#mer!rayla

[honeii-puff]

Maybe I was just hungry for blood

In which Soren has issues. Find on ao3!

Soren thought he was being pretty obvious when flirting with that guy– Corvus. But maybe flirting wasn’t a thing there. He wouldn’t know.

He prefers the water, anyways. Probably for the best he stays there. 

He dove down through the water, his surroundings darkening the deeper he went. A few yards from the shore, the ground dropped, leaving a vast plane of dark water. The fins on his forearms started to illuminate, glowing a soft red along with the swirled pattern on his tail, which had been invisible until now.

As he swam lower, it got brighter, passing other mers who were herding fish. Those who weren’t were probably still sleeping.

He dove into one of the underwater caves, taking a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness after being at the surface for as long as he was. The thin membrane of his second eyelid slid out of place, allowing him to see properly.

Claudia was sitting in one of the wall crevices, arms crossed. “You’re late, Sorbear.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry.” Soren apologized. His eyes went to the large enchanted tome in her lap. “Again?”

“You know the drill.” She flicked one of her tentacles at him. A subtle purple glow came from the suction cups lining the underside of them, matching the glow coming from her ear fins, under her eyes, and the fins on her forearms. 

“Why? What’s so great about the surface anyways?” He flopped down on the stone.

Claudia clicked her tongue. “Everything, Soren. You’d know that if you actually went up there for more than a day.”

“I’m perfectly content down here. Here, I don’t have to worry about birds. Or boats. Or walking.” He wrinkled his nose. “Swimming’s faster.”

“So? It’s not about that.” Her ear fins flicked, annoyed. “It’s about the smells and the feeling of the wind on your skin and the dirt under your feet-”

“Don’t get me started on human feet.” The fins under his eyes flared. 

“Regardless. It’s about the adventure, not the destination.” Her eyes glimmered. “Tell me, have you ever jumped off a cliff into the water?”

Soren looked at her. “No. And I don’t think I want to.”

“You should really utilize this gift more often, Sor.”

He sat up. “It’s not a gift, it’s a blood ritual that you and dad do every Night of the Sun.”

“Heart ritual.” Claudia corrected. “There’s more heart than blood.”

“That doesn’t make it better.”

“You need to be more open minded.”

“Claudia’s right.” Soren looked over at the cave entrance, seeing Viren.

“Well, gladly leave me out of it this time.” The fins under his eyes flicked.

“You know we can’t do that.” She looked at him. “It needs three people at minimum.”

“Then pick literally anyone else.”

“We already have your blood for it, Soren.” Viren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, the fins under his eyes flaring. “Just don’t use it like you always end up doing anyways.” His voice had an undertone of disappointment or annoyance. Soren had a hard time telling the difference when it came to him.

The dark red glow from Viren’s ear fins seemed to pulse lightly, his gaze going to Claudia. The two of them had this weird code with their fin lights, and it ticked Soren off because he had no idea how to find out what they were saying.

He flicked his ear fins. “Just tell me to leave, why don’t you?” Soren swam past Viren. “I’m going to find Rayla.”

“Soren-” Claudia started, but he was already out of the cave. Immediately, he dived downward, following the edge of the underwater cliff. Soon, the only thing he could see in front of him was the glow from the webs between his fingers and the fins on his forearms, lighting a few feet in front of him.

He ran his hand along the rocky cliffside, making sure not to drift too much as he swam, before coming to a stop. Running his hand back alongside the cliff, he felt a small, sharp shell.

Mussels.

Alright, small detour.

He pulled a small knife from his belt, before wedging it between the bottom shell and the rock, severing it from the rock before stuffing it in the small pouch attached to his belt. He squinted, the fins under his eyes brightening in an attempt to help him see. He saw the vague outlines of the other mussels, and pried them off with the flat of his knife, one by one, putting them into the pouch.

“Boo.”

Soren jumped, his fins flashing brightly as he spun around.

Rayla laughed, her thinner eyelids sliding over her eyes to block the light from Soren’s fins.

“Really Rayla?” His fins dimmed as he tucked his knife away, wanting to throw it at her instead.

“I’m sorry- it was just too perfect.” She cackled, her spiky ear fins flicking.

Soren swatted at her with his tail. “Not funny.”

“Too funny.” She wiggled her fingers at him. Like most midsea mers, she had four fingers, with silvery webbing between them and longer, sharper nails.

“Yeah, yeah, get it all out now. I was just looking for you.” He rolled his eyes.

Her inner eyelid lifted, showing her pale purple eyes, barely having a pupil. “Looked to me like you were looking for mussels.”

“I got distracted! Plus, mussels are good.”

Rayla shrugged, the flaps of her gills flaring slightly. “Can’t argue with that. Why were ya looking for me?”

“Just needing to get away from Claudia and dad.” He wrinkled his nose lightly. 

“Eugh.” She flicked her teal tail. “Let’s not talk about them, then.” 

The two of them started swimming, following the cliff down further before reaching the sandy bottom. Looking up, Soren could still see hints of light from the sun reaching down to where they were, but it didn’t provide all that much light due to the overcast day above.

“What else have you been doing?” She asked, retrieving a bag from behind a small pile of rocks and draping it around her shoulder.

“I talked to a human for a bit.” He glanced back upwards before back at her, settling down on the sandy ground.

The scales under her eyes flared from excitement. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yeah. He said his name was Corvus.”

“Like the bird?” She arched an eyebrow at him, picking up a flat shell from the sand, inspecting it under the silvery light from her fins.

“Yeah. He had a notebook with him. Drew a nice sea snail.”

“I hope you didn’t scare him too much.”

“Be glad you weren’t there. He’d be terrified.”

She flicked sand into his face with her tail, causing his thinner eyelids to cover his eyes, preventing the sand from entering them.

 Soren clicked his tongue. “Rayla, Rayla. Flicking sand? How immature.”

“Oh, shush.” Rayla rolled her eyes. “You were asking for it.”

“Was not!”

 “You totally were.” she tucked the shell into her bag. “Don’t even try to deny it, Mister smort longpocket.”

“Okay, that was one time in front of Finnegrin. He was hot and I was improvising.” He flopped down, sand clouding up around him.

Rayla fanned the sand cloud away. “He was not, but okay.”

“You just don’t have good taste.”

“He tried feeding me to a Leviathan!”“...Okay fair.”

[kilfeur]

Claudia et la mentalité de la victime (Claudia and victim mentality)

Si il y a bien une chose que je trouve que la série met assez en avant c'est que Claudia se présente en tant que victime contre les dragons et les elfes. Et en cherchant de ce côté là, il y a des traits qui m'ont fait penser à Claudia ainsi que la mentalité de la victime.

Le premier qui vient à l'esprit est souvent qu'ils blâment leurs malheurs sur les autres. Pouvant même avoir un élitisme moral leur donnant un point de vue noir et blanc. Ce qu'on pu voir avec sa discussion avec Soren. Le fait qu'elle dit que l'humanité a souffert et que les elfes et les dragons n'ont pas levés le doigt à part Aaravos. Ou bien quand elle dit que la magie noire a sauvé son frère. Mais qui aussi n'hésite pas à se montrer cruel contre Ibis voir même sadique quand elle affronte un dragon. Et c'est justement parce que la raison, "elle fait ça pour sauver son père". Mais c'est souvent parce qu'on justifie de tels actes qu'on ferme les yeux sur des actes horribles.

Viren n'en a pas mené large car c'est aussi par son influence que Claudia ira plus loin et c'est ce que craint Viren dans son cauchemar. Soren a pu se détacher de Viren avant qu'il soit trop tard mais Claudia s'y accroche désespérément. Rien que le fait qu'elle ait ramené à la vie montrant ses cheveux devenir blancs suite aux effets de la magie noire. A tel point que ça la consume ! La mort de Viren va plus la mener dans le désespoir. Comme on peut le voir dans le teaser de la saison 6, où on voit son regard vide, elle a perdu son phare, n'entendant même pas les paroles de Terry.

L'un des autres traits est aussi le manque d'empathie, lorsqu'elle provoque Rayla en montrant sa famille coincé dans les pièces mais qu'elle la piège pour sauver Terry. Et elle était prête à partir en laissant Rayla comme ça. Ou bien dans l'épisode où elle retrouve Callum, Ezran dans la mer des bannis. Ou elle joue la carte de l'empathie et ainsi les manipuler. En disant que si ça avait été Harrow, est ce qu'ils auraient pas été tenté ? Mais dés que le plan ne marche pas, elle menace de les tuer jusqu'à ce Rayla coupe sa jambe. Et que Callum annule son sort. Ce qui pourrait s'attribuer des intentions négatives à l'oppresseur où, elle voit plus Callum et les autres que comme des ennemis.

Dans ce cas qu'en est-il de ceux qui l'accompagnent ? Viren était à l'état végétatif ne pouvant pas faire grand chose. Et c'est justement ce qui inquiétait Claudia mais aussi la frustrait car elle voulait se dépêcher pour sauver son père. Elle n'a plus son phare ! Monsieur Bavetout, dans l'histoire courte, on a pu voir qu'elle essaie d'entrer en contact avec Aaravos. Et que l'un des seuls dialogues avec lui était 'L'être qui va émerger de ce cocon est celui qui te guidera vers celui qui a les réponses". "N'aie pas peur, tu es une mage noire puissante. Avec mon aide, il y a rien que tu puisses pas réparer pas même la mort". Ce qui n'aide pas spécialement !

Terry alors ? Il a été une influence positive mais le truc c'est que dans cette relation, c'est que leurs principes et les valeurs morales ne sont pas plus défiés ou bien changer. Terry a toujours cru qu'elle avait une raison pour agir ainsi et bien qu'il a pu l'arrêter quand elle a trompé Rayla en lui donnant les vraies pièces cette fois ci ou bien qu'il l'arrête pour qu'elle évite de tuer un dragon. Et ce sont que des petits moments mais ne changent pas pour autant la mentalité de Claudia pour autant. Et bien que Terry a tué Ibis et que ça l'a fait mal, il arrive à la conclusion, qu'il continuera à ressentir des choses. Quand Terry lui propose de se reposer, elle est sur la défensive ne comprenant pas ce besoin. Jusqu'à ce que Terry trouve la solution de créer un bateau, bateau qui a fait tomber Viren lors de la chute de la cascade.

C'est justement ça que je trouvais qui se diffère avec le Rayllum où justement leurs points de vues envers les humains et les elfes changent peu à peu, ce qui rendait leur couple solide. Quand Terry s'était présenté dans la saison 4, j'ai toujours eu cette impression que Claudia voulait remplacer ce vide qu'elle avait avec Terry et c'était agréable. Mais ça dure jamais longtemps. J'avais comparé Viren à un phare, Terry je le verrais comme un ancre qui a permit de garder Claudia. Mais cet ancre est rouillé va peu à peu se briser.

Et dans tout ça à qui ça profitera plus la détresse de Claudia ?Aaravos. Claudia est dans un état vulnérable. Et Aaravos l'utilisera pour justement avancer dans ses plans. La question est ce qu'il va faire exactement ? Va-t-il renforcer sa mentalité de victime en redirigeant sa rancoeur et sa colère sur des innocents ? Ou bien Claudia si elle a la possibilité de lui parler, lui crachera tout son ressenti en blâmant Aaravos pour la mort de son père mais dira que celle qui a perdu du temps à le sauver, c'était elle ?

If there's one thing I find the series emphasizes enough, it's that Claudia presents herself as a victim against dragons and elves. And when I looked into it, there were traits that reminded me of Claudia, as well as the victim mentality.

The first that comes to mind is often that they blame their misfortunes on others. They may even have a moral elitism that gives them a black-and-white point of view. We saw this in her discussion with Soren. The fact that she says humanity has suffered and that elves and dragons haven't lifted a finger except for Aaravos. Or when she says that dark magic saved her brother. But who also doesn't hesitate to be cruel to Ibis, or even sadistic when she confronts a dragon. And it's precisely because the reason, "she's doing it to save her father". But it's often because we justify such actions that we turn a blind eye to horrible ones.

Viren doesn't have it easy, because Claudia's influence will also take her further, which is what Viren fears in his nightmare. Soren was able to detach himself from Viren before it was too late, but Claudia clings to him desperately. Just the fact that she's brought him back to life shows her hair turning white from the effects of dark magic. So much so that it consumes her! Viren's death will drive her further into despair. As we can see in the season 6 teaser, where we see her blank stare, she's lost her beacon, not even hearing Terry's words.

One of the other traits is also the lack of empathy, when she provokes Rayla by showing her family stuck in the rooms but tricks her into saving Terry. And she was ready to go, leaving Rayla like that. Or in the episode where she finds Callum, Ezran in the Sea of Castouts. Or she plays the empathy card and manipulates them. By saying that if it had been Harrow, wouldn't they have been tempted? But as soon as the plan doesn't work, she threatens to kill them until Rayla cuts off her leg. And until Callum undoes her spell. Which could be attributing negative intentions to the oppressor, where she sees Callum and the others as more than enemies.

In that case, what about those accompanying him? Viren was in a vegetative state, unable to do much. And this was precisely what worried Claudia, but also frustrated her, as she wanted to hurry to save her father. She no longer has her beacon! Sir Sparklepuff, in the short story, we saw that she tries to make contact with Aaravos. And that one of the only dialogues with him was 'The being who will emerge from this cocoon is the one who will guide you to the one who has the answers'. "Don't be afraid, you're a powerful dark mage. With my help, there's nothing you can't fix not even death." Which isn't particularly helpful!

What about Terry? He's been a positive influence but the thing about this relationship is that their principles and moral values aren't more challenged or well changed. Terry has always believed that she had a reason for acting the way she did and while he may have stopped her when she cheated on Rayla by giving her the real coins this time or stopped her from killing a dragon. And these are only small moments, but they don't change Claudia's mentality for all that. And although Terry killed Ibis and it hurt, he comes to the conclusion that he will continue to feel things. When Terry offers her a rest, Claudia gets defensive, not understanding the need until Terry comes up with the solution of creating a boat, the boat that knocked Viren over when he fell off the waterfall.

That's exactly what I found different about Rayllum, where their views of humans and elves gradually change, making their relationship strong. When Terry showed up in season 4, I always had this impression that Claudia wanted to replace the void she had with Terry, and that was nice. But it never lasts long. I'd compared Viren to a beacon, Terry I'd see as an anchor that kept Claudia. But this rusty anchor will gradually break.

And who will benefit most from Claudia's distress? Aaravos. Claudia is in a vulnerable state. And Aaravos will use her to further his plans. The question is, what exactly will he do? Will he reinforce her victim mentality by redirecting her resentment and anger onto innocent people? Or will Claudia, if she gets the chance to talk to him, spit out all her resentment, blaming Aaravos for her father's death but saying that the one who wasted time saving him was her?

[fangirleaconmigo]

Hi! I love your witcher content. If you don't mind and have some time, I'd like to ask you a few questions.1) What is your favorite underrated tertiary character? 2) Do you see Ciri ever being in a long-term romantic relationship with someone? If so, do you have someone specific in mind? 3) Your thoughts on Sh'eenaz and her story. Btw she was bi, right? (I don't know if I remember it correctly) 4) Ace Milva, pan Regis - thoughts?

Hi Nonny! Ooo, what a fun ask.

Favorite underrated tertiary character.

Ok, this will depend on what you mean by tertiary.

Milva. I'm a big Milva fan, as people know. (that's my Milva character write up) But she might be seen as secondary, not tertiary.

Nenneke. She isn't just Geralt's mother figure. While that is very important, she also plays an important role in the narrative with the themes of religion, of the feminine, and of the divine. I still haven't gotten to my post about her, but I will.

Angoulême. I also dearly dearly love Angoulême. I get emotional when I think about her. The witcher books love to put the main characters through hell but then give you a parallel character where they show you...but guess what babes...it could be alot worse. Because...what if they didn't have each other? Brehen contrasts with Geralt because he doesn't have Kaer Morhen, and Angoulême contrasts with Ciri because she is just like her (looks, nationality, fell into a gang, etc) but she doesn't have noble blood and she doesn't have anyone running across the continent trying to help her.

If you want more tertiary than that, I'd say I really love Black (I'll see you in hell) Rayla. I love Dainty (All Cops are Bastards) Bibervelt. I love Percival (beloved nerd) Shuttenbach. There are so many more. But there is a handful.

2. Ciri and romance. I mean, she might! I haven't personally thought about it though. I've only read the books and watched the show. So, in my only canon experience with Ciri, she is no more than 16 and deeply traumatized. When I sit down to write fic, I just want her to get to be a kid, and spend time with her parents. I ship her with time to heal. I just feel very very protective of her, almost irrationally so. (she doesn't exist, Des!)

If I played the games and saw her as an adult, OR if I really sat down to write and tried to imagine something, I'm sure I could. But I haven't sat down and imagined yet, as she heals and grows, what she would want and who that would be.

Just my personal thing, I don't begrudge anyone else their ships, and I hope everyone else is having fun shipping Ciri.

3. Sh'eenaz. The thing with the witcher characters is, they never 'identify' themselves as any sexuality. And then fans scratch each other's eyes out inferring different things from it and fighting, which is very frustrating.

But Sh'eenaz DEFINITELY says that she has sex with women (well, mermaids). When Algloval won't trade in his legs for a tail so she can have a real committed relationship with him and reproduce with him, she gets very angry. She's like...he's not taking this seriously. He just wants sex and no sacrifice or commitment. She says she already has girlfriends who will have sex with her, and that, by the way, they are much better at it than him.

"Tell him I have girlfriends who are much better at those frolics that he was suggesting on the rocks!"

She's like, if all you're giving me is sex, I can get better, elsewhere. She wants a real relationship and to spawn.

I think for me, the main question I have for her arc is, what changes her mind at the end? Is it mostly to achieve peace and keep Algloval from invading the ocean? Is it love? Is it both? I wonder how much of it is each? I still have to think about that one. It's a great story though, and I listen to the audiobooks, so Peter Kenny's voice as Geralt singing mer language will never ever leave me lolol.

4. Ace Milva. I talked about it a bit on my Milva post I linked up there. In canon she is annoyed when the others talk about sex, and she has had a very empty sexual experience. She is never shown to really lust over anyone or pursue sex.

but like I said before, she never 'identifies' as anything.

So, you could take those facts and spin them into any number of headcanons. I don't ever want to be the headcanon police, or to contribute to an environment in fandom where people feel they can't experiment with fics.

However, I personally like her very much as ace or demi. It is a nice fit with canon, and I've written one fic concept where to me, she is demi, and I would definitely write her or read her as ace as well. To me, that's a great headcanon.

Pan Regis. I don't remember if there is any evidence of this? But I vibe with it. I don't want to delve too deeply into why I that is, because it's late and I've written so much as it is. I should do a Regis character sheet, but I have so many I want to do in front of him in the queue. But I'm very down with this headcanon.

Thanks for the ask!! And for talking about the books with me and reading my posts. <3 <3 <3

[tylerdashart]

Have a Mer-Rayllum!!! 🧜‍♂️🧜🏼‍♀️

💜💚💜💚💜💚💜💚

[captainjamba]

Ok this is gorgeous!! Love this concept.

I shouldn’t save you

The dragon prince but instead of elves they are mermaids, just think about it…

[numptypylon]

Another Mer-Rayla for MerMay 2021, this time pining dramatically on rock, like mermaids do

[leo-ne-vinci]

I recently discovered mermay is a thing so before the month is over here’s tdp mermaid au sketches: where everyone’s a merperson and Rayla’s an ocean elf with axolotl gill stalks 

Also does anyone know of any mer-Raydia fics? Drawing them as merpeople opened up feelings for this ship that I never knew I had

[kitikatrina]

As requested by anon, here’s the other mer-Callum sketches I drew: First meetings and a kiss scene because I couldn’t help myself

I originally put Callum in a seaweed scarf but then I realized it’d probably choke him underwater

[rosesnvines]

The Nature of Love

(Starring characters from Brave, How to Train Your Dragon, The Dragon Prince, and Zak Storm)

Merida sat doodling away in the margins of her notebook instead of taking notes for class. But why shouldn’t she? Literature and history bored her to no end. Sure, there were some exciting moments in history and some great books, but, for the most part, Merida didn’t like being forced to learn about books or history. Wuthering Heights? A depressing, witty battle between two narcissists. Dracula? A stylized vampire novel, and vampires were way over the top and nowhere near as sexy as everyone wanted them to be. The Grapes of Wrath? She wanted that book to feel her wrath over having to read it. Pride and Prejudice? A sappy love story that . . . scratch that, it had been growing on her the more she read it. Elizabeth Bennett had a lot in common with Merida, so she let that one pass. But the others? Boring. Currently the teacher was talking about John Keats, and all that lovey dovey poetry made Merida sick. Well, sickish, she wasn’t going to throw up or anything. She just wasn’t interested in it, at all. 

She got a little kick from behind her. She glanced back at one of her closest friends, Rayla, with a raised eyebrow. Rayla nodded towards the front. Merida turned quickly, had she been called on?  

“So for this assignment, I want you to write your own poem as if you were writing it to the person you have a crush on. Don’t name them, you can drop a few hints, but do not name them.” She smiled softly, though there was a bit of sorrow in her eyes. “I understand all too well the pressure for a boyfriend or girlfriend, and the pain of being heartbroken.” Merida blinked and sat up a little straighter. Her vivid imagination was running wild. What had happened to Miss Richards? Who broke her heart? Merida might not have liked literature all that much, but Miss Richards was a nice lady. A new thought crossed her mind as Merida glanced at the object of her affections, Hiccup Haddock, out of the corner of her eye. Or was it unrequited love that broke Miss Richards’s heart? Hiccup was smiling at Astrid. Merida could feel another piece of her heart breaking away. The bell rang, startling her out of her thoughts. 

“Remember,” shouted Miss Richards over the noises of teens trying to gather their things quickly and rush out the door, “do not name your crushes in your poems, even if you know they like you back! I look forward to seeing what you’ve come up with on Monday!” 

As Merida made her way back to her locker, her mind was racing with a hundred things she wanted to tell Hiccup, the biggest one being that she loved him. Rayla joined her at her locker, followed by the third member of their friend group, Cece. Merida walked towards the front of the school, deep in thought while Rayla brought Cece up to speed as they weren’t in the same class period. 

“Oh, I do know about the poem,” said Cece, “Miss Richards gave us that same assignment.” She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see why she would give us something different, unless she was conducting some sort of test or something.” 

Rayla grinned sheepishly. “That is true. Hey, give me a break, I’m still new at the whole school thing.” 

Cece placed an arm around Rayla’s shoulder and gave her a grin. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.” But the smile faded as they glanced at Merida, or her back, at least. 

“What are we going to do about her?” whispered Rayla. 

“Maybe have her write a poem to a celebrity?” suggested Cece. She pouted. “But that wouldn’t work either, Merida doesn’t have a crush on anyone but Hiccup!” She glanced sadly at Rayla. “I guess we’re just going to have to be there for her, help her get through this.” Rayla nodded and the two dashed after Merida. “Hey Mer, sleepover at my house?” asked Cece. 

Merida scoffed. “So we can work on our poems together?” 

Rayla put an arm around her. “Better than working on it yourself.” 

Merida thought a moment and sighed. “You’re right. Let me talk to my folks.” Merida’s parents were alright with the sleepover, and the three girls spent the night talking and writing about their respective crushes. There were tears and laughter through the process, but the poems were finished before they went to bed. 

When Monday morning came around, Merida found herself feeling rather anxious. Would Miss Richards ask them to read their poems out loud? Merida almost didn’t turn in her poem because of that fear. But she took a deep breath and handed it to Miss Richards. She relaxed when Miss Richards said that she would grade them and return them by Friday. The rest of the week went on as usual. Well, except for thing. Writing the poem apparently gave Cece the courage to confess her crush on Zak Storm, only to have Zak confess that he liked her back. They decided to start going out, which meant Merida got to see more of Hiccup since he was one of Zak’s close friends. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least, and it allowed Merida to get to know Hiccup even better, and fall more in love with him. All in all, it was a pretty good week. Then Friday came and Miss Richards began handing back the poems close to the end of class. All, except for two. Merida’s anxiety came flooding back. What was going on? 

“All of the poems were very enjoyable to read. There were a couple that needed a bit more work, but all in all, they were all good. Give yourselves a hand!” The students applauded. When the applause died down, Miss Richards picked up two sheets of paper. Merida’s eyes widened as the word no screamed in her head over and over again. “But, for this class, there were two that were absolutely breathtaking. I would like to read them to you.” Merida shook her head slightly, but Miss Richards didn’t notice and read Merida’s poem out loud. But by the end of it, Merida was feeling fine. Miss Richards had not said who wrote it, though if anyone had been paying much attention, they would have noticed that Merida did not get her poem back. But she blinked. Who else didn’t get their poem back? 

Rayla was probably the only other person in the room who knew to whom that other poem belonged. But Hiccup’s mouth had dropped. He had obviously put two and two together and figured out that the poem Miss Richards had just read was to him. Rayla smirked while others were trying to figure out who wrote it and to whom. They became quite still when Miss Richards read the next poem. Rayla’s own mouth dropped open. This poem was practically an answer to the first! No wonder Miss Richards saw the need to read them. There were two hearts pining for each other, and they didn’t even know it! Rayla glanced discreetly between Merida’s back and Hiccup, who was casting sly glances at Merida. She did the best she could to hold her composure, but she couldn’t help the grin. 

Astrid burst out laughing. “We have two idiots in love with each other and they don’t even know it?” 

“How do you know they’re idiots?” blurted Hiccup, perhaps a little too quickly. Astrid’s mouth slowly began to open as she glanced at him. 

“Hiccup does have a point though,” said Miss Richards with a brilliant smile. “They might not be idiots, they could be cautious, shy, unsure of what to say, unsure of how to confess, or when. They might even fear rejection if one or both have gone out with other people. There are a ton of reasons, idiocy is hardly ever the main one. And yes, they are apparently the only two in class that compared each other to something in nature or forces of nature. They described it perfectly as a dance. Looks like the only problem is that they don’t know when to start dancing with each other.” 

Rayla raised her hand. “But how do we get them together?” Merida turned and shot her a glare. 

Miss Richards chuckled. “First, let them get to know each other as friends. Secondly, give them time. They’ll confess when they’re ready.” 

Rayla grinned. “Thanks Miss Richards!” 

Miss Richards returned the grin. “My pleasure.” 

Merida turned back in her chair and snuck a glance at Hiccup, only to find herself locking eyes with him. They blushed and turned away when the bell rang. 

“Remember to have pages 45 through 58 read this weekend!” Miss Richards shouted over the noise of leaving students. “Have a great weekend!” She slyly handed Merida back her poem. Merida snatched it and rushed out of the room. 

“Merida!” Merida wanted to keep going and stop at the same time, but Hiccup dashed around and planted himself in front of her. She had to look into his eyes, those gorgeous green eyes. Were there gold specks in there? “Did, did you write that poem? I know it was to me.” 

“I-I . . . I . . .” 

“Because I wrote the second poem, and that was to you!” Merida glanced at him in shock. “Listen, I know you didn’t try anything because I was going out with Astrid for a while.” He paused and took a breath. “We broke up, Merida, we haven’t been dating since June of last year.” 

Merida’s mouth dropped. “What?” 

He shot her a rueful smile. “That’s what I thought, you didn’t know. And here I thought everyone would have known by the end of the first day of school last year. But there are apparently some people who didn’t even know until this year started.” He huffed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “So, um, if you’re uh free tomorrow night, would you . . . would you go out with me?” 

“Yes!” came two very enthusiastic voices. Merida turned. There was Cece and Rayla grinning from ear to ear. Zak was standing there, watching the whole thing in shock. 

Cece grabbed his arm. “We can make it a double-date!” 

“That sounds like a good idea.” Hiccup turned to Merida. “What do you say?” 

Merida’s backpack fell to the floor. “Y-yes.”  

Hiccup brightened. “Great . . .mmph!” Merida pulling him in for a kiss surprised him, but the next second he was returning it amidst squeals and cheers from Rayla and Cece.

[dork-empress]

Oceanwater Rayla

Part of my ‘100 Dragon Prince Aus’ Oneshot Collection

Read on Ao3

Rayla is an Oceanwater Elf (or mer-elf as they're sometimes known) and wants to stick to the river. Callum, and Ezran, however, want to go the route through the Mountains, which causes a significant problem for Rayla.

Rayla looks pretty much the same except she has blue-ish skin, and she wears a skirt, so that she can shift between a tail and legs when she needs.

“Can’t you row any faster?” Rayla demanded of Callum. She might have demanded it of Ezran too, but she liked Ezran.

“Not if I want to see where I’m going,” Callum said, searching the shoreline, “I have to find somewhere we can dock.”

“What?” Rayla said, “Why?”

Callum sighed like he was explaining something very simple. All it really did was make Rayla want to punch him in the face. “For one, it’s starting to get dark, and we can’t be rowing when it’s dark, we could hit a rock and drown.” Rayla scoffed. Boats were so inconvenient. “For two, we should probably get out of the river anyway. The most direct route to Xadia is going to be through the mountains. And we’ll have more cover that way.”

Rayla frowned, “That’s ridiculous,” she said, “The river will lead to the ocean, then we can just go AROUND Katolis and get to the Xadian Shore. That’s how I got into Xadia, and no humans spotted me.”

“That’s probably because you were UNDER the water,” Ezran said, motioning a wave with his hand, “But uh, among humans, a person riding on a boat with blue skin is, uh, kinda unusual.”

“This river passes by at least 3 different towns,” Callum added, “Someone could easily catch you near any of those.”

Rayla grumped, “I’ll just go under the water at those parts.”

“And what happens when we get to the end of the river?” Callum asks, “This dingy wasn’t exactly meant for ocean travel. We’ll capsize almost immediately.”

Rayla’s grumping turned into full on sulking. “I don’t like being away from the water for too long,” she said, “What if it rains? I’ll grow my tail in the middle of a hiking trail and then I could slide who knows where, and you two would have to carry me, and honestly I’m not sure you have the strength enough combined.”

Callum was about to give sympathy up until that last point. Then he scowled. “We’ll deal with that when it comes up,” he said, “Maybe we can get you some protective covering so you don’t get wet. And we won’t let you fall.”

She glared at him, doubtful. “I don’t like mountains.”

“Why?” Ezran asked, honestly curious, “are you afraid of heights?”

Rayla winced, “Ha! That’s it, isn’t it?” Callum said, way too happy to hear this, “The great assassin from the depths is afraid of heights!”

“Shut up!” She said, splashing him, but he was still giggling. “I’m not afraid! I just don’t like them.”

Callum was laughing so much he almost missed the sound of the river getting louder. “Uh…” he said, “What’s that?”

They all turned in horror to see the river had carried them to a waterfall. “Pull the boat over,” Rayla demanded, “PULL THE BOAT OVER!”

“I can’t!” Callum screamed back, “We’re caught in the current!”

Rayla’s eyes widened, watching as the safe calm water disappeared to the unknown far beneath, “Okay! I admit it! I’m afraid of heights! Please just get us out of here!”

“There’s nothing I can do!” Callum said, “We’re going over!!”

All three of them and bait screamed as the boat tipped. Rayla tried to jump out and attempt swimming for herself, but Callum was right, there was no way she could fight the current. Rayla caught one glimpse of the white water directly below, before she was in freefall.

Her heart was somewhere in her throat, and she screamed until she lost her breath. She shut her eyes, sure she was going to land on some rock, shattering every bone in her body.

And then….water. Just water. She landed in the water!! Doing a twirl of joy as she noticed her tail returned to her, she made her way to the surface.

Callum and Ezran were far behind, not as fast a swimmer as she was, trying to make their way to shore. The boat had flipped and was floating aimlessly down the river. And Bait…

She had to look up to see him. Bait was...stuck in a tree. Typical. Rayla tried to call over to Callum and Ezran to alert them, but they were still too far to hear.

Then, a large bird started circling the tree Bait was in. Rayla called to Callum and Ezran, trying to hurry them along, but they were SO SLOW at swimming. “Typical,” she said to herself. “Okay, don’t look down, don’t look down…” She got out of the water, shaking her tail off until it became legs again, and went for the tree. “Don’t look down, don’t look down!” She started the slow climb.

The bird started circling closer, trying to figure out what Bait even was. The poor Glow Toad just hung helplessly to the tree like a chameleon. Then, the bird went into a dive.

“Hey!” with one hand, Rayla wacked away at the bird with her sword. She managed to smack it right on the head and it squawked, fluttering away. Rayla sighed with relief, putting the sword away and picking up Bait.

“You did it, Rayla!” Ezran called from the ground, “You faced your fears to save Bait!”

Rayla made the mistake of turning to his voice. Which was unfortunately...down. “AH!” She said, clutching the tree tighter, “Will someone please help me down?!”

[sepialunaris]

I HAVE MANY THOUGHTS

Aanya is Ennika and Neha's bio daughter omgg. The implications. Ruthari, Janaya, omg.

I KNEW THAT WAS A SUN PRIMAL STONE. Hmm Claudia said "talented mages" made it and I always thought dark magic wielding humans but perhaps elves made it. That means... they stole the sky primal stone from somewhere. Maybe it wasn't Viren who did it but someone down in history, which leads to how free and unorthodox Skywing elves have become, not having a fixed societal hierarchy with Ibis serving Zubeia because of his own desire to help, the Skywing elf dragonguard, and rogues like Nyx. This dark mage must've struck the Skywing society to the ground and took their weapon.

I want to Rayla's academic life tbh. Is she a highschool jock with 4 celebrity parents?

Aaravos' imprisonment is gonna be a big flashback. Maybe we'd see Avizandum, Zubeia, Luna Tenebris, and Sol Regem and one room. Or maybe that opening scene of the elves lining up the second time (with no Aaravos) was the battle against Aaravos

Tidebound elves (haha I love it) I guess are the ocean version of the general Ocean elf types? Or is it a general one that diverisified into Swamp and Freshwater elves. Bound tho, that means they are probably mostly aquatic and not like how I thought they would be , using a spell to change their legs to mer tails. But I still think this is highly possiblr

Best bits of The Dragon Prince lore/fun revealed in today’s Reddit AMA:

Metal cuffs on elf horns being the equivalent of elven wedding rings is “probably canon”. To quote them: “I would say we LOVE this idea and it is probably canon! (Maybe some are wedding rings, and some are just cool jewelry?)”

The Lux Aurea sun staff has a sun primal stone in it, Ibis’ staff has a sky primal stone, and the Moonshadow elf in the series intro has a moon primal stone on his.

There are variations of Elven languages throughout Xadia, which all descend from one language that has a common written form.

They considered having Rayla use her Moonshadow powers in The Final Battle, and “suspect very strong elves may be able to use Moonshadow form with a less than full moon. “ (!!!!!)

It’s plausible that there have been half-elves in the world, but that it’s been a few centuries since that theory was put to the test when the continent was divided.

The Storm Spire is the Sky Nexus, and the Sun Forge is the Sun Nexus.

Ocean elves are called “Tidebound elves”.

When asked about what elf schools are like, they jokingly said, “I will say that senior year Rayla had a lead role in “High School Moonsical.“”

There is a story in mind for Callum’s birth father, but they aren’t sure if it’ll have a place in the show or if it’ll be in the books, leading me to believe he wasn’t very important. There apparently isn’t more to Sarai’s death than we now know.

Other kingdoms do indeed have dark mages, but they’re very rare.

Some elves eat meat, some elves don’t eat meat. Can’t explain that.

No news on season 4 yet, keep fighting for it!

Regarding how Claudia resurrected Viren and what it took to make happen: “I doubt the spell is well known, and I am certain its costs are high.”

The Earth Arcanum is “druidic and connects to nature and trees and stuff, and some connects to rocks crystals and rare gems and geology”.

They implied Rayla does not realize her parents and Runaan are in the coins.

They suspect Callum will learn more magic, and obsess and work to connect with another Arcanum.

“ The Crow Lord is VERY real.” and has plenty of PTO.

Apparently Aayna is the biological daughter of Annika and Neha: “We haven’t thought through all the mechanics, but love finds a way!”

We may see Claudia’s hair go whiter.

Claudia maybe didn’t know how to do the resurrection spell or have everything she would need… it sounds like there might be some awful toll taken on her after it, yikes.

Sunfire elves can be long-lived.

Trapping Aaravos in the mirror required collaboration between archdragons and elves.

Using dark magic “hollows you out in some way… “

I love how upfront these guys are about answering lore questions. ♥

[honeii-puff]

Sea foam woman on the shore

In which Corvus talks to Callum. Read on ao3!

Corvus took his time walking back up the stairs, along the side of the cliff. He didn’t have anywhere to be, as far as he was aware, but the beach, the place he went to get away from people, felt oddly lonely.

He snorted lightly at the irony as he reached the top. The sun was still stuck behind a blanket of clouds, but it was warmer up here than it was on the beach.

“Corvus!” He turned and saw Prince Callum jogging down the brick street towards him, several books stashed in his arms. “Hi!” He said once he caught up to Corvus, breathing heavily.

“Hello, Prince Callum.” He nodded in greeting, and he waved him off.

“Please just call me Callum.” 

“I don’t think I’m legally allowed to do that.”

“Well, I’m giving you permission to.” Callum gave him a half-smile as he walked alongside Corvus. “Tomorrow’s going to be your first Night of the Sun in Katolis, right?”

“More of first one ever.” he responded. “I’m not around water often, so I’ve never really partaken in its celebration.”

The prince’s eyes brightened. “Then I’m glad you’re here. It’s so much fun.”

Corvus gave him a small smile, pulling out his notebook. “Tell me about it.”

Callum glanced at the notebook in his hands“Are you gonna write it down?”

He nodded. “Just in case I need a refresher later.”

“Alright. Well, it starts at sunset, when the moon starts coming up, since that’s when the magic starts working due to it being the only night where the full moon and the sun are seen fully in the sky. It’s all in the castle, everyone’s invited and it lasts until the sun rises, which is when the magic ends, I think.

“Seafood is served, which I used to think was insensitive, considering they’re half fish-”

“Half orca.” Corvus corrected gently, writing down what Callum was saying.

“Half what?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Half orca. Or mollusk.”

“What the hell’s an orca?”

He shrugged. “No clue.”

“What book d’you find that in?” Callum asked him.

“Oh- uh, not a book.” He glanced over at the ocean beside them. “I talked to a mer earlier. Apparently it’s a common misconception.”

His eyes brightened. “Did she have a teal tail and purple eyes?”

Corvus frowned lightly. “Uh… no. He had a red tail and blue eyes. Nice company though.”

“Oh.” Callum glanced at the ocean before looking ahead, sounding a bit disappointed.

“...Is there someone you were hoping on seeing?” He gave the prince an amused look.

“What! No, I-”He sighed. “...Yeah. But please don’t tell Aunt Amaya, I’ll never hear the end of it from her and Gren.”

“I promise.” He gave him a small smile. “So… who is she?”

“Well, her name is Rayla,” Callum started. “She’s a midsea mer. A bit scary, but she’s really nice to talk to. She has good jokes.”

“I’m glad you made a friend, Callum.”

“Is she really a friend if I’ve only met her once?”

Corvus looked out back at the ocean a final time before answering.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so.”

——————————————————————

“So, are you gonna tell me about the mer you met?” Callum asked him a bit later. They were now walking through the town marketplace, a colorful and bustling area that Corvus didn’t find himself in all that often outside the necessary trips.

“What do you want to know?” He answered, picking up an orange and looking at it for dark spots.

“What was his name?”

“Soren.”

“Age?”

“Around mine, I think.” He shrugged, putting the orange back. “I didn’t ask.”

“What color were his fins?”

“Red. Like his tail.”

“Really?” Callum tilted his head in thought.

Corvus looked at him. “What?”

“The only mers around Katolis with the normal tails are midsea, which have silver, and surface, which have gold. I don’t think he was from around here.”

He raised his eyebrows, flipping open his notebook to the mer page.

-Midsea mers have silver fins

-Surface mers have gold fins

“Which do you think he was, then?” He asked the prince.

He paused a moment to think. “Lagoon? Or cave spring, but that seems a bit more unlikely.” He bit his lip. “Oh! He could be a reef mer also. Was his tail one solid color or more of an ombre?”

Corvus thought back to Soren and his blood red tail. “Definately solid.”

“Lagoon mer, then. Reef mers have more veriety in their tails to blend in with the coral better.”

-Lagoon mers have fins that match their tails

-Reef mers have multicolored tails (blends in with coral reefs)

“What else d’you want to know about him?” Corvus asked the prince.

“Was he nice?” Callum asked, and he nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, he was nice.” I think he was trying to flirt with me. “He said he had to leave because he was meeting up with his sister.”

“I wonder why there are lagoon mers near Katolis…” His lips pursed in thought. “Maybe you’ll see him tomorrow night.

Corvus shrugged. “Maybe.”

Part of him hoped that he would. He liked talking to Soren. He was funny. Like, genuinely funny. Not one of those times where you feel forced to laugh because everyone else was laughing or because you felt bad.

He hadn’t felt like that in a long time. Longer than Corvus cared to admit out loud.

Out loud, he said. “Maybe you’ll see Rayla.”

Callum’s face flushed red, hiding behind one of his books before looking at one of the stands, something catching his eye. He picked it up, and Corvus peered over his shoulder to look at it.

It was a hairpin, with the end shaped like a crescent moon, made from a spotted sea shell. The prongs were made from silver, and looked like it was made to hold up a lot of hair.

“You gonna get it for her?”

“Maybe.”

He gave the prince a knowing look, and he sighed. “Yeah, yeah. But, only if you get Soren something.”

Corvus rasied his eyebrows. “You’re the one with a crush here.”

Callum gave him the same knowing look. “Really?”

“Shush.” His eyes scanned the market table in front of them before noticing a small ceramic statue of a sheep. It was a creamy white with dark brown horns that curled like a ram, and very cute.

Corvus picked up the small statue, and Callum raised an eyebrow. “Sheep?”

“Uh– Yeah. He told me about how they herd fish, and compared it to herding sheep.” he explained to the prince. “I think he’ll like it.”

“Well, then I guess I’m getting this.” He gestured to the hairpin, and Corvus gave him a small smile.

“I guess you are.”

[honeii-puff]

ONESHOTS

A world without pain [Unrequited Sorvus, Soren Angst, Soren POV, MCD, oneshot based on instrumental]

Blazing [Sorvus, post s6, Soren angst, oneshot based on instrumental]

I'll see you in a dream, ignoring the alarm [Sorvus, Halloween modern au]

Kissing you in broken cathedrals, upon charred holy grounds [Sorpeli, post s6]

Minor fable [Soren Angst, post s7, Sorvus, oneshot based on instrumental]

The Perfect Moment [Sorvus, Modern AU meet-cute in the woods, oneshot based on instrumental]

The silence [MCD, Soren angst, Sorvus, oneshot based on instrumental]

The sacrifice [Sequel to The Silence, Sorvus, MCD, oneshot based on instrumental]

To Keep You From Breaking [Soren angst, MCD, oneshot based on instrumental]

Tree falling no one would hear [Soren angst, torture]

Wright and West [Sorpeli, post s6, oneshot based on instrumental]

POETRY

All Blackout Poetry

Betrayal

Destruction

Missing Something That Was Never Yours

Mundane

Music (PoetryNation Semifinalist)

On Sleep Apnea

Six Feet Under

Soul Screaming

Untethered

FICS

And with your mermaid hair and your teeth so sharp [In Progress] [Sorvus-centric Mermaid AU with a side serving of Rayllum, featuring Mer!Soren and Mer!Rayla]

It's quicker and easier to eat your young [In Progress] [Sorvus-centric S7 prediction, featuring HalfElf!Soren, written with @sorinethemastermind]

The swan upon Leda [Completed 12/25/24] [Sorvus post-s7 microfic, featuring Rayllum babies and Soren's daughter Leda]

WRITING EVENTS

Sorpeli Week 2025

Whumptober 2024

You can find some of these + more on my AO3!

My book reviews here!