#terry ezran friendship in this au would be ELITE

[firefly-suite]

thinking about a tdp au where ezran gets an arcanum - most likely earth - and all the SYMBOLISM behind this

so, i ranked each arcanum (and dark magic, for reasons) with ezran and the order from most to least:

earth, sun, star* dark magic, sky* ocean and moon

*okay quick note, so i struggled with where to put sky and star so if anyone wants to throw their two cents in feel free BUT

sky is associated with freedom and harrow's quote 'a child is freer than a king' exists but ezran kind of exists in the middle of this, and while there is admittedly something with 'breaking free from the chains of history' i would put this lower because sky and earth are parallels to each other like callum and ezran's relationship - like in atla with air being more grounded but earth valuing freedom more than anything but not quite

the tdp website says those with the sky arcanum are 'quick and clever and prize the freedom to make their own choices in life.' but ezran talks about doing the right thing, in comparison to callum who has no such duty to a kingdom, only a devotion to his loved ones.

and then for stars, the kind of association with royalty and stars - that they're unattainable, above others and the divine right of kings, all that jazz. in callum's spellbook 'knowledge' is associated with stars and ezran is called 'wise' quite a lot so i think it fits pretty neatly

then there's the star motifs with ezran - the novablade, on his clothes and bag, and then the lore of the orphan queen and aaravos. also the whole thing about vision and truth and EYES??

the eldritch horror of it all like c'mon gimme

okay maybe i am pretty solid with these choices haha

mOVING ON-

so i think earth would be his arcanum - at the very least, his first - as it's what he's associated with most of all - his ability with animals, the traits it's associated with (strength, endurance, stubbornness, deep history, patience, healing, growth, balance) yadadada

'Earth magic draws on the power and energy within the land itself. Earth magic comes from two major domains: the stone, minerals, crystals, and gems of the land, and the flora and fauna of the living world. Creatures connected to the Earth are patient, sometimes stubborn, and care deeply about the history and balance of the natural world.' - ezran, and zym by extension symbolise the unity between the two lands, beyond the border and so it seems fitting that ez should literally have the arcanum for the earth itself. and he's always trying to look to the future, without forgetting the past but not letting it control him - the balance.

i think he would have the stone-mineral-and-crystal domain, as a nice little parallel to the fact he already has an ability with animals. also because there's a lot about him and metals - the sword and the crown and forging. but at the same time i am a SUCKER for plant/forest/earth related abilities haha

no but for symbolism reasons i would go for the earthy earth abilities

second place is the sun arcanum for its associations with aditi, the orphan queen's title symbol, how his arc is so entwined with the sunfire elves and their storyline and janai especially in the past but also the future, how his family is now part of the sunfire royal family with janai and amaya's marriage but how the orphan queen's rise was from aditi's death

'Sun magic has a dual nature: it can conjure spells of light, growth, nurturing and transformation — or it can call upon fire, heat, and destruction. Sun-connected creatures are often intense and charismatic and make natural leaders.' - i mean he's a KING and the sun is big on leadership lol. truth, guiding light, and optimism fit him pretty well - especially as the first two are also almost very star esque. but again, the duality of him being a king and then his moments of rage but both are still HIM.

but i think he would probably have the light abilities. soren does call him a 'kindling flame' and 'little light' in strangers so i think this would tie in pretty well

OKAY NOW, you may be thinking, "dark magic in the middle? what a cop out" butbutBUT i raise you: ezran's abilities of communicating with animals almost - for lack of a better word rn - parallels dark magic, which, to quote the tdp website lol 'draws upon the power within magical creatures themselves.' and USES them (ezran claudia youngest sibling parallels my beloved)

there's something there okay but i am writing this on a whim lolol

and in fourth place it's ocean! give it up for the ocean arcanum, guys!!!

i put ocean down low: it's about hidden depths and accepting them - among other things - but that's something that ezran is famously not very good at doing, running away from the truth of his dad and his own kingship, him and runaan ect

then moon is last - largely it didn't quite fit ezran but i think the moon serves to highlight certain things about him, rather than associate directly with him

AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NOTICED

and im pretty proud of this ahaha

but the order is palindromic, in the sense that it uses the opposites on the key of aaravos

earth and moon wHICH I THINK IS INTERESTING FOR EZRAN AND RUNAAN BUT ANYWAY- (it's the symbolism, guys), sky and star and sun and ocean

so that's why it's earth first then moon last, then sun second and ocean penultimately

also if ezran was to get earth arcanum first, sun second that would parallel callum's opposites of sky first then ocean second (with some smatterings of dark magic, naturally)

but also as someone who watched atla (20 years wOAH) i feel like you can pair earth and sky, sun and moon - there's tdp lore somewhere that calls sun and moon sisters which is just fueling me and my nonsense at this point

(like do not get me started on lady justice, wisdom (athena), ezran, opeli and katolis religion - i have a whole system which totally wasn't an excuse for me to write epic and tdp things nope)

this fic inspired some of this and honestly ever so slightly lives rent free in my head but i'd like to write my own, and i probably will do so

i'm writing another long term tdp fic but i could do two at the same time right?

right?

anyway thank you for reading my rambles x