#moonshadow culture

[imminent-danger-came]

So, it's like this right. Callum would do anything for Rayla. And in Rayla's case, the one thing she refuses to sacrifice is Callum. Where is too far for those two. Or more aptly, how far past "too far" are they willing to go for each other. "I always knew you'd go far—but I didn't know how far you'd go to get there."

[0multifandomweirdo0]

I'm not sure if Rayla will ever feel like part of her family again after she gets her parents and Runaan out of the coins. She still loves them, but it was also a long time. She has been through a series of traumas and carries the consequences with her. Her parents are still the ones who abandoned her when she was little. Runaan basically disowned her in a way the moment she chose the option of peace over the mission. And Ethari? He ghosted her even though she was all he had left.

She was alone for so long.

Yeah, her family will never feel the same

[axolotlinabottle]

Listen I'm rewatching the Dragon Prince/the Mystery of Aaravos to prepare myself mentally to watch season 5 but like... can we please talk about the Moonshadow elves just assuming that people just abandon their posts/their jobs?? Cause they did that with Rayla's parents and then again with Rayla. Like ??? hello? what the hell? why are you assuming abandonment instead of any other possible outcome? I know that there are cultural differences and such but based on what we see from other elves, they don't tend to abandon their own kind unless forced too. And if the Moonshadow village knew Rayla since she was little wouldn't they have known she would never abandon the man that took her in after her parents died? I don't know. I want to know more about why they just assume abandonment when there are obviously other outcomes to be considered.

[serabellyms]

It took every ounce of her willpower not to give in to the reflex that crossed her mind: to pull away, to yank her arm out of his grasp, to ensure that hard, outer shell of hers remained intact. Anyone else, she would have done exactly that; Callum remained the only exception, even if every fiber of her being was screaming at her to hide. Despite that, her posture became stiff, almost frozen, like she didn't know what to do other than seize up or run away. She only became stiffer as he pulled down her hood, but she couldn't even look at him; she couldn't let him see her guilt.

A part of her knew she was falling back into old habits... but that first meeting between them after she'd got back had only kickstarted them back into gear. Even now, she was warring with herself; instinct told her she could be out the window or out the door faster than he could react, and the adrenaline, the panic, the fear of being vulnerable was distressing enough for her. Don't cry, she coached herself. You've no reason to cry about this.

"....I can't," she admitted softly, gently tugging her arm out of his grasp. Maybe she wasn't going to run, but she couldn't talk if she felt like it wasn't on her terms. Her other hand reached across her torso, grasping at the spot where he'd grabbed her, like it was creating a wall where she'd feel safe. "Because--it wouldn't be fair to you." She didn't know how to say exactly what she meant by that, staring at the floor as she searched for the right words. Her grip on her own arm tightened, just enough to conceal the shakiness rising from that vulnerability.

With a deep breath, she continued. "Wha' I mean is... it--it wouldn't be fair that my--mess, my problems, forced you into talkin' about... everythin' before you're ready to. You don't deserve to be forced, and I haven't earned the right to talk about that before you're ready. Because... if I do that, it's just going to soun' like an excuse. And I don't deserve to make excuses for what I did." Sure, like anyone else, she deserved support dealing with her problems--but not from him. Not when those problems were the reason he'd been hurt in the first place.

"I hurt you. An' you have every right to be mad and upset abou' it, Callum. I know that. So... I haven' earned the right to talk about my problems until you've had a chance to talk about... yours."

Callum watches her and there's a tiny and soft annoyed sigh. He thought they were getting passed this. That things would be okay, but they're not. She's still avoiding him as if he's the plague. Granted he hasn't been the best at communicating lately either. But Callum is trying now. After what they went through these last few days, they owe each other that.

"We have kitchen staff here for a reason." Callum grabs her arm, not letting her go so easily. He has to pull down the hood to get a good look at her. Yeah, yeah, he knows that's a little rude. But what other choice did he have? He wasn't given many options when her first instinct is to always run off.

"Now talk to me, what is going on, Rayla? We can't keep avoiding each other forever. That's not fair." His voice betrays him with a crack. He misses her dearly. Each time she ran off, it felt like another sting of abandonment and rejection.

Which is stupid! He shouldn't feel this way, but he does. There's no helping it.

"Please? I don't want keep missing you this much when you're actually back." He adds in a hushed whisper.

[hiccupshypotheticalleftsock]

thinking about how runaan will try his best to assume a sweet supportive father role to rayla on their roadtrip and how he will struggle to get over his conflicting feelings towards humans, specifically callum (because he killed his father) adding the extra complex layer of him being rayla's soulmate. and moonshadow elf culture seems to care a lot about soulmates and true love. ooooo i cannot wait

[halyasgirl]

This is just my personal reading, but I think Ethari is a very interesting, and morally greyer, character than he's generally perceived as.

He's kinder than his husband, gentler, more open-minded; and he holds the exact same values that led Runaan to try and murder a child.

He knows what Runaan does is evil. He knows it takes a toll on him, on their marriage. But he believes it is necessary evil, and comforts Runaan with that when his husband shows the slightest flicker of self-awareness some doubts.

Runaan and Ethari once again manage to demonstrate they are deeply, movingly in love, while simultaneously revealing some pretty questionable cultural values. This isn't a knee-jerk “stand by your man,” either. It's not an accident they're so well-matched despite their different personalities; Ethari believes in this just as much as Runaan.

He made Runaan beautiful, deadly weapons Runaan used to kill other people. He Ghosted 3/4 of his family. He told his 15-year-old daughter her father's blood was on her hands, which f*cked her up at least as much as the Ghosting.

However, I don’t want to judge him too harshly. I’d only be so rational days after living with the knowledge that my husband was likely tortured to death, and I think this is just as much an indictment of Moonshadow society as it is of Ethari personally. I think he deeply regrets wronging his family, and I think he’ll be among the first of the Moonshadows to denounce Ghosting, publicly, to make amends for the times he did not. I think he’ll be among the first to realize the damage they have done, and urge them to make it right.

Ethari is kind and sweet and gentle. But his society is not, and does not encourage this, especially in dark times.

[stuck-in-jelly]

Maybe I’m late to the party but the way The Art Of The Dragon Prince book describes the Sun and Moon as sisters is really cool especially when coupled with this art from Tales of Xadia book

But looking at them I’m surprised I hadn’t seen the similarities sooner.

Sunfire Elves are proud bold warriors, a lot of their culture revolves around hero’s and leaders. Not only that but they known are artisans and metalworkers who craft in gold. The heart of their city was literally known as The Sun Forge and their cities were intricate focusing on architecture.

Moonshadow Elves are discreet noble fighters/assassins, a lot of their culture revolves around honor in sacrifice and protection. They are also metalworkers who craft in silver, known for their weapon craft and beautiful jewelry. But their homes are equally discreet, being hidden from outsiders entirely.

They both value integrity and pride above all else and view themselves as guardians of some kind. Fighters in spirit, and ready to answer the call to protect Xadia.

Thinking about this also reminded me of two pairs of sisters accompanied with this quote.

“Unlike her sister, the shifting, unknowable Moon, the Sun is forthright, radiant, and immutable.

Edit:

I also wonder how close the Moonshadow and Sunfire elves used to be before the rule of Queen Aditi. We see that the Moonshadow elves helped directly with the banishment of humanity but then immediately afterwards were ordered and forced by Queen Aditi to destroy their most sacred place.

[ladyandherbooks]

I'd love to see Soren bonding with Runaan and Ethari in seasons 7 and beyond. I also think that Soren would actually really like and vibe with Moonshadow culture, especially with Moonshadow assassin beliefs.

I can see Soren being interested in Runaan and Rayla's fighting style and him asking Runaan if he can teach him some of these skills and techniques. And I think he'd really benefit from a father/ male mentor figure praising him in a way that Viren never did.

I think he'd also be very interested in some of the assassin teachings around life, death, the balance and weight between the 2. Especially this lesson:

And given how much Soren loves to work out and maintain his fitness I think he'd be as excited for Beige Bittersquash as Runaan is:

And I could see Soren and Ethari getting to know and care for one another. I could see Ethari laughing at Soren's jokes, as well as giving him advice or support when needed. I can also see Ethari making him his own unique weapon, something that I think that Soren would really appreciate. I could also see Soren spending time with Ethari in his forge, learning about his job and about who Ethari is as a person.

[raayllum]

Moon Arcanum Callum + Sun Arcanum Claudia in S7?

Callum getting the Moon arcanum has been a fandom... not theory, but shall we say, prospect, since even before S4. Some of this was because of the seeming set up in previous seasons, such as:

Callum having a hunch that the cube wasn't glowing due to the Moon, and being our first hint at illusions on the Cursed Caldera (1x09)

Lujanne explaining the secret of the arcanum (as she understands it) to him in 2x02

Callum doing moon arcanum spells (3x08, Through the Moon) much the way he did Sky spells before unlocking that arcanum

Callum employing aspects of the Moon arcanum in his plans (3x01 with tricking Sol Regem, creating the illusion pearl in 6x01)

His growing relationship and understanding with Rayla, and potential involvement with her family/village

But especially:

This is of course already reflected in spades in his arc as a mage. Everyone, Lujanne included, believes that humans can't do magic. She treats this as absolute fact and destiny, but Callum perceives it as subjective truth; why can't he just make his own connection and do magic anyway? And in doing so, he changes the world. He creates a radically new, better reality.

With season seven's synopsis on sacrifice and life and death, both things we see tied heavily to Moonshadow culture and the Moon itself, I could see Callum connecting to the Moon arcanum next season for a few reasons (and potentially Claudia with the Sun arcanum, which I'll get to after). So let's get into it.

Precursor

Previously, if Callum was going to connect to the Moon arcanum, I'd speculated it'd mostly be around ideas of the consistency of Love (light or dark, the moon is always the moon) and his love for Rayla being his light in the darkness / the one constant truth of his life. I don't think this anymore, obviously, because we got all those things through the Star truth light ritual beat for beat and we're not going to be repeating, but I did think it'd be worthwhile then to revisit what a Moon arcanum could mean for Callum under new context / emotional epiphanies. I've also always thought either Earth or Sun would suit Claudia, but leaned more towards the latter, so we're gonna talk about that, too.

Truth and Lies and Aaravos

As Lujanne explains in 2x02, the Moon arcanum is understanding the true nature of the relationship between appearances and reality, and we can only understand the appearance itself. This feels like a very fitting idea to come back to with Aaravos, who ostensibly never lies but routinely withholds or presents not entirely correct information. "How may I serve you?" when you're just going to be a pawn. Not telling a mourning Claudia that he was indeed the one who killed Viren so that she'll continue to do his bidding, with Claudia asserting that Aaravos "didn't lie" about the ritual in 6x01, and he didn't. We also see him wield the truth as a weapon with people like Khessa ("would you like to know the truth of her fate before you meet yours?") and Sol Regem (more on that here.)

Everything that he says is truth to him, and then he lifts it up as being objectively true (i.e. you're destined to play into my hands) even when it isn't necessarily true. We can also see Callum veering into mindsets that Claudia and Viren have had, where he believes he's past the point of saving ("I'm ruined, it's too late for me" "Promise me you'll kill me") or removing his own agency by admission ("Finnegrin was going to kill you, I didn't have a choice" / "Every step forward is a choice").

Callum understanding Aaravos' or others' actual truths versus their lies and the ones he's believing could be very fitting in S6, especially if he might be learning more about the existence of the Cosmic Council and who made their world the way it is. I think his existence may help lead to that "slow spiral of chaos" but that it won't be just or even Bad at all the way they'd feared, etc.

Claudia is also linked to lies and truth. She lies to others, but Aaravos notes that "If you tell the truth you will lose her," and she goes looking for her own deep truth in S6, but doesn't seem to fully find it. Terry asks her "What do you need to find your one deep truth?" and Claudia says that she needs her dad, but she and her mother have also made it clear that she "needed to stay with Soren" and her family (vs Viren telling her to pick the egg over Soren). With Viren gone and Aaravos manipulating her, Soren could easily be one of her guiding lights next season or in future seasons.

The Pearl

The moon is analogous, framing/appearance wise, to the prison. This is alluded to in 5x09 through framing, and then made even more direct in 6x09: Aaravos escapes his prison thanks to Claudia and (unbeknownst to her) she has become the prisoner, much like how Callum may physically free himself from chains in 5x08 but magically/emotionally chains himself further to Aaravos, or Viren shouting while in chains that he's finally free of the dark puppetmaster.

Basically, when Callum says in 6x01 that he's inside the pearl, I don't think (as of S6 / probably first half of S7 at least) that he's ever gotten out of it. Aaravos uses him even after his nightmare, and we know thanks to the pawn intro that Aaravos' final machinations for Callum also haven't yet come to play. I've been wondering if the Aaravos intro is going to change in S7, since he's out of his prison — and it still may — but if we look at it from the angle of Callum and Claudia both being stuck within the moon/pearl rather than just Aaravos himself, maybe it could stay.

And if Callum is stuck inside the moon-pearl, shattering it by understanding the arcanum ("the whole world is like a giant primal stone, and we're inside of it, and it's also in us") and/or with Claudia moving to the opposite of the moon could be useful, especially since Karim is a corrupted sun in his own way. Speaking of which let's talk about

Light and Dark

We know thanks to Claudia that black and white, or light and dark, are not always clear cut. Her hair thanks to her dark magic use changes like phases of the moon, with the light being bad and the dark being good. Conversely, her path is a dark one with the path of truth and light being withheld from her. In a similar manner, we see Callum's light (Rayla) being what led him into dark magic use and what led him out of it, and will likely see this pattern play out again. Aaravos is a representation of a path of darkness, but we also see the cube flashing a bright light in the pawn intro, tying light and darkness together for him as well.

Callum's understanding of himself that he gained through the Ocean arcanum can not simply become untrue or disappear, so I think recognizing that darkness isn't all he is ("I'm ruined" / "your heart's not full of darkness" "Neither is yours") even if there are dark parts of him and of his life would be fitting. It also seems that could be helpful with Claudia as well, and even characters like Ezran, who will have to wrestle with darker parts of his emotions/personality next season as well with Runaan. They've all got light and dark inside them, and learning how to walk in that balance and still break away from the Cycle / Aaravos is useful. As Ezran said in 4x03:

I just want to yell stop. But that’s not enough. It won’t work. I think about a positive vision, a faith we can all share, that we might build a future together in hope. A future where we can be safe with each other.  But… It’s not that easy or simple. Because people are still hurting and they are still angry. We can’t ignore that, or pretend it will go away. Somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open up our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again. We have to give today’s children a chance to inherit a future filled with peace. To give them that, we have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time.

Claudia's love for her family led her to ruin, but it can also save her through Soren. Callum's love for Rayla led him to ruin, but it has also saved him (and again, we'll likely repeat this pattern). Ezran's love for his father will lead him to anger but also pull him out of it, just as Viren's love for his son caused him to begin his journey of terrible things, but also guided him to do one final, truly right thing by the end.

Love is light and dark. Claudia, who's been walking in shadow, needs the full light - the sun, in the form of her brother. She needs to accept and see the truth of what's happening and step fully into the light. Callum, who has been routinely worried of the dark within him, needs to the reminder that he's not all he is, that he has light of his own inside. In doing so, he can break Aaravos' control over him and give hope to any other dark mages / humans in general that no level of corruption is too late to come back from, and that there is always light amid the darkness.

Life and Death

The stakes have never been higher as Aaravos and Claudia are on the warpath, determined to destroy the Cosmic Order and invert life and death. With the world’s fate on the line, our heroes must be ready to sacrifice everything to save it.

In Bloodmoon Huntress, we get a very different peek into how the secret of the Moon arcanum can be thought of through Runaan, who is peak Moonshadow-sacrifice elf man:

Moonshadow form is only achieved when we understand the balance of life against death. Balance is weight against weight, and to understand the weight of death you must feel the weight and value of another's life. Think of those you love, of who you hold most dear. Now think of the souls who have touched your life. Understand that each time your weapon meets its target, each time we fulfil our duty, the potential for that soul to change a life—to love another—is gone. We may remove hate, but we remove the potential for love as well. Moonshadow form is only achieved when we reconcile this balance between life and death.

While Claudia with her hair and dark mage-assassin parallels could unlock the Moon arcanum—especially if her perspectives continue to change—I think Callum as the Protagonist is better placed at this time to be the one to understand the balance between life and death in a season where the antagonists are trying to invert/destroy it. Him therefore understanding appearances and changes, how to control his own and see through others', understanding that balance between life and death, feels very fitting.

Callum's fear of Aaravos and dark magic comes from the fear that he's changing—"I hope you're careful, cause [magic] can change people" / "the corruption takes innocent creatures and changed them"—and that death would be better for him than life if he goes too far. Learning these things aren't the case and that he can get back to the middle (and indeed, "real trust is about accepting even the dark parts we will never know" could be about Rayla accepting he may not entirely swear off dark magic again, the same way Viren kept that door open to do Good) would be useful.

It would also mean the two mage characters most drawn into Aaravos' darkness get the Moon and Sun—the arcanums most associated with light—to banish said darkness as well. Claudia finally being an uncorrupted light and chasing life, not death, and Callum, learning how to be balanced and that he can maintain his identity / use Aaravos' book and key without fearing that he'll lose control.

The fact that Claudia's eclipse imagery only started the same episode she lost her brother, and that her Laurelion dragon-scale necklace is very Sunfire-y looking...

Conclusion

TDP for Callum and Claudia has always felt like a parallel coming-of-age mage story between the two of them, leading to the amount of similarities and diverging plot beats the two have, down to doing the same spell at the same time but in different locations in S6. The Sun arcanum is associated with truth, light, and healing, whereas the Moon arcanum is associated with change, life + death, and secrets/love. All of these things could be nicely brought to a head with Callum and Claudia each unlocking an arcanum of Moon and Sun respectively, showcasing their differences, their continued room to grow, and light amid the darkness.

While I could see alternatives like Sun for Callum and Moon for Claudia, Stars for Callum or no arcanum for either of them, I think these are the ones that fit best at this time / Stars will likely get saved for arc 3 given that arc 3 will probably focus more on rewriting destinies and the Cosmic Order as antagonists.

As always hope you enjoy and Dragons out!

[zuppizup]

Bloom

July 7th – Flowers

“How did you know Amaya and Janai were getting married?”

“Huh?” Rayla blinks, looking up from her book as she frowns, mind a little behind this random tangent.

“The flowers or something,” Callum shuffles a little closer to her, pushing his book aside.

The library is quiet this late in the evening, but he speaks softly anyway, head close to hers.

“Oh,” her own book becomes forgotten as she looks to him. “Those were traditional Sunfire wedding flowers, and they were in a bouquet. I suppose I just guessed.”

“Good guess.” Callum smirks, resting his head in his hand. “Could have been embarrassing if they were just making a flower arrangement or something.”

“That would have been a pretty fancy arrangement, don’t you think?” She rolls her eyes, snorting. “And they’ve been together for two years, it wasn’t that big a leap.”

“I guess.” Callum sighs, his smile falling just a fraction as his eyes wander. A moment later he shakes himself though, looking back at her. “So, eh, what are traditional Moonshadow wedding flowers?”

“We don’t have flowers.” She answers automatically, even though she’s surprised by the slight change in subject. “Or, well, cut ones. Weddings are usually held in the grove, I suppose, so there’s already flowers and plants there, but, we don’t really have bunches of flowers like Sunfires.”

“Huh,” Callum frowns as he ponders her answer.

“What?”

“I dunno.” Shrugging, he sits up a little straighter. “I guess I just assumed all cultures do wedding flowers. Katolis does. And Duren.”

Rayla thinks about this. Perhaps it makes sense in a place like Katolis or Lux Aurea, that bit more removed from nature. Or in her experience anyway. Growing up like she did, nature always felt part of her life. “Flowers are pretty, I suppose.”

It feels… charged discussing weddings and flowers with Callum and she struggles to think straight.

“Why don’t Moonshadows have flowers?” He asks, then seems to second guess himself. “Or, em, is that-”

“No, that’s- It’s not-” Insensitive? Over stepping? Early on in their acquaintance they’d both inadvertently insulted each other with long held prejudices or silly assumptions. It feels like they are so far beyond that though. Having flowers or not at a wedding is a simple discussion. Or it should be. “Flowers don’t really last, do they? Ones you’ve cut, I mean.” It’s not like she’s really thought about these things. They are simply part of her life, her culture. She likes how he makes her think about them though. Examine old ways and decide if they still fit who she is now. “If you’re making that commitment, well, we believe it’s supposed to be forever. Not just in this life, but you know, beyond. On the other side too.” She shrugs, maybe it is silly and old fashioned. “Flowers wilting and dying... I guess it’s seen as a sort of bad omen for Moonshadows.”

Callum watches her without comment, clearly pondering her words. “You know what? That makes a lot of sense.”

“You think?” She feels herself blush and hopes it’s not that obvious in the soft evening light.

Maybe she’s mistaken, but she thinks he might be blushing too. “Yeah, from the Moonshadow philosophy, I think I do.”

She can’t help but smile at him, rolling her eyes in amusement. “What, learning the moon arcanum now, mister mage?” That clever mind of his, always working, pondering, thinking.

He shrugs, smiling softly. “I’d like to.”

“Well, dont expect me to be of any help.” Rayla feels her stomach flip and her mouth go dry for reasons she can’t really explain.

He laughs softly, eyes crinkling in the corners. “You’re the most helpful with magic stuff.”

She snorts loudly and rolls her eyes, pulling her book back closer. He can tease her, if he likes.

It’s not as if she doesn’t like it too.

Callum doesn’t go back to his book though, clearly still interested in the topic. “So, if you don’t actually have flowers, what do you do for decorations?

Rayla looks up from her book, pondering how best to explain. “We craft flowers.”

“Craft them?” Callum’s interest is most certainly piqued as he pulls his chair closer.

“Yeah. Out of paper or cloth. Or wool, weaving them.” She thinks back to the various celebrations she’s attended over the years, smiling fondly. The home she can no longer call home. “Ethari would make them out if metal… But they last, you know? Forever. If you care for them.”

He smiles at her, eyes soft and cheeks most certainly flushed.

“What?” She desperately wants to know what he’s thinking when he looks at her like that, and though they’re growing closer again, she doesn’t quite feel like she can ask directly. “Sounds dumb and backwards to you cultured Katolians?”

“No, not at all. I- I really like it.” He reaches for her hand, squeezing her fingers gently. “It sounds lovely.”

Later that night, she’s getting ready for bed, brushing her long hair as she watches the moon through her open curtains. Sitting on the bed, she frowns when something crinkles under her foot. Pulling a sheet of paper from under her rear, her heart races when she sees the page covered with beautiful drawings of more flowers than she knows the names of.

[dragonnguard]

I think it is super interesting to look at the ways Runaan, Lain, and Tiadrin are dealing with their souls being trapped in the coins. It must be an exhausting, painful, and unbearable reality.

When Rayla first finds Runaan in the Moon Nexus, he is not himself.

Lain and Tiadrin seem too blissful and carefree.

Based on where they are and how Runaan reacted when he was coined, none of their mental states are great.

I kept thinking about emotional suffering/abuse and coping skills that help more than hurt but are basically the natural result of humans (elves) experiencing horrors no one should have to and I wanted to take a closer look at how Runaan and Laindrin protected themselves differently.

I think Lain and Tiadrin have endured as long as they have through avoidance. If it isn't happening in their beautiful field full of lotuses and dancing and dreamy music, it's not real. There is no being trapped where their imagination and thoughts have taken them. They are carefree and without a worry.

I think a takeaway for fans as we all deal with our own difficult circumstances in life is that turning to something and investing in it SO heavily that it feels like our only reality can be hurtful in many ways. We may miss key warning signs from our soul or body that things aren't going great and we need a change. We may be so caught up in something that makes us feel fantastic that we may not notice loved ones who need our help and support. It seems like a better coping skill, but in the long run can bring just as much pain, especially since the escapism won't last forever.

Seeing Runaan's coping play out is a lot more painful for me, since I have felt many of the same feelings. Lashing out at someone you care about due to your own pain is a great parallel to Runaan physically fighting Rayla.

And it all comes from the guilt and shame that he internalizes. He puts everything on himself, not being able to acknowledge that elements such as Moonshadow culture, raising Rayla while trying to keep up with his work as an assassin, and following orders from higher ups have all shaped what happened when Rayla came on the Katolis Castle mission.

These feelings of shame that he carries around lead to isolation and its so sad to think that he almost blamed himself and pulled away so thoroughly that he couldn't see all that he has given Rayla and Ethari and how they needed him, as well as the fact that he isn't a monster and is loved!

can't wait to see Runaan heal in s7 (and beyond??? pls) and I miss Lain and Tiadrin deeply

tldr; i just think its neat all the ways that tdp explores emotional fallout with so many characters and how they cope.

[ididntknowwhattocallthis]

Ok I wanna talk about Ethari's clothing/design over all. His clothes and tattoos are different from every other Moonshadow elf we've seen, and he's one of the few that doesn't wear braids. Like:

The recurring elements are intricate patterning; over layers and under layers; multiple colors in the same garment (or at least same outfit); wraparound construction, color contrast between mediums, lights, and darks; and the dominant color is always the medium, never the lightest or darkest color (usually navy, true black is very rare outside of the assassins). Even arc 2 Rayla follows most of these rules and she's been away from her culture for two years!

But then we have Ethari:

He doesn't have an outer layer, he wears almost solid navy, none of those clothes are wraparound, he has no light color, there's not a lot of contrast, and his dark color is true black despite not being an assassin. He bends all the rules, though he only breaks one completely. He still has that patterning, but it's minimal compared to the others. He has plenty of accent colors, more than anyone else actually, but they show up on him far less. He does have light, medium, and dark colors, but his whole pallet is darker than everyone else's. The only rule he 100% breaks is the wraparound construction

A lot of this probably derives from the fact that he's a metalsmith:

For the most part his clothes quite are practical;

Black/navy hides coal dust/soot very well. It gets everywhere, on your pants and face especially, and is highly visible on just about every other color.

Forging is hot work & you do it next to a fire that needs to be at least 1000° celsius, I never wear more than one layer either.

those sleeves, while a bit looser than I'd be comfortable with, probably aren't going to get in the way. Plus I heard somewhere that they're spelled to repel heat (couldn't find if that's actually canon tho), so if that's true they're much better than my gloves.

The crop top isn't great but he's got that belt to stop most embers. Besides he's probably not the type to yelp every time one lands on him like I am.

if he pulls the scarf over his mouth & nose it'll help delay him getting lung cancer in the death trap of a smithy Wonderstorm designed for him (my problems with it are a post all on their own. I have nothing against the artists, its pretty, but by all rights he should be dead)

There might also be a cultural aspect to his clothing:

I think the navy blue, the arm bands, the boot decorations, and his belt & tabard could all be symbols that mean "I am a metalsmith" in Moonshadow culture. (Quick side note, he's not technically a blacksmith. historically blacksmith means specifically iron workers. If anything he's a whitesmith since he usually works with silver.) We see it with the assassins, why not metalsmiths too?

Plus if you take a look at his forge in the art book, there's a design carved on it that looks almost exactly like the one on his tabard. Elements of it also appear on other parts of his clothing:

I suspect that this is some sort of symbol for metal working or fire protection. If he's in a guild it could be their symbol, or it could just be a wider cultural symbol. Either way it has a meaning that relates to the forge specifically. I couldn't find it anywhere else in the room.

I just realized that I never even brought up the metal hems on his sleeves. Then again what is there to say? It's metal, he's a metalsmith. It's pretty, he likes pretty things.

But what about the rule he completely breaks?

As I said, every moonshadow garment has some sort of wrap-and-secure construction to it-- except Ethari's clothes. I seriously doubt this is a metalsmith thing. Basic garment construction isn't a sensible way to differentiate your group within one culture. I fully believe Ethari is doing this on purpose. But why? That why gets even bigger when you realize that no other moonshadow elves we've met have brown eyes or periwinkle blue tattoos.

Put a pin in all that, I need to explain my interpretation of Moonshadow culture for this to make sense.

"Moon Primal creatures can be private and secretive, and are keenly aware of the power of appearances." - from the official website

"Moonshadow Elves obey a rather rigid, honor-driven culture." - from the wiki

To me this paints a picture of a fairly collectivist culture. They place a heavy emphasis on community and duty, two things that are usually more peaceful/simpler when you have cohesion within the group. Cohesion creates less conflict, less conflict makes your community more peaceful and your duty to it easier to complete.

But they know that this cohesion is- to an extent- only an act, so each person has a sub community where they don't have to act. Your inner self is for family and friends close enough to be family. (I honestly think they might have some sort of ritual to formally adopt friends as family) To everyone else you're supposed to put up a front that makes you seem more like everyone else.

OK back to the pin

Even without his clothes, Ethari is already visually different from everyone else. No other Moonshadow elves we've seen have tattoos or eyes the same color as his. It's a subtle difference but it is noticeable, and in a culture so focused on appearances people would notice. Most people's instinct would be to try to hide or downplay it, to prop up that front as much as they can. Yet Ethari doesn't put up a front, not to the extent that most people seem to. He's even accentuating his differences by dressing in a different style than them- and he's respected.

In my comm class the other day we were talking about groups, and one of the things that came up was that cohesion fosters sameness and diversity fosters innovation. Ethari is an innovator, it's literally his job. He invents the wingalings in bloodmoon huntress, Runaan and Rayla's weapons, and probably a bunch more stuff we haven't seen. Maybe for all they value appearances and fitting in, moonshadow culture still recognizes that people like him are important and they aren't as effective when they have to fit in. They can't be too out there (remember, Ethari only bends the rules rather than breaking them) but as long as they stay within a certain radius of the norm they can gain a lot of respect. I think this is what Ethari has done. The fact that his family (Runaan, Tiadrin, Lain) are all pretty traditional probably helped a lot. They keep him from pushing too hard on the edge of the box and he keeps them flexible.

That they aren't there anymore has probably exacerbated the rift between him and the rest of the silvegrove caused by Rayla's ghosting and whatever news has reached them from the storm spire.

I am so excited to see him in S6. I thought about adding some speculation about what his new design might look like, but I honestly don't think he'll have changed that drastically aside from his hair. My biggest question is honestly whether or not he's still in The Silvergrove.

Bonus:

I bet that some of Ethari's relative weirdness rubbed off on Rayla. She didn't have many friends as a kid so, when she wasn't in school or with the assassins, it makes sense that hung out with Ethari a lot. Since he's less strict than Runaan she was probably only comfortable completely unmasking with him. He heard about all her crushes, fears, and insecurities that Runaan didn't. Which goes a long way to explaining why Ethari was the only one who could see she wouldn't be a good assassin; she was hiding those traits from everyone but him.

This also explains some of why he was so willing to believe that she ran away. Ethari saw all of her vulnerability, but he didn't see all of her strength. While she was out training and facing her fears with Runaan, Ethari was in the smithy and only heard about their exploits after the fact. Neither of them saw all of who Rayla is, but both of them thought they did and had to find out that they were wrong in just about the most heartbreaking way imaginable.

[theinnermechanismsofmymindtdp]

On one hand its pretty understandable that Rayla is ghosted, even before she discovered Zym’s egg, she gave away the assassin’s presence by sparing Marcos. From this perspective she has committed a wrong by: revealing their presence (and guaranteeing their deaths), and fully showing her inability to take a life (literally her main job).

This imagery is so strong and so sad because despite what they were going to do (you know …….killing a child) theres something to be said about your betrayal and reluctance ending in the deaths of four separate people in your village. Each of them with a family and possibly their own respective Ethari waiting for them at the Silvergrove. And to have them all placed before you staring at you silently in their absence?

If theres anything these past seasons have taught us, it’s that Moonshadow elves value duties, promises and oaths over anything….even their own children and soulmates, so it stands to reason that what Rayla has done is considered especially reprehensible.

Now on the other hand….Rayla’s actions have saved the Dragon Prince, which if we’re being honest would not have occurred if she gave the egg to Runaan, who was immediately captured after Harrow’s assassination and was barely able to shoot an arrow (let alone carrying the egg ALLLLLLL the way back to the Storm Spire). Because of her actions, she bridged the way for peace between the Human and Elven kingdoms by providing some kind of recompense for past misdeeds. This isn’t even getting into the fact Rayla was a literal child when her adoptive father decided to send her on a mission to murder a monarch and 10 year old when presumably there were more than 6 assassins in their entire village.

The trial to be unghosted however will likely hinge on how Moonshadow culture and ethics view Rayla’s actions. Will a society that values conformity, oaths and roles be willing to forgive someone who has forsaken all of this by forging her path (forsaking her oaths) and falling in love with a human?

And what is the secret the Keeper holds? Is it relevant to what happened that night at the castle?

(Basically I have a hard time thinking the Silvergrove will unghost Rayla but also its a kid’s show so will they really allow a protagonist to be socially exiled for the remainder of her life for saving a baby’s life…idk…)

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Read the Dragon Prince tie-in comics and:

This is just straight up propaganda.

We have no indication of the relationship between the different elf races which means Ethari is talking about humans.

He's talking about destabilizing sovereign nations so an imperialist power can better dominate them.

Taking away a society's leaders so they're "not a threat anymore".

Making racist assumptions about the motivations of other powers because obviously assassinating a foreign head of state is better than engaging in any kind of dialogue whatsoever.

Nowhere in this comic does any Moonshadow Elf even mention the fact that the Bloodmoon Huntress comes from THEIR culture. Is a part of THEIR legacy.

She's a spooky ghost story little kids tell each other around the bonfire. Not a state sanctioned living weapon worse than anything we've ever seen Dark Magic do.

When they fight Runaan acts like he has some moral high ground when they both have the same job. The Order of the Blood Moon is ideologically indistinguishable from the modern Moonshadow Assassins.

They're both expected to kill whoever the dragons point them at without question.

The only difference is that the Huntress is willing to hurt elf children too. Not just human ones.

[m4rs-ex3]

people always make silly little lists of characters' crimes which i love but i'm gonna do smth a lillllll different

tdp character trauma log 🫶✨

callum

lost his father at a Baby age (the perfect age actually; young enough to be very emotional and impressionable but old enough to have to process it)

was thrown into a drastically different + high-key terrifying environment at Baby Age

lost his mother--his comfort person, his only connection to his og life (besides amaya), and also just an amazing individual--leaving him alone in said environment

was constantly belittled for being bad at the thing he never asked to be

lost his stepfather aka his only parent left and experienced an array of regret over what he didn't do while harrow was alive

almost watched his little brother down/freeze to death

was betrayed by his childhood friend

endured a severe dark magic sickness + traumatizing fever dream

almost choked to death

watched his whole world jump off of the highest point in the world

almost died plummeting off of the highest point in the world

was abandoned by Love of His Life for several depressed years

was literally fucking possessed

was taxed with the decision between becoming a vessel for the most dangerous individual in the world to destroy everything and hurt everyone he loves OR essentially ending his life (a conclusion he himself had to come to)

was under the impression that Love of His Life was dead (and he never got to tell her what he wanted to)

almost died pt 3

almost died pt 4-5

bound and brutally beaten + electrocuted (?)

watched the most important person in the world to him mercilessly tortured within an inch of her life

almost lost her AGAIN and had to destroy his entire moral compass in order to save her

tortured

almost died 6: choked pt 2

rayla

where do i begin

well first off grew up in the silvergrove and hey moonshadow elves i love ya but oh dear god -promotes "strength" and stoicism over discussing your feelings and admitting to your weaknesses -so bound (literally) by duty and oaths that faltering results in either being good as dead or dead as dead -ETC

equipped with a debilitating phobia of water--a fear most would see as bizarre and silly and exceptionally irrational--in a culture that as previously mentioned shuns fear to all hell

was left by her parents and (despite them having a perfectly good reason) never really healed

almost drowned which was not helped by the phobia

almost ravaged by an ancient vampire

an ASSASSIN who has to KILL PEOPLE but is a WHOLESOME SWEETHEART

haunted by her "constant" mistakes; her strengths get wholly overshadowed by her weaknesses

told by the father figure she revered that she is a stupid baby useless idiot (roughly)

was flatly told by Father Figure he expected to kill her (to which she's just like "fr prolly" good god girl you are fucked)

had to not only sit and listen to, but conform to horrid stereotypes she's been haunted by since she was a kid

nearly slowly lost a hand (and just straight up accepted like ik this isn't the point but i feel the need to address when she does some insanely broken shit)

saw a person wither to dust before her eyes i feel like we forget about this

almost died like pt 4 ish i literally cannot keep track what counts and whats too minor a near death experience and why do i have to ask these questions

watched the love of her life (shut up harry styles) suffocate in his sleep in her arms

almost died pt 5-8 ?

i once again don't even know where to begin this time with her ghosting. linking this post again but tldr she didn't do anything wrong, she believed she did, her society not only confirmed these suspicions but god they pinned her with so much more, and she was told that actually no and what the fuck is she supposed to do with that u just told her everything she knows is wrong and that she actually has worth and she is not keen on that mindset

almost died 9? i include this one bc soulfangs are terrifying

cooly came to the conclusion that she deserved to die for her parents mistakes (and fully intended on doing so)

almost died jumping off the highest point in the world

suffered from persistent nightmares

almost drowned (the phobia once again did not help)

was nearly killed by the dead former co-workers she feels responsible for killing

forced herself to leave behind Love of Her Life and if you don't think that was the hardest fucking thing in the world for her

spent two, miserable years alone, getting beaten down again and again (mentally and physically,) plagued by her vendetta, haunted by all she lost, never knowing comfort, never knowing love, and probably so much worse that we don't even know woohoo!

thought that, after years of painful wondering, the parents she desperately wanted back were killed right in front of her

almost died pt who even fucking knows

almost died

almost died

almost died

almost died

almost died

was absolutely fucking brutally tortured (within an inch of her life) 😚✌🌸✨✨

almost died horrendously (she rlly couldnt catch a break that day)

had to choose between pushing her trauma to the absolute limit or hating herself for not protecting her friends

almost died

ez

motherless

couldn't make friends (for a reason no one would believe)

that's why yo [daddy] dead. dead as hell. what shoes [he] got on what shoes [he] got on in [his] casket

almost drowned/froze

had the pressure of surviving as an orphan ANDD being a fucking king forced upon him at the same time

felt responsible for thousands of lives

was imprisoned

was almost motherfucking impaled by scary adult

all that? yea he was like 10

therefore

grew up weird like his brother and rayla

probably almost died a lot of times

imprisoned again & was threatened and bared witness to his brother + his closest friend tortured (+ almost murdered)

almost murdered by someone he once trusted

prolly a lot more idk i was gonna include soren n claudia but i am so fucking exhausted THESE KIDS ARE SO FUCKED OML 😭😭

[halyasgirl]

Rayllum's problems are Moonshadow problems

(and Runaan needs to help fix them)

Callum and Rayla have officially reconciled as of season 6, and while many were happy, some still feel that Rayla hasn't properly earned Callum's forgiveness as she's never directly apologized for abandoning him. Personally, I don’t mind that Rayla hasn’t apologized yet. I think it makes sense that she still doesn’t quite understand how harmful it was, because her “leaving to keep a loved one safe” was perfectly consistent with the values she was raised with. Specifically, the values Runaan raised her with, and he's been Rayla's primary role model throughout her life.

Rayla putting her body between an innocent child and someone trying to kill them and refusing to back down no matter the odds? Runaan.

Unhesitatingly going to her almost-certain death in the name of duty? Runaan.

Leaving her loved ones on dubious intel to stalk someone across the world like a vengeful persistence predator? Runaan again.

Rayla does know her leaving hurt Callum, but however bad she feels about leaving, she still thinks she's done the right thing, because Callum's safe. This attitude of leaving to keep others safe while striking out alone to deal with challenges is held up as an expression of selfless sacrifice in Moonshadow culture, and we see it play out for Rayla in her own family. Her parents leave her to protect the future of Xadia in the Dragonguard. Runaan leaves Ethari for his work as an assassin. Bluntly put, Bloodmoon Huntress is a story of Rayla being conditioned with these values, however loving her family is.

Rayla struggles with her resentment and feelings of abandonment when her parents leave, but starts to come around after seeing how Runaan and Ethari (happily married and deeply in love) rationalize this in their relationship. Rayla questions how Runaan could leave Ethari to do the things he does, how Ethari could accept it, and is told that bad things can be justified if you do them for the right reasons. This is clearest to her when Runaan and Ethari discuss this together, unknowingly overheard by Rayla.

Rayla emulates Runaan in her relationship with Callum, but Ethari understands why Runaan does the things he does, because he shares the same (questionable) cultural values, where Callum does not.*

I think the catch will be the entire moonfam grappling with where these values led them. Runaan has been described as the most Moonshadow of the Moonshadow elves, his particular brand of selfless ruthlessness is valued there. But he spent two years in a hell of his own making because he tried and failed to uphold Moonshadow society's impossible values. Was Runaan trekking across country to murder a 10 year old really doing anything to keep his people safe? Was it worth tearing their family apart?

I think seeing her family have to deal with the fallout of their actions may be the breaking point forcing Rayla to reevaluate her treatment of Callum. How do they move forward from this?

*This understanding is also built on the communication and trust Ethari and Runaan have built in their marriage, where Rayla broke her promise, lied to, and abandoned Callum. In Bloodmoon Huntress, Runaan trusts Ethari's judgement and respects his decision when he follows him into a dangerous situation, and they plan and work together to solve the problem. We know from "Ghost" they disagreed on Runaan's last mission and Rayla's role in it, but they discussed and came to an agreement, for better or worse. Runaan doesn't dismiss him and he certainly didn't lie and go behind his back. Rayla's dishonesty is definitely not something she gets from Moonshadow values or Runaan, but before we drag Rayla too much for this, recall that Runaan keeping his promises led him to try and murder a child, and Rayla's lies are usually a misguided attempt to protect others.