Callum is a Sky mage (“My breath for freedom”) being set both literally and thematically against a being from the Stars (“and destined to play right into my hands”) as the centrepiece of the story’s conflict. Aaravos’ associations and hand in creating/discovering dark magic and Callum being a human primal mage with an arcanum just extends this further.

What this means going into S5 / the coin / possession plot line threads (for future seasons) is that Callum and Aaravos are both seeking freedom, much like Claudia (for Aaravos and her father by extension) and Kim’Dael (for herself). Which is to say: in S5 Aaravos is seeking Callum’s thematic core, and that’s interesting to say the least. The symbolism of a Key and Breaking the Chains of History don’t help either.  

What this means, ultimately, is that there are roughly two main thematic paths (in line with the above) that this can take.

1) Callum is coerced into helping to free Aaravos (cube or otherwise) and that’s how his freedom is trampled upon, quasi-losing his own in exchange for Aaravos’ literal formation (+ possible bonus points if freeing Rayla or her parents’ plays a role as well). 

2) Callum’s role in Aaravos’ plans relates to Aaravos’ checkmate move. This would more away from the more literal manifestations of Callum’s role as like, Freedom, to his more lowkey motif of Breaking Things (Rayla’s binding, the primal stone, the seal of King Harrow’s letter, the chains in 2x07, Rayla’s pendant in 3x08, and probably the boat in S5). This again plays into Aaravos’ talk of shattering: “And when everything they have built lies shattered, I will savor their fall from the sky” (TDP Reflections: Patience).

The key factor to each, I think, is putting Callum’s wrestling of freedom, and by extension narrative control and bodily autonomy, on full display. S5 and S6 are the Tragedy Seasons, and given that all signs point to him losing Aaravos’ game (at least at first). Whether it’s him doing something under possession (although more on that later) or him regaining his freedom by well, breaking free, only to play into Aaravos’ hands anyway... It’s clear the Startouch elf wants him for something, and it can’t be anything good, whether it’s a Path of Darkness or Light.

And, speaking of which...

Light and Dark Motif

Again, I’ve gone over this before (here’s how it manifests with Rayla and Callum, and here is why the ‘light’ isn’t the solidly good thing it can be easy to think of it is, in-show). General light and darkness motif tag here for anyone interested in tracking this motif further / it’s extensiveness going into S5. 

What matters though is that 4x02, 4x04, and 4x07 complicate the Game Motif and Callum’s dynamic with Aaravos further by tethering it explicitly to the Light and Dark motif. It’s not just that the cube is in Callum’s hands before Aaravos picks him up; it’s that the cube flashes a bright white light as well beforehand. It’s “In darkness, gaze upon a Fallen Star” and “the human mage, already tainted by darkness, and destined to play right into my hands” and “what if I’m on a path of darkness?” This duality also ties back into Viren’s statement in 2x06 (“We emerged into darkness and quickly got to work. [Xadia] held both the promise of our salvation and threat of our destruction”) as well as statements regarding Rayla (“So they might kill you or they might save you” from the book 1 novelization, explicitly about Rayla / “Now you’re back. That’s kind of good and kind of bad”). These both tie into the keys themselves being something that can lock and mutually unlock things. 

They’ll either come to fruition in book 5 (which, I could see Rayla breaking Callum out of brainwashing, and/or Callum doing something that leads him into being ‘in darkness’) or will be built upon mildly in order for S6 to deliver the true sucker punch. But it is still likely in the cards that Rayla will save Callum from brainwashing when the Light and Dark Motif finally, fully, comes to call.

And while the full resolution of the plot line would work nicely for Book 5: Ocean (the ocean is about navigation and inherently cyclical; Rayla is accordingly scared of water and of losing him) I do wonder about the well, irresistible temptation perhaps of it being in S6. Callum choosing Rayla over Aaravos’ brainwashing is him choosing agency and love (for however long) over fear and control. A chosen destiny over an enforced destiny. And well, doesn’t that sound like

Book 6: Star

It is known now that in S5 we’re going to get to go to a place that Rayla went to during her time away, meaning she gets to act a bit like a guide. We also know that however Rayla and Stella, and indeed why Stella is connected to the Star arcanum, is important and yet untold. And that Stella is our only non-Aaravos related being/object related to the Star arcanum that is also not a quasar diamond or tied to Aaravos (the key, the staff, Sir Sparklepuff, and the elf himself). 

And that the Key, the star arcanum, Stella, and Rayla’s reappearance into Callum’s life are all tied together with Light in 4x02.

Uncovering secrets and discovering the truth is also often associated with light, both in general and canonically in-universe with the show’s symbolism (i.e. Callum walking towards Rayla in the light out of the darkness once he discovers the truth about King Harrow). 

The fact of the matter is that until the Key comes into play in some way, the according foreshadowing attached to it ( “I hope it was worth it to you, putting everyone’s lives in danger” / “Are you practicing magic or losing to Bait at a game of rolly-cubes?” / “It’s the Key of Aaravos. No good can come of it”) is still floating up in the air. 

And thematically, Stars is all about Destiny, wishes, and vision. Stars are lights in the dark, both a sign of hope (hi Leola’s Wish and the South Star) and a manifestation of our main villain. S6 could also be dark magic, which would take the ‘dark and light’ associations to a new level. If S5 is about getting Callum be in or more inclined to the darkness, then S6 is when he will presumably be in it, whatever that means (possession or hopelessness/rage, probably).

I could see him becoming obsessive to figure out the Key, hoping that it’ll be a weapon or Aaravos’ downfall (as also posited pre-S4) only for it to lead to everything spiralling out of control, leading to possession or putting Ez and Rayla at risk in another manner. And of course, they/she save him, because they always will. But as I’ve said many times, S6 is also the Tragedy Arc. It has to bring everyone to their lowest moment. One of these Tragedy Seasons will also, I think, be the perfect place for Callum to do his Fucked Up Thing and bring his Viren (and Claudia) parallels full circle. “They aren’t games, they’re tests” and “tests of love” and all that. Cause if all those plot threads and parallels and consistent imagery doesn’t go somewhere in S5 (and S5 has already majorly added to it) it has to go somewhere, and S6 is it. 

After all, with Aaravos’ shattering in mind...

And when everything they have built lies shattered, I will savor their fall from the sky.

I laid out here how Rayla and Aaravos represent Callum’s two future paths (similarly to the way Rayla and primal magic vs Claudia and dark magic are Callum’s two paths in S2) and how well, choosing her over Aaravos may not be as mutually exclusive as he thinks.

It’s not a coincidence, either, that S4 ramps up the negative cube associations to a 10: showing Callum toying around with it while Zubeia explicitly states that mages are Aaravos’ favourite prey; the cube being in the 4x04 intro when it did not have to be, and the intro exists entirely for the audience’s benefit; Callum being unable to let it go / give it up in 4x07, even though he’s willing to give up his life to stop Aaravos from using him, etc.

Explaining/exploring Stella’s connection to the Star arcanum in the same season that will finally explain the Key of Aaravos in the same season Callum has to confront ‘his destiny’ in the same season that the kids are destined to lose more than ever? Sounds amazing, don’t you think?

Conclusion

One of the reasons it’s comparatively easy to speculate is because well, like any good tragedy, we know how S5 and S6 have to end: not well. It seems more likely than ever that Aaravos will indeed be released by the end of S5 / very beginning of S6, leading to destruction and upheaval. Either way, it leaves S6 to be Aaravos, in his mind, ending the story. Finishing the book. This is his checkmate, his victory. Callum and the rest of his pawns have lived out their usefulness. But just like how Aaravos outlived the end of his myth/story, so will they, and Callum (and Rayla, and Ezran) at the very least will return to successfully win in S7, come hell or high water.

As such, much of what is highlighted above is taken from these consistent puzzle pieces, if you will, and attempting to figure out the various options we have for their execution. And of course, TDP could always throw us some delightful curveballs, but it seems the gist and playing out of well, the game, has to fall somewhere along these patterns / routes, tethered together by the possession plot line and Callum being coerced to do Aaravos’ bidding. There’s not a lot of ways those things can go happily in a Tragedy.

And that is exactly why I am very happy and excited to see where it all goes, and I hope you are too. 

[raayllum]

So I wondered for a little while pre-S4 if Ezran’s consistent “hide and seek” game playing / possible truth telling or childhood motif would come back in a significant way going forward. This is because outside of this, basically every reference to a game goes back to the Key of Aaravos (S1 / S2) with one mention to Aaravos (2x08) prior to S4, which then makes it overt. So, I thought, why not re-examine Ezran’s possible place in the game?

There’s the obvious more overt layer of the hide and seek Ezran being the Truth Teller, as mentioned, in terms of him discovering lost or unknown pieces of information, or revealing them, consistently. He’s the one who finds the egg and explores the tunnels under the castle, solving the puzzle (which ended up being an intentional piece of foreshadowing for Kpp’Ar like five years down the line). He reveals that he has the ability to talk to animals, sees through the spider-y moon illusions, etc. It’s one of his most prominent plot beats in S1 and we see inklings of it return in S4 as he is primarily responsible (presumably) for Callum’s secret birthday party, and indeed the puzzle / seeking / finding mentioned primarily by him to Zubeia. He’s the one who wants to tell Amaya the truth in 1x04. He’s the one who finds the way to opening up Rex Igneous’ heart, and the one who reveals Avizandum’s death. He’s the one who finds and reveals the Truth, just like his ancestor before him. 

[ Side note: if you are interested in this as a concept / want a bigger & broader elaboration, I’d recommend my meta detailing Ezran as the series’ Witness / Thematic Embodiment of Justice here. ] 

It’s for this reason I think he’ll play a very key role in helping to locate the prison itself, with Callum possibly bringing other information into the fold (like how the prison was constructed, perhaps). It also makes sense to split the role of the Orphan Queen, so to speak, between the brothers. Ezran carries the blood line, but Callum is of her royal line as well, story wise. Ezran has the truth; Callum has the cube and whatever it holds.

That said: I am definitely giggling and kicking my feet that S4 was and presumably S5 is going to be to be the world’s biggest game of hide and seek with the highest stakes possible. 

[raayllum]

I don’t know if you have already talked about this before but since you are the CHET theorist I wanted to ask because I have been thinking about it for a while: it’s the fact that we haven’t seen the cub react to Rayla? When she first gets it she literally holds it with her hands but it doesn’t glow, or when Stella has it in S4 (leading to the goofy theories of fake Rayla) it doesn’t glow either even tho it’s super close to her. Maybe my memory is falling but the only time we see it reacting to her is when Callum is playing with it. Why is the cub only reacting to her in that scene? A scene when HE specifically is holding it and she says “this doesn’t end well for you” like oh my god? The cub is not closer than her or Stealla holding it. Some people have pointed these as a animation mistakes but I doubt it, like it’s too on the nose. Maybe I'm overthinking but I needed to get it off of my chest.

Thank you in advance and have a nice week!

So when and why the cube glows is very inconsistent (after all, does the rune have to face what's making it glow, but then there are scenes where it's leagues away from pointing towards anything - 2x09's rune foreshadowing glow for Callum's sky arcanum) so I think that's mostly something operating on a "it works however we need it to work for said scene" on that level.

We don't see Rayla pick it up in 1x04 but when she holds and tosses it over to him in 1x04, it doesn't glow for her at all - so it doesn't glow at anything until Callum has touched and dropped it (which could be relevant, but we also see it glow for the Orphan Queen in 4x04's flashbacks, so it doesn't seem exclusive to him and can't be connected to blood line, at least, on that level either).

However I do actually have two analyses that may be interesting to you

1) The first is on Rayla's weird 'relationship' with the Key of Aaravos (being the character to find it, carry the game motif with it primarily in s1-s2 more than anyone else, the particularly ominous accompanying foreshadowing, and being the only character Callum discusses the cube with - other than Bait when Rayla isn't there - rather than his brother, even though Ezran is the Orphan Queen's direct descendant). It was written pre-S4 so it doesn't include arguably the most Important scene we have thus far with this connection (Rayla showing up with the cube on her shoulder) but I've waxed enough speculative poetics about that scene elsewhere that you can probably get the complete picture.

2) A decidedly more unhinged meta analyzing the rune placement in scenes with the cube (all current scenes since it was S1-S4) that also leaned into the prediction of Aaravos being freed (ergo his prison being found) / Callum doing dark magic in S5 precisely because of rune placement so like, there may be something to it?

Other meta that is less specific to Rayla's weirdness with the cube but still talks about foreshadowing / analysis regarding the Key (all of which were published before S5 so there might be some things that aren't talked about accordingly)

My Key of Aaravos tag in general

Why the Key Might Hold a Quasar Diamond: Egyptian Mythology Edition

The Technical Followup: Why the Key Might Hold Aaravos' Chest Piece

Aaravos' View of Children and What It Might Mean for the Key

2x08 or What the Fuck is Up with the Key's Opposing Symbolism (aka the weirdness of Harrow encouraging Callum to refuse a gift Harrow gave him like, 1.5 episodes prior)

Possibilities on the use/ownership of the Key being joined between Ezran and Callum for the Karim-Janai-Kim'Dael's debt freedom parallels

[raayllum]

Hi :)

this is a question about the cube hostage exchange theory:

Where in that Scenario do you think Callum will get possessed again?

Because if Aaravos captures Rayla (and maybe her family too), to force Callum into giving him the cube......then why would he need to possess Callum at all?

Both Scenarios have foreshadowing in the show but my mind can't really put them together in a logical way............

Thank you for the question!

So prior to 2022 SDCC, I finally put into words a small motif I had been thinking about / picking up for a few months by then, which was Rayla as Callum's light motif. This made me think that given Aaravos' association with dark/light (a fallen Star as well as his name meaning) that the two of them would be particularly entangled in his plot line, furthered by the fact Rayla was the one who actually retrieved his Key in the first place. There was also some stuff mentioned in some of TDP's con skits that felt like foreshadowing for TTM and beyond, with Rayla being Callum's 'south (north equivalent) star' to lead him out of the darkness; "and that Rayla is Callum’s chosen South Star and vice versa, to lead and help each other get through the dark times they’re going through" based on lines like this:

“What about that? Brightest star in the sky. A single point of light. We call it the South Star. Humans used it to navigate, you know, to find their way in the endless darkness of the night.”

I managed to get it in a couple hours before when we got our first peek at the intro featuring a very starry boy Aaravos, and was just thrilled that I had been dead on the money of paying attention to the Game Motif tethered to Aaravos in S1-S3, largely through his Key. The Light and Darkness motif in Rayllum's relationship felt like it would be something that would stay in the background, even less so than the white-dark duality of Claudia's hair; a fun motif, but I had no reason to think (or hope) it would become more overt, let alone how overt it is now. But more on that later.

Then a couple months or so later at SDCC, we learned that it had been two years and that Callum had been poking around the mirror. This proximity to Aaravos, the light/darkness, and the opportunity for Rayla to save him in some capacity merged with another thought / idea I'd had, and loved about Arc 1 in particular, with Rayla being an agent of Change / as Callum's salvation and his destruction. This is most simply shown through his arc with magic / the fact that Rayla's entry into his life burns down so much of his old life / ideas about himself and the world and helps him construct new ones. This kind of destruction-salvation is also just uniquely carried by Rayla's character from the very start of the show: "You let him live" salvation "but you killed us all" destruction, and reconciling that is accordingly very difficult.

AKA this all then merged basically into thinking that, per their S1-S3 pattern of when and how Rayla and Callum tend to save each other, that through some circumstances or means, Rayla would save Callum from Aaravos mentally/emotionally and Callum would save her from Aaravos physically. This became known as the Mutual Salvation Theory and really nicely brought together a lot of the previous motifs and things that felt too particular to not be foreshadowing, such as these lines from the Book One novelization:

“Wow. So [the moon and death berries] look identical, but they might kill you or they might save you,” Callum said. “Exactly. Just like me…” Rayla smiled.

Then the lead-up to S4 and Rayla's "Dear Callum" letter started to play directly with the light and darkness motif; "Going to dark places is an act of love [...] stay safe and stay in the light" and "In darkness, gaze upon a Fallen Star" and of course, Callum asking Rayla to be the thing that destroys / kills him in S4: "I need you to kill me." And given that Rayla now believes, "We can't save everyone," it seems it'll only be a matter of time before she saves Callum from Aaravos' clutches (breaking through possession / helping Callum choose another path, as she said), not a matter of if.

After all, if Aaravos can possess Callum at all, why not hold that closer to chest? Why not simply foreshadow it and leave it as an 11th hour horror as we watch Callum deliver the cube or fulfil whatever part Aaravos wants him to play 100% against his will?

However, with S4 being all about reconciling dualities - "Just have two cakes" / "Is this really about changing the world or just about seeing Zym?" "Can't it be both?" / "We have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time - and indeed the series realizing key concepts are not just one or the other, but both...

It means Rayla saving or killing/destroying Callum isn't where we're headed, it means she has to save and destroy him. All it really comes down to now is what order is it going to happen in, which I've discussed a bit more here in terms of possible layouts.

I currently lean towards salvation happening first given destruction will inevitably follow with Aaravos' release and we know that S5 and S6 cannot end well for either Callum or Rayla's ultimate goals of stopping Aaravos in or outside of the mirror. There's also other foreshadowing with the cube we can now say is purposeful, mostly that Callum choosing to try to find it and messing around with it followed by two apt lines from Rayla, stating, "I hope it was worth it to you putting everyone's lives in danger" and "This doesn't end well for you."

Callum going too far in pursuit of magic has put others in danger before (Rayla in 1x04 and Zym in 2x04) but that was always accidental. The second he realized there was real danger to be had, he always backtracked, even if it was just too late to do anything. We also know he has to end up in danger at one point because Rayla has done everything she could possibly could to avoid that. Thus, something related to Rayla (motivation, choice, etc.) has to put Callum in danger, and she has to fail at protecting him, too, otherwise it will compound her beliefs that she is always the one who has to sacrifice and that he is worth more than her.

What makes the most sense to me with all this in mind is Callum possibly messing with magic / research (maybe to do with Aaravos or the coins) leading to him making a reckless decision. This opens the valves for the possession to rear its head somehow. He and Rayla fight, she manages to get through to him, Callum chooses the light amid the darkness. This is the moment where Rayla chooses him over the world and to keep him safe no matter what. Possibly culminating in Callum connecting to the Moon arcanum as well. However, keeping in mind with the shot of Rayla and the Star primal cube (turning him away from the mirror) when she re-enters his life, something happen among the possession scene (Claudia's presence or something) causes for Rayla to get captured and taken to Elarion. Reinforces the idea that all paths ultimately lead here; tragedy is only tragedy if it is inevitable.

This would also explain why Ez and Callum arrive there and if Ezran is using Stella's connection to the Star arcanum and love of Rayla to translate, it would track as well.

Claudia still wants to complete the last of the spell to free Aaravos either out of spite (because Viren / Terry have 'defected' and this is all she has left) or desperation (if she can just do it Viren will see it's worthwhile no matter what) or both. The Key is either a literal key or holds Aaravos' chest piece or something. Just like in 1x04, the boys come to save Rayla, and also a parallel to a human mage (the Jailer) and the Orphan Queen (Ez's ancestor) having a hand in sealing Aaravos away in the first place. Callum hands over the cube / does the spell or whatever not under direct force but coercion and choice, and chooses to hand it over and help unleash Aaravos on the world for the people he loves. In saving Rayla and freeing her and Aaravos, both banished traitor elves who brought him to his knees in S4 and presented two very different paths, paths that all led here, he dooms the world. He plays right into Aaravos' game all the same.

They're not games. They're tests.

Aaravos: Search your heart. There's something you want very badly.

This is the moment where Callum chooses her over the world and to keep her safe no matter what. A reciprocal Test of Love - the way they always have been.

[raayllum]

cube hostage exchange theory from a meta standpoint is exceedingly funny to me because one of the reasons i talk about it as often as i do is because there’s just... so much to talk about regarding it? like 

at this time, callum and viren are each other’s primary foils, with rayla and aaravos being each other’s primary foils. this was true even before S4, but especially afterward, with rayla and aaravos both hunting mages as prey (viren and callum respectively) and with the viren-callum parallels being ramped up, just as a quick example.

the cube glowing with the star primal, and indeed rayla having a pet monkey that’s connected to the star arcanum, just happens to show up in a big dramatic halo of moonlight moments after callum says “in darkness” but we know the cube also has negative associations so it can’t be wholly positive framing, and soren explicitly spells this out for us with rayla’s return: “now you’re back. that’s kinda good. and kinda bad.” 

for s1-s3 the cube was the primary carrier of the game motif, with only one (1) mention of a game directly to aaravos. now in s4, that motif has moved from the background to being more directly and overtly connected to aaravos. rayla is the first person to call it a toy and in an episode in which we see an elf toy that is explicitly supposed to look like her.

callum’s suffocation / drowning motif was because of dark magic in s2 and then brought back in s4. rayla has always been connected with water. they almost drowned together in TTM. the “you will discover the cube’s secrets” line pans over earth and ocean only, indicating the cube’s secrets will first start to be revealed in ocean. the moon literally affects the tides

if rayla flat out refuses to kill callum no matter the stakes (“you let him live but you killed us all”) even if she frees him it still meant she put him over the world / they can’t get off completely scot free. they’ve always been very mutual (rayla saving him from sol regem in 3x01 at risk to herself / callum saving her in 3x09 at risk to himself in an even more extreme way, arguably) so callum would have to ‘repay’ that in some capacity to keep that mutuality: “i hope it was worth it to you putting everyone’s lives in danger”

the fact that rayla’s drawing and her getting the cube for him in the first place is even the reason he actually has it in show deserves to be a point on its own because like. callum could’ve found it while looking for her in the lodge. ezran could’ve nabbed it. the cube never helps them plot wise until 3x08 it could’ve even just been presented with harrow’s letter and let 2x08 do the symbolic heavy lifting with the keys like. but no. they decided it had to be 1x04, the immediate ep after the very start of the story’s main arc, and it had to be rayla. 

one of callum’s core flaws is that he’s reckless in pursuit of what he wants (magic) but even more reckless when it comes to protecting the people he loves, cue: running into what he thinks is a trap in 4x01 to protect ezran, jumping off the mountain for rayla, when he thinks he has even the barest trace of saving either of them. his tales of xadia bio quote (which i originally took with a delighted grain of salt but since feels more valid given other things that have already come to pass as mentions/foreshadowing for the sow itself) is “i’m beholden to my inner circle, not some silly kingdom” and “i value those close to me more than anyone or anything” which is 👀 bc thus far the only time we’ve seen that really play out is when he bent his morals in doing dark magic and when he chose to leave with ez & rayla in 1x03 to protect the egg and his baby brother. but it hasn’t come back since and certainly not on as big a scale as the quotes indicate (more than anyone means more than any other person / people after all) 

rayla and callum still have unresolved conflict and 3/4 finales (with s1 being the sole exception) have always featured a very important moment and/or turning point in their relationship. while aaravos’ release could be pushed to s6 (either early s6 or late s6) for a more traditional plot structure it makes sense for him to be released in or by the end of 5x09 so that S6 can give everyone a chance to defeat him once he’s actually out (11th hour / darkest moment failure thing) and then successfully defeat him in S7. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

like oh you watch 1x04 and it’s their first bonding moment because “you called me a mage and that felt right.” you watch 1x05 and they have multiple instances of disagreeing whether something is worth something (the cube, rayla’s bravery, the boat) with callum always believing it is. you watch 1x09 and it’s foreshadowing callum’s connection to the moon arcanum. and so on and so forth 

and almost none of this is touching on theme, or the way rayla (and basically only her) is woven deftly into callum’s journey as a mage in ways that ezran or any other character firmly is not, which is an entire other can of multi layered worms. thematically, the theory has even more evidence if you start pulling on generational parallels, and patterns, etc etc. 

there’s a reason this has been a theory of mine for over two years now, precisely because what started out as a simple “huh what if” thought was something i kept founding new merit for, even - or especially when - i wasn’t looking for it in the first place

it truly is just me over turning every rock i can like “maybe i’ll find an alternative down here” and instead it’s just more

[raayllum]

What's your take on the uncharacteristically dismissive responses from the rest of the "Dragang" to Aaravos possessing Callum? Ex., in the lava cavern - Rayla assumes he wants to talk about their relationship and then is harshly dismissive of his fears, and earlier in the Drakewood, Ezran assumes Callum is only upset about Rayla. It almost felt like they got roasted by Aaravos so badly that they forgot the whole encounter.

and If you have time, what do you think about Rayla's S4 reactions to Callum's feelings mirroring Callum's reactions to Rayla's fear/paranoia/ptsd in TTM?

I don't think they were dismissive at all. I keep reiterating this, but I don't think people have fully processed just how emotionally repressed Callum was in S4. He talks about his feelings in general, actually talks about them, maybe three times? This is a far cry from the kid who would spill his guts without preamble in S1-S3.

He genuinely confides in someone maybe twice this season (once with Ezran in 4x01, although he tries in word at least to pretend to be fine; and then he actually confides in Rayla in 4x07).

It's not crazy for Rayla to think, when he has Ezran as an option and they've framed so much of their relationship thus far through "talking" or "not talking" that Rayla would assume if he's approaching her, specifically, that's what he wants to talk about. She's also the only person who asks if he's okay, in general, after the possession scene, and the person who goes to check on him at all, so.

Callum admits to Ezran as well that Rayla and those big feelings are just about equally on his mind.

When he brings his fears up to Rayla, she first addresses that Callum is asking her to participate in them in a brutal way that would devastate both of them. She reminds him who he is with his own words, still lets him talk about and explain his fears in depth, even if she disagrees with him and reiterates his agency in his own hands. How much she lived that viewpoint in TTM is debatable, but she also refuses to play into and reaffirm his fears in the slightest (which is more than can be said for how Callum handled a very imperfect brand of paranoia in TTM, even if he was absolutely doing his best at the time). Leading to him immediately resolving to trying to follow her advice in a way by destroying the cube, even if he can't bring himself to do it

But Rayla and Ezran aren't mind-readers. They can't just assume to know how he's going to feel and both open the floor for him to talk whenever he's ready about whatever he wants, and Callum just rarely takes it. That's all (also worth noting that when Ez asks about Rayla, she's actively out in a possibly dangerous situation and Callum left it on negative terms, soo)

Still parsing out my thoughts regarding emotional parallels / reactions between the two, but hope to write multiple metas about it eventually. Currently have this one about comparing largely Rayla's behaviour in S1 / 3x04 to Callum's in S4

Also would like to reiterate my blog policy of 1) please don't send me negative leaning asks and 2) please don't send me asks with lead-in questions. For example: this sort of question could be phrased with "What was your take on the dragang's responses and scenes regarding Callum's possession / aftermath" because well, already citing them as dismissive doesn't give me a lot of tangible wiggle room to share my own opinion if it differs, now does it?

Again, no harm down, but just food for thought for future asks from people in general. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I like seeing a variety, but I also like seeing a bit more neutrality if people are actually asking for my opinion and not just wanting to share their own on my blog

[raayllum]

Hi, I'm new to this fandom, and I just read your "Articulation of Need" meta. And I am reminded of a line from Babylon 5, where a character in a similar situation to Callum makes this remark : "Sometimes people walk away because they want to be alone, and sometimes they walk away because they want to see if you care enough to follow them into hell. I think I went the wrong way." So do you think Callum will go after Rayla immediately or not?

Welcome to the fandom! I hope you enjoy your time here (and on this blog)! I think you're right that there's some similarities in the quote, kinda more so of how Callum thinks of Rayla's actions than how Rayla phrases it. Every time Rayla has put distance up, it's been a test for each of them; of whether Callum will work to be let in, and whether Rayla will eventually fold and let him in. So for Callum, it's definitely a test of whether he'll leave her alone / on her own or walk into hell.

I don't think it's why Rayla leaves in TTM; if anything, she knows the answer has always been follow her into hell, so she's desperately hoping against hope everything she's done will be enough to dissuade him. This is one of the narrative reasons I think he kind of has to.

Not only does Callum often not listen to Rayla when she's having reservations / being practical (mostly in s1 and s2, but it pops up in Through the Moon as well), but for him to not go after her would prove a pretty toxic mindset right. That she was right to leave him, right to take the risk herself, and that she doesn't need help, and has to be the one to protect him. All of these things aren't true, but I (at least for now — I know I'll be happy & amazed with whatever canon chooses to do) can't see how those could be more adequately disproven than by Callum doing the exact opposite of what Rayla wanted him to do.

I also think that, while it would also be in character for Callum to not go after her right away, that's a longer arc than TDP can afford in a nine episode season. It would mean the entire timeskip doesn't further than plot line, and if he does go looking for her (say three episodes into season four) he would find her after only a few days, presumably, which would feel rather anti-climatic. I also don't think it's in the show's nature / DNA to drag something like a reunion out like this for more than one season, either, but I may be wrong.

But as for the specifics of your question, I have an almost embarrassing about metas going over the possibilities of it, in the following order:

My initial thoughts on TTM and their choices going forward

Why 2x07 parallels TTM and what that says for s4 paralleling 2x08-2x09

Protecting Rayla becoming Callum's new mission > Viren

A bigger expansion of the meta in this ask of Callum's Two Avenues

Callum and Rayla as Orpheus and Eurydice

How i think s4 will play out in excruciating detail, affectionately titled "cube hostage exchange theory"

Smaller meta about how Callum's anger equals pursuit

[raayllum]

@heppyhenry​​ Honestly I know anon wasn’t meaning you and neither was I (there’s a troll on Reddit who has some very weird takes on characters and will make a lot of sock accounts to prop up his points that I think you may have come across) on reddit after taking a peek at said actual posts. 

Honestly the main reason I gravitated to CHET wasn’t because of any external factors, but because of how central the theme of Exchange itself is in the series. It’s the entire basis for S1-S3 in terms of conflict (exchange is the foundation of dark magic) and resolution (Zym for peace). Freedom is also another central theme of the series, to the point that many heroes and villains (Aaravos included) are seeking freedom from either literal or metaphorical Chains. 

The main conflict of S4 between Callum and Rayla, in my opinion, is never going to be CHET. The conflict is going to be the emotional fallout from Through the Moon and dealing with their unresolved feelings/grief. CHET exists to (somewhat) be the resolution. Callum fulfils his connection to Aaravos that’s been set up since S2 and has an active hand in shaping the destiny of the world, even if this time it’s for the worse (Callum has always had a selfish reckless streak too, where the things he wants indadvertedly puts people in danger, like Rayla in 1x04 and Zym in 2x04). Rayla, after taking “I am already dead” to the extreme, can finally get it through her own head that she has self worth and that nothing she can do can ever get rid of Callum for good. 

And this might just be me but? TDP has been fairly predictable. I figured since S1 that Soren would get a redemption arc while Claudia would only get worse. Most of us noticed that Sarai was dead in S1 and thought perhaps Harrow had done some avenging-business, which S2 and then S3 confirmed. I thought after S3 that perhaps Rayla’s paranoid nature would make her feel restless and put the main group on the path to discovering Viren and/or that she’d want a rematch of some kind. Is it truly predictable, or does the fandom’s predictions just have a higher chance of coming true because know the characters well, or pay a lot of attention?

Seeing these things coming, or speculating, didn’t make it any less interesting to watch it play out in real time. TDP has always fallen back on tried and true fantasy tropes in a lot of ways, and they know it’s the execution that makes it compelling and interesting. 

Cause the thing is, when I pitched the theory back in October 2020 (which feels like a lifetime ago holy shit), no one was talking about it. I’d say maybe since SDCC this year, if not the last couple weeks, have I seen more people really bring it up. And part of the reason I thought it would fit well is because it would progress their emotional arcs in a dramatic way and the plot in a big way, being both a difficult yet understandable decision to the audience.

It was lines like Aaravos’ “Those who fail tests of love are simple animals. They deserve to be motivated by fear” and the way I noticed the Cube being consistently framed as part of a game (“It’s a children’s toy” “You practicing magic or are you losing to a game of rolly-cubes”) that mirrored Viren’s singular demand of “What game are you playing at?” to Aaravos just a few episodes later.

It’s the dramatic irony (which the writers’ clearly love, writing stuff like Soren and Rayla’s foils relationship of inverted roles, and “A child is freer than a king” leading to a child king in chains) of Rayla risking her life for the cube in 1x04, only for that Cube to then be exchanged in order to save her life. 

So like, by all means, disagree! A theory is just a theory and I’ve been in fandom for a long time. Whether it comes true or not, I and others have had a lot of fun with it in fanon and that’ll always be really special to me. But one thing I haven’t seen that I have been on the lookout for are...

What are the ‘rival’ theories?

Rayla didn’t leave because she didn’t think Callum was capable or out of any sense of misplaced pride; she was just relying on him to get out of the portal and she knew it. But grief and trauma have warped her to the point of prioritizing Callum being alive over his (or her) happiness. So say she gets into deep shit and manages to escape... if it’s so dangerous she thinks she absolutely cannot fix it on her own, is she really going to crawl back to the boys and drag them into something Dangerous, when that was the whole point of leaving Callum behind in the first place? And Rayla can’t succeed in her mission, for either the plot (there’s 3+ seasons to go) or for her own development (she needs to learn to stop throwing her life away and that there is no price to pay).

Either she high tails it out with information and somehow runs across the boys, or she’s taken captive. I don’t think she’d be willing to turn back ‘empty handed’ as the last time she failed to kill a human properly, it killed the rest of her troupe/destroyed her family, and Viren’s survival is absolutely something Rayla feels responsible for. And again, I don’t think she’d be willing to drag them into something dangerous on purpose - but that might be more travelling than the show has time for, since she’s in Xadia when S4 starts. She’d have to go back to Katolis, work that through, and then they’d all have to travel all the way back across Xadia (or close to) in order to reach Drakewood. 

Again, I’m not saying I’m right by any means, and whatever S4 does will be amazing, but with the pieces of information (or playing board, haha?) that we currently have, I’ve thought through the other angles, and CHET seems like the most straightforward one, with a decent amount of its execution halfway through. And concerning Callum’s choice in all this, didn’t Rayla warn him all the way back in 1x05 that...

Anyway if you are interested in seeing more of the evidence for the theory (because somehow, this all only scratched the surface) please check out the tag here, and happy reading if you choose to! 

if you have time/want to could you go on a righteous tirade about how the cube hostage exchange theory doesn’t reduce Rayla to just a “plot device” in Callum’s story or make her a nothing but a damsel in distress… getting real tired of That One Person saying stuff like that on reddit

Honestly I stay off reddit as much as possible for a lot of reasons but bc I'm literally always down to talk about my beloved theory:

1) In regards to the "damsel in distress" argument... Thus far, Callum has saved Rayla every single time she's been backed into a corner. Who saved her from the smoke wolves, from the giant fish, from the slug, from Soren Claudia and co. in 2x07? Who saved her after she jumped off the Pinnacle and when she went into the Moon Nexus portal? Rayla is still exercising agency in those scenes, trying or successfully saving someone, but from the start, her and Callum's dynamic has very often been "You save everyone and I save you."

This ties into Rayla's bigger character arc about learning how to rely on other people and that she doesn't have to do everything alone. She's gone from relying on the boys because she had to, choosing to rely on Callum, and is now fearful she'll rely on him too much (and get him killed). She left in TTM because she was determined, specifically, to do things 'alone' - she can't succeed without having that belief reaffirmed. Literally, her only two options are either to see shit going down and somehow book it back to safety, or to get captured. It's not crazy to explore the other half of a 50-50 split.

2) So a "plot device" is something that only exists to propel one character's arc. The thing about Rayla is that while a character hasn't used her against Callum before, the narrative absolutely has. The metaphor arc of Callum getting his wings that's set up carefully in S2 is only fulfilled in S3 because of his love for Rayla.

They literally used the Power of Love trope for it, and Callum says as much: how could he do something so miraculous? "Because I love you, Rayla. I really do."

And Callum is only put on the path of accessing the Sky Arcanum because he does dark magic to protect Rayla in the first place. While Rayla's arc development has typically existed a little bit more separately from Callum (aka her mini arc in 3x09 and some of TTM) which again, reflects her character, Callum is far more relational, which also reflects his character. This has been the case since season freaking one, with Rayla choosing the egg and Ezran choosing her, and Callum choosing her because Ezran did so first. None of this should be surprise.

Cube Hostage Exchange Theory, in what it would cause both of them to choose and/or to learn is really no different than 2x07, but the order would change. In 2x07, Rayla decides to take Callum's worldview (concerning the cycle) as her own and puts her life in danger. Callum follows and does something morally and magically dubious, unwilling to lose her. In Cube Hostage Exchange Theory, Callum would do the dubious thing first (risking potentially the world by passing over the cube or something else important) and then Rayla would take his worldview (that she has worth, in this case, that she cannot erase nor deter him from seeing no matter what she does) as her own, thus completing her character arc, setting her up for a new one, and working to evolve his before they likewise resolve it together.

Just like Ezran&Zym's relationship, Callum&Rayla's is one half of the narrative's heart, so to speak. It's clear from a narrative standpoint they were each designed as pairs, and part of the reason why Callum and Rayla foil each other so fiercely, their arcs constantly working in interlocking circles with each other. This is already shown in arc 2, where Rayla existed in a painful emotional limbo concerning her family in TTM, but by leaving, she has now left that space to be occupied by Callum in S4. In some ways, Rayla kinda has to lose her agency a little, in order for (narratively) circle back around to her realizing what she denied Callum by leaving him behind.

At the end of the day, cube hostage exchange theory is just that: a theory. I think it has real merit, and I'll be extremely curious what route they'll take if it's not this one, as it seems the most straight forward with what's been set up, but no less delighted and pleased by whatever S4 deigns to do in its stead.

And on a closing note, because I know The One Person Troll loves to reference Star Wars, and the creators have used Empire Strikes Back as a comparison time and time again... you know, the film where the hero famously dips on training and prioritizes saving his friends above all else, and loses the battle horribly? (Which ATLA also did with a trope so famous it's called Always Save The Girl?) The movie where in the actual romance plot line, one love interest is taken captive and has to be later rescued? That movie?