#snake boi callum week

[thrandilf]

Nov 20th: I Did It For You / Necessary

Also, however dangerous/however vile plus me loving my Claudia and Viren parallels

[sorinethemastermind]

Snake Boi Callum Week 3.0 | Prompt: Your Deepest Truth / Complicated

[raayllum]

for snake boi callum week day 1, icarus / the key of aaravos

The food at the Starscraper is a kind of grey mush that tastes a lot better than it looks, thankfully, once Kosmo and Astrid guide them to a table in the communal mess hall the first night they're there. Callum supposes that if everyone's wearing their blindfolds all the time, emphasis would be placed on making food taste rather than look good.

And talking, of course.

Kosmo is less curious about the outside world, Astrid carefully considering her questions before she asks them, but he and Rayla take turns describing the warm fuzziness of adoraburrs or the seedy, salt-sick docks of Scumport. Rayla shifts the conversation to the Moon Nexus before they can ask questions about the residents of said pirate city, and then she shares a tale about a Moonshadow erased by their own primal, horrific and ghostly, and—

"Ah," Kosmo hums. "Not unlike our own Warning Story."

Rayla leans back in her chair. "Skywings' focus on their breath, typically, since they don't always have wings. But there are variants where it's—"

"Warning Stories?" Callum questions.

"Oh." She touches his arm and he tries not to feel like she's setting him on fire, even if every little touch is both oh so distracting and comforting these days. "All elves have them," she explains with a little shrug and a slightly apologetic smile. "Stories about going too far with primal magic. Do humans have anything like that?"

"Not... really?" He thought there were tales from Del Bar about people who went too far into the mountains chasing game, or into the bogs of Evenere. There was a Katolis story about a new husband who opened up the forbidden door in his older husband's mansion. But nothing that seemed that applicable. Nothing about dark magic.

"Primal magic is beautiful," Astrid chimes in. "It is sacred, and can be helpful. But a tool like any other, sharpened too keenly, will break and shatter."

"What's your warning story, then?"

Kosmo's lips twitch. "An elf with wings flies too far and their feathers are stripped away. They plummet to their death."

"Feathers?" he asks. "Not the spider silk-wings?"

The siblings share a tiny smile. "There are no wings that can last forever. Eventually, our mortal fatigue—our mortal-ness—catches up with us, and we fall."

"It's a children's tale," Astrid adds. "About the inevitability of death, too. The pointlessness in trying to cheat it. We have our time on this earth, and eventually it ends, and we became stardust once more."

His throat feels tight. "That's a nice thought, though," Callum manages. "That we're all the same kind of stardust." He takes Rayla's hand underneath the table and squeezes.

She squeezes back. "Poetic, this one," she says with a very fond smile and eyeroll.

(When Callum falls towards the tundra, he does not think of the warning story. All he sees is stars—all he sees is her.

When he kneels before Aaravos, cube in hand and Rayla's rasping breath returning to her chest behind him, he thinks the story should make an amendment—sometimes there are things worth falling for.)

[zuppizup]

The Longest Night

Summary: Callum has never been very good at accepting his limits and while some challenges may seem insurmountable, when it comes to Rayla... he would do anything for her.

Pairing: Rayla/Callum

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Callum wandered through the dark woods, eyes moving continuously as he searched for Rayla. The strange light of this place made it difficult for him to focus. It had been too long since he’d seen her, and every second spent searching was a second without her.

It wasn’t like they had endless time together either.

“We have to stop meeting like this.

He sighed in relief at the sound of her voice, feeling his throat close. “Rayla.” Turning, he found her standing by the tree where they’d said goodbye the last time he’d seen her.

She looked beautiful as always, her long hair loose and swaying gently in the breeze, a soft smile on her face. Every time he saw her; she took his breath away.

“Callum,” her voice broke as she reached for him.

He embraced her, feeling the tense knot in his chest unravel as he held her in his arms. “I missed you.”

Read more on AO3: The Longest Night

[archdragosaurus]

S n a k e b o i

I had to lol my 3rd braincell told me to make this

[its-leethee]

mother's day and a bedtime story for the little prince

[numptypylon]

Haven’t had a lot of time this week, but wanted to do something for Snakeboi Callum Week, so here goes

I want to experiement more with drawing, so started with a basic angle for once so I could push it more on the style

[sagegreenfrogs]

I just want to say I'm so sorry about the delay of Sorvusweek2024, I know so many of you were looking forward to it, but we, and the majority of people in the Sorvus Nation community were in agreement that since we were scheduled for the same week as Snake Boi Callum Week 3.0, we should push it back. Sorvusweek2024 is now the 24th through 30th, and the two of us couldn't be more excited for Sorvus Week to come :)

[sorvus-week-2024]

Sorvus Week Announcement

Hey all, we are reluctant to say that Sorvus Week 2024 is being postponed, upon the realization that we are in conflict with Snake Boi Callum Week 3.0 and taking a poll within our community, Sorvus Nation. We are only postponing by one week, though, changing to November 24th-30th and nothing else, so fret not.

We are so sorry for the late notice, but, if anything, think of this as an opportunity to polish even more and create more stuff (everyone's a procrastinator, us included...)!

With that said, here is our revised announcement, which can also be found as our pinned post:

Thanks,

@a-very-sparkly-nerd & @sagegreenfrogs

[lunanightriderofthecove]

So true 👀

And the biggest contributor to Snake Boi Callum Week is the TDP S7 trailer herself LMAO

[sorinethemastermind]

Snake Boi Callum Week 3.0 | Prompt: God and the Devil (source)

[raayllum]

Was considering making this a ficlet (and I still might) but a tiny meta for day 3 of Snake Boi Callum week: Your Deepest Truth / Complicated.

But I really steadily appreciate how arc 2 builds up Callum's deepest truth, not only in regards to the Knowing motif or the full set up (explored in further detail here), but also in other indications throughout the season. Season 4 starts small, with Ezran's faith ultimately being what Callum 'sees' clearly in 6x06:

Then season 5 takes this same idea — of enduring love, of deep love, of love being knowing and presence in contrast to absence, uncertainty, and lack of / repressed love — and builds on it.

[To love is simply to] know this: the tides are true as the ocean is deep. It means I trust her. Unconditionally. (5x01)

Rayla. We've been through a lot, and a lot has changed. Well, some things have changed, but not everything. I would do anything for you. (5x04)

The Ocean arcanum is accepting there are depths you can't see, parts of yourself you can't understand, and things you can't control. (5x08)

So 5x01 and 5x08 take that idea of love having untold depths, and link it to the ocean arcanum (and Callum's understanding of the arcanum). Said arcanum is also scaffolded on Callum's experiences on Finnegrin's ship, specifically his choice to do dark magic again, which is also lampshaded by Finnegrin's dialogue throughout the episode referencing Callum's vow(s) to Rayla in 5x04 ("You'll do anything for them" / "I hope you know—" "I know" / "To love is simply to know this").

Then we get to season six, which uses other characters and dynamics to build up to Callum (and Rayla's) connection in 6x06.

Viren's "The path of freedom is the path of truth" in 6x01 sets in motion the — at the time — subtextual notion of Rayla being in opposition to Aaravos and the embodiment of Callum's freedom. Janai says to Amaya in 6x02 that "You are my heart and my truth. If I ever start to doubt you, I'll know that I am truly lost." When Terry encourages Claudia to make her own choices in 6x04, he cites, "Only you can see your own deep truth. Only you can decide the path you’re going to walk. [...] You have to choose the way. What do you need to find your truth?"

So in quick succession, we have truth associated with 1) something deep and inherent, 2) the subsequent path of / to freedom, 3) someone being your heart / that it can be someone in your life. All of these concepts are reaffirmed in Rayla's lullaby in 6x05 with the added bonus of identity:

RAYLA: "Though the sky is dark tonight, I still shine for you my dear. The moon is more than just her light, I am near; my love is here. Though you feel so much alone, oh, my darling, do not fear. Hold to what you've always known, I am near; my love is here. Though my face cannot be seen, the answer in your heart is clear. I am the moon, the silver queen. I am near; my love is here." I know who you are. Esmeray.

Callum goes into the darkness in 6x06, and it's all he can see. He's literally blindfolded and can't see Rayla's face. Yet he sees her — Rayla's love for him, and his love for her — as his Light. As his heart and path and truth. His deepest truth. What seemed so complicated in her absence and confusing upon her return is eclipsed by the sanctity and assuredness of what he knows down to his bones, and thereby knows himself through in his own sense of identity as well.

I would tell you that you all my choices were nothing and you were everything. (6x03) KOSMO: The truth is complicated. VIREN: Life is complicated. But if it's love, nothing else matters. (6x06)

(This is also reflected in Claudia's assertions in 6x08 that Viren "needs to show [her] the right path. You taught me who I am and how to love myself" though we'll see if those hold.)

This also, as noted in the above metas, link to Aaravos' stances on truth. He never lies because he never needs to. Sol Regem accidentally killing his mate is a "deep, dark truth." The tagline for his S7 poster forewarns, "Lies hide in the shadows, but the darkest truths hide in the light."

While Rayla being Callum's deepest truth isn't complicated, the direction his love for her may steer his choices could be truly, temporarily awful, and I for one can't wait.

[zuppizup]

Bloodthirsty II

The curse races through her veins, her body practically shaking as her mouth begins to salivate.

Take his life. Use it for her own.

Take him, take him, take him-

She drops him to the forest floor, stepping over his prone form even as her hands shake.

He wheezes as he stares up at her, frozen rigid, it seems.

It would be easy… so easy.

Take his life, use the power she would gain from his blood.

“Run,” she gasps at him, clenching her fists.

He remains rooted to the spot, frozen in fear.

“I said run!” she screams at him, squeezing her eyes shut.

She keeps her eyes closed as she hears him scurry to his feet, other noises too.

- Follow up to my Bloodmoon Rayla fic, Bloodthirsty. To be posted as part of Snake Boi Callum week.

[herwrittenuniverse]

Control - Chapter 2

“You’re not mad at me?” he asked, cutting right to his original point. “You’re not mad about…me using Dark Magic?”

Rayla sat back on her heels at the question. She inhaled to steady herself, and took to studying the fine, intricate details of the elegantly woven rug beneath the bed. 

But Callum was staring, and as the silence stretched into seconds, his eyes were like coals burning into her skin. 

“It’s…complicated,” Rayla confessed. Her response was important - to Callum especially. She had to find the right words. 

“I know…I would probably be dead if you hadn’t done it,” she admitted, “So I suppose…thank you.”

“Even though I swore Dark Magic off?” he questioned. 

But at this, Rayla chuckled. 

“It wouldn’t be fair to hold that against you,” she quietly responded, “When I’m guilty of broken promises, too.”

Read the Rest on AO3

(Originally done for Snake Boi Callum Week 2.0, just posted very, very late!)

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

Are People Born Wicked? Or Do They Have Wickedness Thrust upon Them?

SBCW 3.0 prompt Icarus (even if I'm a little late, shhh)

Callum stumbled forward, catching the cool iron bars in his palms before crashing into them, shoved forward by a member of the crew, a muscly Earthblood elf with maroon face markings and sad eyes. He stood guard by the door, watching as Callum slumped to the ground, Rayla's hand reaching through the bars to rest on his knee.

"Callum." She breathed his name like a prayer, stroking her thumb over the suddenly-stifling cloth.

"I'm okay," he told her, setting one hand on top of hers and reaching the other to cup her gaunt face. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How-" She could only reach so far through the bars separating them, biting a quivering lip as she ran a hand through the shocks of white at the front of his hairline. "What is he making you do?"

"His dirty work." Callum attempted a broken, strangled laugh, and took that hand to press his lips to. To comfort her, even though his black heart was the worst thing to show love, his stained skin the worst to offer affection.

"I'll come up with something." Rayla shifted to sit on her knees, as close to him as she could get, hands taking his face and making him look at her. "We can get out of this."

“I know,” Callum said, none of his heart in it. Like she’d said; sometimes, a person had to lie to protect the people they loved. Even if it tore his own apart in the process. “I’ll- I’m thinking, too.”

Rayla shifted. “Are- have you been in contact with Ezran or anyone? Is anyone…” Is anyone coming for us?

No. Not to Callum’s knowledge, at least. No letters yet. And it was better that way. If Finnegrin got even the slightest inkling that he or Rayla were planning to revolt, he’d make sure she’d die a slow, agonizing death. And Callum would be forced to watch the entire thing– not that he’d be able to make himself look away.

“No,” he said truthfully, glad he could give her a truth that wouldn’t break her own heart worse than the cell was already doing to her body. “I’m- I’m sure something will happen, though.”

Rayla glanced around, biting her lip to prevent any more tears making their way down her cheeks. “Callum, I’m scared,” she breathed for only his ears.

Callum held her tighter. She scarcely ever let herself feel fear, much less admitted to it, so the fact that she was here and presenting that trembling part of her heart… He evidently hadn’t been doing a good job of keeping the true gravity of their situation under wraps.

“I know,” he said. “But I’ve- I’ve got it under control.” Another lie. ‘Under control’ was simply keeping her alive, as far as he was concerned, and the list of reasons why could wrap around the continent.

AO3!

[its-leethee]