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#for those sweet callum&viren parallels
raayllum · 1 year
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They’ve made camp for a few hours when Callum beckons him over and Soren follows with a raised brow. They’ve gotten closer in the past two years, of course, now that they don’t have a father’s sized disapproval creating a wedge between them and Soren’s old ego, but it’s still not like Callum to seek him out. Let alone when the kid looks worried.
Soren had tried to be there for him the way Ez was, after Rayla... But Callum hadn’t let him. Callum had barely let anyone, even his brother.
But now Rayla is back and more than that, Callum’s embraced her, and maybe his walls are finally coming down, too. Maybe he and Callum can be good friends, peers, not just protectors bound by history and a brother and a common goal. 
“So,” Soren says, overcompensatingly brightly, hands on his hips once they have some privacy near the trees. He tries not to think about how familiar this felt to Rayla pulling him aside at the Moon Nexus years ago to ask after her assassin leader. “What’s this about?”
“I need you to do something for me,” Callum says, so seriously Soren’s smile melts off his face. “I already asked — I wanted Rayla, to, but...” Callum breaks off in a sigh and there’s a sinking feeling that this is something awful, but Soren wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t attempt to lighten the mood.
“Hey man, you’re nice and all, but I’m not gonna kiss you—”
“No!” Callum says ruefully, snappish. “No, I—“ He takes a deep breath, his eyes hard when they reopen. “You saw what Aaravos did to me. At the Storm Spire.”
“Yeah?” Soren affirms, that sinking feeling becoming a pit in his stomach. Callum, I-I know you love magic, but... I hope you’re careful, ‘cause it can change people. 
“I asked Rayla, while you were gone, but she refused. But I know you’ll do it. Which means—” Callum met his eyes. “If Aaravos takes control of me again, I need you to kill me.” 
“Callum—”
“What if he sends me after Rayla? She’s already made it clear she won’t do what needs to be done.” Callum hedges his feet and his bets, goes straight for the jugular. “What if he sends me after Ezran, Soren? It’s your duty to protect the Crown. And I know you won’t let your care for me get in the way.” 
Soren turns away. “Callum—”
Oh, you’ll know the right thing to do. 
“Please, Soren?” Callum’s steadiness crumbles, looking as torn up as Soren feels when he turns back to face him. “I-I need to know I won’t hurt them. Or you.” 
Little late for that, but Soren sticks out his arm for a traditional clasp, hands wrapped around each other’s forearms, and hopes he won’t hate himself too much for it as he says, “Alright. I promise.” 
And if there’s any luck left in this world, it won’t come to that.
Not again.
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Yeah Viren is the one whose arc/motives I can’t figure out because it seems like his story’s been played nearly to completion, aside from figuring out he’s been used by Aaravos. I feel like Viren is supposed to be the catalyst for Claudia’s arc this season in the same way Rayla is the catalyst for Callum’s arc.
I really look forward to Callum and Claudia meeting again. Callum has a lot of obvious parallels with Viren, but you just made me realize that he’s got some with Clauds as well—they’re both driven by a desire to rescue/reunite with a loved one. Interestingly, those loved ones are also linked to each other (Rayla being fixated with hunting down Viren), and I bet that will a point of contention when Callum and Claudia square off.
But yeah, I really have no idea where they’re going with Viren. Once Aaravos is freed, I get the sense that he will have little use for Viren anymore. I wonder if he’ll be at all disturbed by the influence his little bug pal has had on his once sweet daughter.
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B2:S - Chapter 5
Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.
Here be lots of Viren deets, Best Boy Soren deets, some writing/continuity stuff, worldbuilding appreciation and half of a theory, Detective Rayla, Moon Temple geeking, Claudium and dark magic, and more!
Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.
(I know for darn sure that I wrote up a post for chapter 4, but I can't find it anywhere so I guess Tumblr ate it and I'll have to redo it at some point, but today is not that day)
Viren, my evil dude, my bad guy, coming in clutch with the worldbuilding and backstory again! If you want to know decades of information, you gotta talk to Viren. Or read his scenes, at least. Here, he seems to not sleep much when he has a big problem to analyze his way through. Solutions trump pretty much everything else in this guy's life, and he's had a really hard week with a lot of new and complicated problems. Of course he's getting sleep-deprived trying to find his way through them all.
Harrow put so much trust in Viren when he made him High Mage! He just threw himself extra hard at that Lady Justice blindfold, didn't he? Didn't really want to see what Viren was doing in his magic study, so he left Viren to his devices. And Viren has a lot of devices.
Also, this is fascinating: Viren made the secret passage to his "less official study" in Katolis Castle! And he was inspired to do so by the way his own mentor kept the Puzzle House. What else could a Puzzle House be, except a place with secret passages? Yay! secret headcanon that "the Puzzle House" is just "Katolis Castle" from Kid Viren's perspective tho
So either Viren built all of those passageways, or at least the ones to his dungeon. Which means he has to have, or know where to get, a stash of those glowing blue Moonshadow crystals. Hmmm.
I can't wait to learn more about Kpp'Ar and young Viren, btw. From this description of Viren and all his literal secret ways, it feels like another parallel between Viren and Runaan, with the whole "secretive paths, members only, insider knowledge" type stuff. Only the really cool members of this cult club get to know the secrets, and guess what, kid, you're cool now but you can never tell anyone, okay? Our secret.
Yeahhh, that'll never backfire in any way for either of them.
Kpp'Ar calling puzzles and secrets "man-made magic," though. Yes sir, knowledge is indeed power.
This chapter mentions Runaan by name, from Viren's perspective. Generally that would imply that Viren knows his name, even though assassins do not share their names, and Runaan didn't seem to give his to Viren in the first book. However, there was a scene in book one where the last paragraph switched perspective from Viren to Runaan - a technique that's very common in visual media like movies and shows and gives you that "ohoho they left the room and didn't notice this, but you do!" vibe. Using Runaan's name there in book one, where Viren couldn't see it but readers could, helps them keep track of the assassin's story arc while maintaining Viren's racism.
So in book two, in which Runaan has no onscreen scenes (alas), using his name in a scene that calls back to the events in book one helps us remember what happened in that dungeon cell. It would be a bit muddier to recall the specifics if Viren kept thinking about Runaan as "Elf." So I'm cool with the perspective nudge because it serves a narrative purpose: clarity. But I'm also enjoying the angst of considering that, somehow, Viren learned Runaan's name either during or after the coining spell. Mwa ha ha haaa. (Obligatory "Keep my pretty name outta your mouth" goes here)
Okay, back to Viren's scheming! He took the mirror because it was human-sized in a dragon lair. He knew it didn't really fit there, and that made it interesting, so he stole it. But he realized it was really powerful when Runaan wouldn't tell him squat about it - the assassin's instinct to protect Xadian secrets from human hands meant that Viren was holding a very powerful Xadian secret. And that just made him want it all the more. Ah, Runaan, if only your relationship with lying was, like, the exact opposite of what it is. Nyx could've spun Viren a believable tale in 2 minutes flat.
Also of interest: Viren considers his cursed coins to be a final fate. He expects Runaan to remain in his coin forever. With the Chekhov's coins still extant in the storyline, we can assume that they'll come up again eventually, but Viren has no current plans to do anything with his elf money except carry it around.
It's worth noting that Viren admits that he got impatient when he trapped Runaan in the coin. Runaan's first fate in Katolis was supposed to be death at Soren's hands, but Claudia "saved" him from that. His next fate was to become spell components, but Viren's frustration with his stubbornness "saved" him from that fate, too. So now he's in a coin, where no one can chop him up at all. Yay? No, boo!
We get one last line about Runaan before Viren shifts gears: he makes a point of noting for us that Runaan's shackles are still locked shut. However much of Runaan made it into that coin - body, soul, hair care products - he was magicked there, pulled right out of his restraints.
The creepy black liquid that Viren pours right into his eyes is the last of a powerful potion he got from Kpp'Ar, and its recipe is ancient! Humans used it back in the age of Elarion to see through the illusions of the world. And we get a delightfully creepy bit of description about the preparation of this serum, which makes it abundantly clear that it's a Moon magic-based concoction, harvested from eyeless vipers on a moonless night, with the threat of irrevocable madness ("madness" by whose definition, though) if it's done wrong-
Hang on. Hold up. This is a Plato's Cave reference. OH MY GOD.
No no I'm fine, this is brilliant. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't figure why there was so much description for a potion prep that Viren didn't even have to perform himself. But now I get it. I see the light. HA. I should make a separate post for this, it's amazing.
Anyway, for reference, the humans who used this serum were called the Oracles of Ophidia, and Ophidia is a taxonomy group that includes all modern snakes. Can you say "creepy ancient snake rites"? I can! Woo!
Viren activates the serum with a spell, but apparently he's never done it before. He's not sure if it's supposed to be hot and bubbly, and he worries that it's been tainted by moonlight.
Oh, I do hope so.
The magic potion hurts, a lot. Viren will do just about anything, to himself or anyone, to do what he believes is necessary. He just risked madness and blindness to find out what this mirror does! Viren. Can you just. Take a nap or something. Have a Snickers.
This chapter gives us a fun clue that I don't remember from the show: when Viren's vision clears and he can see, his reflection has white pupils and the room reflected in the mirror has inverted colors. You know where else has inverted colors?
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You know who else got white pupils for a hot second?
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Okay, now it makes sense! Viren and Lujanne were both seeing into the realm beyond life and death. Him with his moon magic potion, and her with her moon powers on a full moon night at the Moon Nexus. Which is Very Interesting! Is it a direct hint about Aaravos's location, or just a separate cool detail? Orrr, does it look like a direct hint because Aaravos is actually trapped in the world beyond life and death, but it's actually separate and we'll see something about white pupils again later on?
Viren really does have self-esteem issues, we all picked up on it with his rant at his reflection. He throws a fit when he catches himself wondering if he's actually worthless. In the book version of his tantrum, he shoves the mirror and hurls a candelabra instead of flipping a table. He didn't need to shove the mirror to set the fire, but it's in here. Foreshadowing that perhaps, if push comes to shove, Viren will choose himself over Aaravos? Giving Aaravos time to peek through and see that the coast is clear?
Soren, my boyyyyy. He has a rough night at the Moon Nexus because two sides of him are fighting with each other. He struggles to understand Callum's friendship with Rayla, and he also fantasizes about chopping off Rayla's head. One of these is a pretty ordinary thing to do. The other is Soren's internalization of what he needs to do to gain his father's approval. If he brought his dad a chopped off elf head every week, he'd probably feel a lot more confident because Viren would praise him a lot more.
Okay, okay, omg, is it just me, or does the "Moonshadow Madness" story, as it's told in the book, seem like Soren just doesn't know what a monsterfucker is? He thinks an elf bite puts humans under a spell. But vampires are sexy, and some people want them to do more to them than just bite them. A passionate kiss under the moonlight could look very bitey, especially if one of the participants has horns and you're already culturally trained to hate them. No yeah, I'm already headcanoning an actual human-elf kiss that got misunderstood by an observer long ago.
it's Lujanne isn't it, we all know, because what is a love spell but a sweet soft illusion, I mean how else does she get supplies for her Caldera, I ask you, and also Corvus was totally sent to investigate once and he told Soren at camp what he saw
And then back to magefam angst: Soren pretending that his sister's nose-tapping is stupid, even though he actually thinks it's cool, just because their dad thinks it's stupid. Viren, istg. Let your kids like harmless things. It's so cute that Soren taps his nose back at her, though! Like they have their own sibling code. I hope we get to see the nose tap again, especially now that they've chosen different sides. It could mean so much, that they're not too far apart yet.
Rayla knows what buttery pancakes smell like. I love this. Do Moonshadow elves have butter and pancakes, does Rayla eat a stack of eight giant pancakes in the morning? Orrrr it is just illusion food? I don't care, let Rayla have pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. Pancakes will save the world. this message brought to you by the fact that I can't eat pancakes rn, send help
I love that Rayla is both sus of the pancakes and hungry, and that combines into a very motivated "I will get to the bottom of this" attitude. She kind of goes into Poirot Mode when she inserts herself into Soren and Ellis's conversation about Ava, explaining about the wolf's illusion leg and segueing into her claim that the pancakes taste sus. Claudia confirms she used dark magic, and Rayla is furious. It's different than the show's version in that it puts Rayla in detective mode, as the only Moonshadow elf in the scene, and boy does she take that role seriously. Also, she doesn't actually swallow the dark magic pancake bite. It ends up on the ground just like Lujanne's grubs from that earlier meal. These poor kids are so nutrient-starved. You guys gotta eat!!
Rayla's determination and prejudices and the fact that she super knows Harrow is dead all dovetail to make her try repeatedly to persuade Callum that Soren and Claudia are Not To Be Trusted. It's nice that the book keeps taking the time to point out that Rayla is Well Intentioned But Flawed, just like Callum and pretty much every other character in the show. No one is Right All The Time, no one Knows More Than Everyone Else.
Callum loving the sound of Claudia's unique voice is so wholesome. When you like someone, it only makes sense that you like all the things about them that they can't change - like the sound of Claudia's voice. Her choices with dark magic, not so much!
Claudia seems to have the same concerns Soren does about Callum's relationship with Rayla, but she comes out and asks him. The inherent possession implied in "your elf" is interesting, though. Elves are not people to Claudia. They're enemies who can be disassembled for the magic inside them. So maybe more like robots than living beings, if she knew what a robot was. Maybe she heard Soren's "Moonshadow Madness" story and realized he totally missed the kissing implications - but she didn't, and now she's genuinely worried that Rayla could kiss Callum under a full moon and enchant him to do her will. Good thing it's only a half moon, then!
Okay, Callum nervously making a puppet hand and then not knowing what to do with his hands and freaking out about itching and moving and pointy elbows is such a ND mood. The sudden stress of knowing that someone else is noticing your existence and maybe you're Not Existing Right, amirite? Ugh, poor Callum.
The Moon Temple! Omg it's so pretty in the description! Made to be beautiful and useful, full of knowledge but also allowing light and life inside (butterflies and vines). Lujanne, when can I move in, please? Also, it's all the more angsty because Lujanne is the only one who gets to see this beautiful place, but it has lots of chairs and shelves and tables, and it was meant to be used by lots of people. :(((
Claudia knows some of the runes on the walls. She isn't in a hurry to copy the rest of them down or anything, either. Her spellwriting is very precise, and she's a skilled mage. Her father would have made sure she was aware of the dangers of drawing sloppy runes, as much as he made her aware of the dangers of doing dark magic wrong. And the whole point of dark magic is that it's easier to learn than primal magic. Claudia supports her dad and their shared knowledge and life path. She's not gonna go nuts over an elf library she can't translate.
Side note: Between Claudia knowing some Moon runes and Viren building a secret passageway and a dungeon and lighting it with the same blue crystals that Lujanne and Ethari use for light--and Claudia exclaiming that she loves ruins--I wonder once more if there are really Moonshadow ruins somewhere in Katolis, which Viren has found and looted. Father-daughter relic hunting trip, maybe while Soren is away at camp? Omgsh that would be so wild!
Callum out here having a Viren moment with his "I feel powerless unless I've got magic that lets me help" vibes. God. I love their complicated mirroring. One of the hard differences between them is that Callum is very sure dark magic is bad because you have to kill stuff and take its power to cast spells, and he doesn't want to be a person who kills and takes like that. The line he walks to be nice to Claudia on their tour of the Cursed Caldera because he likes her, while telling her that he doesn't want to do her magic, like, ever, is so fine that it might as well be a shifting shadow on the ground. It's a very fitting conversation to be having during the half moon, with its tricks and little white lies.
Callum being out of the castle and his comfort zone, having to deal with the fact that the Claudia he loves is not quite the Claudia who's chasing him down across the kingdom, but of the two of them, he's the only one with a problem with this.
They say that if you really want to get to know someone, you should spend time with them outside their comfort zone - in heavy traffic, with a small baby, taking care of a new pet, trying a new skill, following unfamiliar directions, etc. While the castle is familiar territory for them both, Callum's never really found his comfort zone yet, while Claudia is pretty comfortable with her growing skill set. The creepy part starts to kick in when Callum begins to realize that Claudia's comfort zone encompasses a whole bunch of stuff that seems like it should make her uncomfortable... but it doesn't. But that'll be for a future chapter!
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wildselkie · 4 years
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Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)
Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)
*not ordered in which is better or worse, but it will be in chronological order*
Also some things are worded weirdly. I have a pain in the ass time trying to get my thoughts across in words so... I thank you for your patience :))
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1) The scene where Callum, Ezran, and Rayla find the dragon prince. Ep. 2
I think this is one of the more pivotal moments in the show. I mean it is literally the scene that sets the story in motion after all! Two human princes, an elf assassin, and the lost dragon prince (who was thought to be dead/gone/egg destroyed(?)).. this is just IT.
*also i’m aware that Ez probably found the egg first cos he already knew about this secret area but still
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2) Viren (attempts to) proposes the idea to trade his life in for Harrow. Ep. 3
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Now there are other well thought and well written posts on this scene with Viren and Harrow, so I won't waste your time with all the gushy stuff. I find this scene important because it shows the lengths that Viren would go for his friend. Whether he's doing out of the goodness of his heart or some other selfish reason... maybe both(?)..
!WARNING! MINI VIREN POST ALERT EVEN THO I SAID I WOULDN'T GET INTO IT
In the book Moon, it dives deeper into the plot along with expressing the characters' thoughts and feelings. As for Viren, it's stated in the book that he wanted to:
"offer his life for Harrow's, but he wanted him to understand that this was more than just a sacrifice of a subject to his king. This was personal"
"... he would need to be straightforward. He wanted to say simply I love you and I will die for you" (Ehasz 80).
I have no doubts that Viren didn't not love Harrow or anything of the sorts, but at the same time it feels like there was another motive. Maybe there was, who knows.
All we know about Viren is that he's a father of two (Claudia & Soren), divorced/ separated from his wife, and he's a dark mage. Of course there's some more (like he's taller than Harrow according to the character line up)... also his staff... like if you look at it, it's the same one as the mage who faced Sol Regem all those centuries (?) ago. Maybe he's related to him, or possibly descended from one of the followers. I'd imagine that teaching dark magic may be a thing within his family and ancestors... he taught Claudia dark magic. That doesn't prove anything but it's a small thought.
ANYWAY-- this scene is one of many scenes that show Viren in a vulnerable state. The book gives a look into how he felt when he decided to sacrifice himself and everything. It's just interesting and I'm here for it. 
3) Amaya and her weapons grade baguette Ep. 4
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On a less serious and more fun note, the fact that Amaya is a breakfast connoisseur is just perfect. Amazing. Fantabulous.
"As a breakfast connoisseur, she was offended that Ezran would neglect a hearty morning meal" (Ehasz 120).
I only emboldened and italicized "offended" because in the show YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE HER FACE WHEN EZ TELLS HER.
Bruh she was so offended lmaooo
It's right at 13:36 time in the show... the slow zoom in and all 😂
4) Amaya and Gren meeting Viren at the statue Ep. 5
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I’m trying to see if I should have paired this with the first scene where Amaya arrives first. That scene is pretty calm but has a somber feeling. It introduces the relationship of Amaya and Sarai without having to directly say it. 
But this scene here is... interesting. Not in a good way or bad way, but we see they’re reminiscing of the past. At some point, they all got along nicely. Callum even noted in his spellbook that Viren’s family became like a second family to him when he moved to the castle. 
This interaction was cute tho. It started out positive (sort of) with them joking about Viren eating the last jelly tart which pissed Sarai off lol. But then Viren went on to apologize to Amaya and reassured her that what he does is out of the goodness of his heart and love for Katolis. But...
“Aaaaand, he’s back, Amaya thought” (Ehasz 150). 
And then went on to sign that he’s on a bunch of bs. See? Even Amaya knows he’s full of shit lol. But really tho... it makes me wonder how much of bs Viren goes on even before the events of the current story line. 
5) Rayla saves Bait from the sea monster Ep. 5
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Let us give a round of applause for Rayla going against her fear of water to save Bait, the grumpy frog who hates her. I think this just goes to show how compassionate Rayla really is. This would include the time when she goes back to grab bait back in the banther lodge in episode 4. 
6) Viren giving his kids their *secret* missions Ep. 6
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Okay this isn’t just one scene. I cheated yeah yeah whatever >:3
When Viren is telling Soren what he must do when he finds the princes, at first he doesn’t fully get it, but then.. OH n0
Viren’s intentions are starting to unfold and come together as one. Like, this man just told his own SON that should he find the princes, he should kill them. This 18 yr old bby 
bruh
And Viren didn’t say it aloud, but he heavily implied it. Only to then gaslight him later on when Claudia confronts him in prison. 
As for Claudia, Viren tells her that she must retrieve the egg. And do everything in her power to bring it back, even if it means that she’ll have to sacrifice Soren... her own damn brother ;-;
7) When Callum finally lets Rayla hold the egg Ep. 6
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This scene is pretty big. Rayla knows that Harrow is long gone and is trying to find a way to tell them. Obviously she doesn’t choose the best time to try it.
They were in a dire situation that could potentially kill them (even tho they had plenty of those moments already). The reason why this scene is so big is because it shows her struggle to break the bad news (ever since the right binding fell) as she continues to grow closer to them. Here you can see Callum passing the egg to her, despite her hand being in the terrible state that it is in. It is also the scene where right before passing it, he finally tells Rayla that he trusts her. 
8) Human Rayla!! Ep. 7
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Human Rayla is so corny but it’s the good kind of corny. One of the best comedic jokes in the series! 
That is all cos human Rayla needs an AU of being a nighttime tv host or smthg
9) Viren and Runaan Ep. 8
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yo this is alot okay. The scenes with these two introduced some Moonshadow philosophy and such (ie. not being scared of death). Runaan being the stoic and serious assassin that he is. And Viren not having any of this shit. 
There are three major things here:
 Runaan knows about the mirror and is most likely aware of who Aaravos is. He literally says, “That mirror? You have found something worse than death.” Goddamn...
And then Viren just... trapped his soul.. his essence into a goddamn coin. Just like that? wow. And hold it, almost admiring it in front of Gren. 
Also this is the first time we officially see Viren in that form. In the beginning of episode 5 we are given a darkened silhouette of Viren and the butterflies. But here we see the damage resulted from years of having done dark magic, and it’s horrifying. He is the high mage and all but goddamn. I mean with every action there are consequences so- 
10) Callum destroying the primal stone Ep. 9
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I feel like this is one of the “of course it’s this one!” scenes but it really is! Callum realizes that only a sky dragon can be hatched in the eye of storm and there he is with a literal storm in his hand. By now, Callum has come to understanding what feels right and that being a mage is his destiny. But he also understands that he needs to sacrifice some things for new beginnings. This whole journey was to get the lost dragon prince home and restore balance and peace and with the egg starting to die... well you can’t really do that without the egg. 
It’s at 18:50 where he realizes all of this. It’s one of the big boy moments in the show. Seriously, it’s a big moment and the suspension helped get the feels in. And we got a cute baby dragon!! 
End, begin. it’s all the same. (pls someone get that reference ;-;;;)
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Some honorable mentions:
- Episode 7: Claudia and Soren interacting. I love their sibling bond; it’s so silly and sweet and I love it. It makes me wish I had an older brother of some sort. 
Ellis and Ava,, I like the flashback story given when they meet the dragang. I just like it, okay? Smol chiald w/ smol wolf pup and a hippie Lujaane seeing the beauty & strength in Ava. 
CGI Coran. That all I have to say about that guy lmao
- Episode 8: When the group is going up the cursed caldera and they encounter that giant leech. Like can we just appreciate Callum’s funny way of making out a plan? Fat respect for that. 
Another is when the group split up and waited for the leech to leave. The conversation between Ellis and Callum were sweet as was the one between Rayla and Ez. I loved Ellis’s admiration for Callum being a mage. And her expectations of what a mage was is pretty hilarious. So wholesome. The same goes for Ez when he gave Rayla that daily fill of positivity. 
Like... Ellis is telling Callum how smart and confident and cool he is. And meanwhile Callum is like... it’s not me, it’s this. *whips out primal stone* And she goes on to tell him that she believe he’ll be amazing with or without the stone. 
And Rayla is telling Ez how she failed in her job of killing the enemy. And Ez is telling her how she’s awesome at everything she does.
this is the positive wholesome shit I come for like... this is parallels but GODDAMNIT it’s so.. ;;;;-;;
Yo this is long ENOUGH! Thank you so damn much if you read to the end. You’re the real beauties. Anywho... uh parts 2 and 3 will be up soon. 
 It’s 11 now so I need some sleep. goodnight kids
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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years
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Dragonic Musings: A Squiggle Meister’s Blunt Ramblings about The Dragon Prince S2.
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So I just wrapped up watching S2 of The Dragon Prince and I’m going to be blunt:
///SPOILERS FOR THE DRAGON PRINCE S2 AHEAD///
#1: How is it that this series is able to fit so much into just 9 episodes without feeling rushed? It tells a lot needed for the season but still leaves enough to keep me wanting more episodes. The writing in this series is sooo good.
#2: Queen Anya, you go girl! I actually clapped for this character. This girl don’t play. Your queen mommas didn’t birth no fool. I also loved how they handled the backstory about the three queens; three mothers who went down as legends fighting to aid their kingdoms and their people. I don’t know how the LGBT community is going to react to TDP’s representation with the two queens. The last time we got a Netflix series created by people who originally worked on A:TLA and had same-sex lovers who died, it wasn’t well-received. So for what it’s worth, I hope there wasn’t any backlash of any kind.
The Dragon Prince thus far has been really good with handling its diverse cast of characters and the storytelling for this show is as sweet as a jumbo jelly tart. It’s that good. At least to me.
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#3: Whoever creates the artwork used in the credits for The Dragon Prince---I love you. I mean, the whole production team at Wonderstorm and cast of this series has my love but I wanted to spot light the credits artist because I love how TDP adds a little something extra in the credits.
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#4:  Can someone please free the precious Strawberry Boi? His captivity for S1 was cute but now in S2, he needs to be set free. Free him.
#5: Speaking of Strawberry Boy, dear The Dragon Prince, how many husbandos are you going to keep giving me? I mean you already gave me Runaan, Strawberry Boy, Ezran’s new smexilious bodyguard---a beautiful chocolate man, yes. Loving all these wonderful flavours of husbandos that TDP is spoiling me with, yes and yes. But I already had my hands full with the beautiful husbandos we got from Book 1. Now after Book 2, there is Aaravos and might I say…HOT DIGGITY GIGGITY DAMN! Aaravos, you can whisper in my ear through a magical purple worm headset any day. It’s bad enough that he’s another sexy elf husbando (why) but his voice---oh my stars, his voice. His voice slicker than melted caramel drizzling on ice-cream. I should not like this man…but I do. I GIGGITY DIGGITY DIG THIS DUDE! How can one so evil be so fine? Why you do this to me, TDP?
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 #6: All things considered, I’m happy to see that Viren has found himself a new man after King Harrow. Good for you! Not good for everybody else but good for you Viren.
#7: Claudia, Claudia, Claudia…I do not hate this girl. As a Rayllum shipper, I understand that Claudia is a thorn in my ship however, that being said, I don’t hate Claudia. As a matter of fact, I want nothing but happiness for my lil witchy girl. I see her going down a dark path that I do not like. No Claudia, you too dorky and pure for the dark side girl. Don’t be like your daddy!  I would say Soren needs to save his sister but he need saving too. They both need saving. Can someone adopt these two, please? Can someone GOOD adopt them? I want Claudia and Soren to abandon their dad and just go on their own journey to find their mother. Can that be their story for S3 please? Can we just have Claudia and Soren go find their mother, please. I’m worried for Claudia. She straight up Bambi’s mother that poor deer with magic. Yes she did it to help her brother but, this left me curious about something.
What if, Soren’s rehabilitation is only temporary? What if Claudia will have to keep stealing magic from living things to keep her brother from returning to his own paralysis while damning herself in the process? While that would be good for developing Claudia and Soren’s bond, I don’t want to see this because…I don’t want to see Claudia fall into the same path as her father. However…I think that’s what is being set up and I am worried. My dorky villainous children!
 #8: I liked how they handled explaining death to children. That was great how they made that nice parallel between King Harrow telling Callum about his mom and Callum essentially trying to tell Ez about his father. I don’t think Harrow is dead though. His soul is in the green bird isn’t he? The same green bird that got away and will probably meet up with Ez in S3. Cannot wait.
#9: I felt a little bad for Bait this season. It looked almost as if Ezran had replaced him with Zym. It wasn’t like that at all since Ez was only trying to raise Zym. But at least we got to see Bait bond with Callum. That was sweet.
#10: Zym and Ez share a psychic link?! What the what? Okay, we going full Eragon up in this bitch. Okay. I dig it. It’s a way to keep Ez connected to Zym and essentially Callum and Rayla.
#11: As sad as I am to see Ezran go. As much as I’m sad to see the dream team---the dragonic trio split, my pathetic giant Rayllum shipping heart is performing cartwheels and summersaults right now. 
Rayla and Callum are going to be travelling alone together (with Zym) for a whole season eh? How perfect ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Especially after that little confession moment from Rayla with Callum. I’m loving where this is going. I’m loving where they’re taking Rayla in terms of her growing ties to Callum. I’m just waiting for our dear boy to catch up.
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According to Callum in C2 (I think), he and Rayla aren’t there yet. But fear not, I’m a patient shipper so I shall wait. But boy did I enjoy those little Rayllum breadcrumbs. They be delicious. I ate good for this season. RWBY take notes for RoseGarden.
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But yeah, I think that’s it for my thoughts on TDP S2. I enjoyed this season. I had planned on watching it half and half but as soon as I got through the first 4-5 episodes, I couldn’t put it down. I ended up watching the full 9 in one sitting this morning.
To my friends who told me I would love S2, you were right. I did. I am looking forward to seeing how far this story goes. More and more layers to the world of TDP is being brought in and I’m interested to see where it will take the fans. I hope there is going to be a S3 and I hope that it will be a routine where we get a new season once every year. But we’ll see.
Overall, I can’t wait.
~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)
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too-much-tdp · 5 years
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Analysis of Elarion’s poem - City Perspective
@siderealsentinel has written up a really cool theory about Elarion being a city and I really really like it. And the reason for that is because finally the poem makes sense to me.
When I read it for the first time, it sounded so weird. None of the phrases really made sense to me. I interpreted it as being about a human and thought “Well, I guess it’s supposed to mean something like she grows up (seedling, pulling roots, her open flower -> adulthood etc.) and that she’s in need of help and that she spreads dark magic (spreads her roots).” But nevertheless it didn’t feel satisfying. The metaphors didn’t feel like very goid descriptions of human experiences to me. Kind of, as if someone was trying just a bit too hard to sound different, mysterious and poetic.
But now, when I read it from the perspective of a city suddenly everything makes sense to me. Everything falls into place automatically. The metaphors suddenly seem fitting and don’t feel like forceful attempts at colourful speech.
And since I’m confusing Tumblr with English class right now, I will quickly go over every verse. : D
Also, I will sound exactly as pretentious as you would expect if from a poem analysis!
In general I think the growing tree metaphor is a very good parallel for a little settlement or small town (seedling) growing over time, streching its roots --> growing and occupying more land, stretching its branches --> amongst others: buildings growing higher towards the sky, open flower --> a city being at its peak, economically, politically culturally and socially. It sounds like the city is thriving, perhaps very rich and possibly quite influental in Xadia.
Elarion, trembling seedling Lying on the ground on an icy night. And in the cold She pulled her roots Defying the deadly winter bite.
This sounds, obviously, like the beginning. A small settlement, weak and with little rescources whose people have a hard time surviving the winter because they lack so much. But somehow it manages to grow into a blooming city:
Elarion, and her open flower, Afraid of wilt, darkness and death, She searched the darkness For a Spark And caught the eyes of a hungry dragon.
However, the city fears the loss of their fortunate situation, their peak, their wealth, their influence. This could either be due to greed or because they fear that they could never withstand magic forces as mere non-magical beings. Or both. So, in order to avoid a possible downfall and the wilting of their city, they search for means to prevent such a case. The spark could mean that they look for a source of magic. Maybe they’re trying to amass magical jewels, primal stones and other natural carriers of energy that they can use.
It is possible that they don’t really go about it in a measured way. Maybe they’re desperate and are too intense in their actions, maybe they’re greedy and try to take too much, maybe they’re too aggressive and it leads to conlficts with surrounding settlements and magical beings. No matter what, their work surely doesn’t go unnoticed and they attract a dragon. (Perhaps they wronged him in their pursuit and it wants revenge. Perhaps it’s just evil and they were unfortunat enough to wake its interest.) Elarion, the fearful fool, Reached her white branches toward the night, Asking the stars To receive their light And stop the fire of the raging dragon.
Now, that they’re faced with an enemy, that seems to be too powerful for them to defeat, their fear starts to make them foolish. Perhaps this is a hint, that they’re so desperate that they’d welcome any solution. Even if it is harmful and risky to themselves and others...like dark magic.
Before that happens though, they turn to the help of the stars which - as most assume - are the startouch elves (and maybe other starbound intelligent creatures) to save them from the dragon.
Receive their light could either just mean that they ask for their “blessing” and their mercy and hope the elves will stop the dragon for the humans. Or it could indicate that the humans asked to receive power - perhaps a star primal stone (which would be a literal physical embodiment of the stars’ light) - in order to fight the dragon themselves.
Personally I think it is the latter for a couple of reasons: It fits well with the theme of humans seeking out magic for their own gains and protection. Even without an arcanum humans could thrive a lot more if they owned more magical utensils like primal stones or arcane gems (they’d still be disadvantaged because those things are rare but if every city or so had their primal-stone equipped mage then they’s already be a much bigger force to be reckoned with). Also, unlike dark magic, it’s save. However the Danish text implies that humans aren’t considered equal. So perhaps the mere idea of humans using magic is considered an affront and their question for a primal stone could be seen as a big offense, making the elves even less willing to help.
Elarion, a heavy body, Cried as the stars of the sky turned to black, They turned their backs They concealed their light, They left Elarion to die.
A heavy body could mean that they’re already under attack and have taken substantial damage, making it hard for them to recover. For some reason - justified or not - the startouch elves abandoned the city. Maybe they didn’t see it as worthy because of their disdain for humans, maybe humans had done something arguably wrong in their attempts to keep their city strong and healthy and the elves thought its destruction was justified. As a consequence the city is facing its demise.
Elarion, her shell struggled death, She withered and suffered in darkness, Until the last star Linked from afar: a fire, a gift, a spark.
However in the last moment, right before their death, Elf Jesus - or Elf Satan - appears and gives them the power that they have so desperately searched for. A spark, magic.
Elarion, with her pure whiteness, Embraced the great black night flame. When she bent down, She declared her faith, She whispered, "Aaravos," his name.
The pure whiteness could have a double meaning, referring to the still innocent city on the one hand but perhaps also to the stone the city is primarily built with (not as important, but who knows). Maybe Elarion, being an important city, was famous for its white, bright cityscape.
Going back to the fearful fool, the city readily accepts a dark powerful force that is given to them.
Now here it becomes really interesting because the more obvious way to read it, is that Aaravos gave them dark magic directly. Either because he thought human empowerment justifies a possibly dangerous force since they have nothing else left. Or because he’s a bastard who wanted to cause a human-elf conflict deliberately.
No matter what, the city considers Aaravos their saviour and the humans pledge their loyalty to him (oh...). They become his disciples - maybe more in a scholarly way or maybe with much more religous undertones - but either way, they declare their faith to him and follow him.
The other interpretation, that siderealsentinel suggested, is that Aaravos merely tried to give them arcane magic but along the way humans discovered dark magic. Maybe they wrongfully associated his name with the practise by vocally following him/worshipping him and spreading the belief in Xadia that he is actually the source, when that was never his intention.
Another possibility is a middle-ground between these two, namle that he thought dark magic was a necessery tool for humans to connect to an arcanum (see Callum). So he introduced them to the dark flame, in an attempt to lead them to their arcanum but sadly humans didn’t really share his vision and thought dark magic was much more convinient. And that sweet moment of revenge, when you kill a dragon and actually use its body to conjure more magic that you can turn against other dragons.
I think this also opens up the possibility that Aaravos’ very bitter words to Viren are not in fact about the elves that imprisoned him (if he was imprisoned at all - that seems debatable, too), but about the humans to whom he extended loyalty and friendship but who...yes...ignored him. They failed his test of love. (Sorry, I’m really going overboard here. And eventually it could still very well relate to the elves and dragons. From interviews it sounds like he still has a special interest in humans? Or maybe he’s pissed at everyone. Everyone betrayed him. And on top of that he has to wear pants now.)
Elarion, black-eyed child, Her twisted roots spread deep and far, The humans’ might Sparked by the light Of Aaravos, her midnight star.
Elarion, being the capital of dark magic, spreads out. This could either mean that they literally expand and forcefully subjugate their surroundings, bringing dark magic to the humans living in the land they take in. Or it’s a metaphor for the citizens of Elarion merely spreading the word/the gospel and the practise of dark magic amongst humans.
They do all of this in the name of Aaravos - who may or may not like this depending on his intentions and the level of aggression the Elarion citizens employ.
However, one way or another, as their spiritual leader of some sorts he has become the guiding star of the city. The light in the dark midnight they had to face before. Either because he supported the spread of dark magic until it reached a desastrous tipping point (that he may or may not have wanted to happen) or because he accidently pushed them into the wrong direction and now they’re taking it everywhere and crediting him as their saviour (if only they’d be more like instagram art reposters in this regard...)
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raayllum · 1 year
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Consider the half moon
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raayllum · 1 year
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What Aaravos says : And i can better serve you
What Aaravos means : And you can better serve me
So like I've been mulling this over because
What is the difference between a servant and a pawn, if there is one?
Is such an interesting question, thematically. And it shows how someone can take concepts and either purposefully misconstrue them or genuinely honour them, which is to say: King Harrow and Aaravos are set up as perfect ideological opposites and I think it's really fucking cool.
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Where Harrow sees strength in children
"The great illusion of childhood is that adults have all the freedom and power. But the truth is the opposite: a child is freer than a king."
Aaravos sees them as someone to dismiss
"These are the champions you've gathered to try and stop me? Why, they're nothing but pathetic children."
Where Harrow did his best to be a servant king as the most powerful person in his kingdom, for Aaravos (the most powerful being in the world), it is a guise and a mask
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Their hatred of arrogance
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as well as the core principle of Freedom that Harrow has that Aaravos is chasing, both interwoven and passed down to Callum in giving him the Key
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Where Harrow did everything he could to make Callum feel welcome and at home in their family, Aaravos merely wants to add him to a collection of pawns
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There are also old concept art in which Aaravos was blindfolded, reminiscent of Harrow's choice from Lady Justice. Not to mention Harrow as someone who was like Aaravos (and many others) in that he perpetuated the cycle out of misplaced love / a rageful grief (which, if Aaravos is doing the same because he fell in love with a human, would also provide those sweet Harrai parallels) but unlike Aaravos, he changed his mind. Even if their ideas of servitude are a bit similar, re: the kneeling motif
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Which of course, makes sense; Harrow was a man with his life tragically shortened, burdened by regret, anchored by his own crown/chain and by the end of his life, believed wholeheartedly in the Narrative of Love. Even more than someone like Viren, Aaravos appears to wholeheartedly believe in a Narrative of Strength (especially if there is no one left he loves). Which is why I think it's so interesting like, Arc 1 for Harrow is a tragedy told in retrospect and at least partially in reverse; unlike everyone else, he never lives to see the Dragon Prince that he felt so much guilt over returned, that the peace he probably wanted (for his sons if nothing else) was not only achievable, but something that happened. And now Arc 2 is starting to shift the stage, beginning in S4 with setup, of being a tragedy for everyone else who outlived him (for S5 and S6 at least) because the Wheel of the Cycle has yet to stop fully turning and it's so fucking good?
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Which is compounded with what I've touched on more briefly before of each of the Main Trio having Core Traits of Harrow that they are then responsible for carrying for the sake of thematic exploration.
Rayla is Harrow's martyrdom (right or wrong) and concept of paying the price, as well as hunting down 'monsters' to solve all her problems; Callum wrestles with Harrow's temptation regarding dark magic and the weight of choices / unintended consequences; Ezran has the place as literal king with a reinvigorated crown and having to well, be king, as well as upholding a relationship to Xadia / the dragon monarchy that's the opposite of his father. All three of them are called to Do Better.
So Aaravos being in some ways the embodiment of history - powerful, ancient, unknown and lost to time - is the perfect opposing threat, because how can you Free yourself from the Past, from the Chains of History, if you can't "learn from it, understand it, and then let it go"?
But like Harrow said so long ago, and as S4 is demonstrating even in a post-outright war world
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And now we get to see it unfold first hand
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raayllum · 8 months
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Why does Rayla hide the K'ppar coin from Callum?
I don't think she hides it so much from him as it was wanting to 1) focus on the well, crux of the reveal scene and 2) both their character arcs. (I'm sure Rayla didn't leave Kpp'Ar there, as anyone Viren coined she'd have reason to believe is a good person / not her enemy, even if 4x05 shows her "i must save everyone innocent" instinct is less absolute rn). It's similar to why Runaan is the coin held up in front of Rayla's face / receives the most focus, cause Callum has no reason to have reservations about Lain and Tiadrin, but he does about Runaan (which 5x01 also effectively reminds us of with "the weapon that killed the king") and yet Callum doesn't care. Unconditional compassionate love and all that, which is supposed to be the focus of their talk in 5x04 on both their sides - Rayla finally choosing to open up out of love and not guilt and Callum responding exactly the way she needed him to when she does despite it's something he easily could've taken badly
Kpp'Ar is one of the reasons I'm hoping that if/when Callum does free the coined people next season, he isn't possessed solely because of it and the two get a chance to talk for 1) developing Kpp'Ar as a character, 2) Callum's dark path arc since Kpp'Ar swore off dark magic and 3) those sweet Viren-Callum parallels
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raayllum · 10 months
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After the new short story drop... forget about Ezran and Callum's arguments, HOW IS EZRAN GOING TO REACT TO RUNNAN'S BOW W/RAYLA????????????
I am deeply intrigued by the potential of Callum finding the bow (the literal weapon that spilled their father's body) and subsequently willing to work in tandem with Rayla wielding it in S5 vs Ezran finding the arrow - a symbolic representation of the murder - and well, breaking it under his boot. (Garlaath's merciless boot of crushing, anyone?). It makes me wonder if an old theory I had, of Runaan's remaining binding on his arm providing a tether to Ezran, may come into play with both brothers aiding in freeing the Moon fam, but we'll have to see.
I admit, I had assumed that Ezran's lack of immediate long term proximity to Rayla - thereby not having to interact with Runaan, really, more than he'd want to, in comparison to Callum, who will presumably be his son-in-law someday - would mean that Ezran would have an easier time with Runaan than Callum would... but in some ways, Runaan took more from Ezran than he did from Callum. Runaan took not just Ezran's last remaining parent, but the only parent he'd ever known, and one he was fully comfortable with. He was far younger, so Runaan took his childhood, and saddled him with kingship from age 9 onwards, which... yeah, be pissed as hell, baby boy. (You could argue that Runaan and his patterns / assassin-y encouragements that were passed down to Rayla are also what took her away from the boys, particularly Callum, for two fitful years, but that's a post for another day.)
Ezran is also crueler, I think, or at least more outwardly angry, towards Rayla in 2x08 than Callum is to her in 2x03 each time the secret comes out. Part of this is I think because Callum already had an inkling/basically knew and just didn't want to accept it (and was older) whereas Ezran was blindsided. I've long thought that Ezran would have good reason to be angry at Callum and Rayla, still, for not telling him in S2 (it was understandable, but also fucked up, and could easily lead to a breach in trust there, however subconscious).
I think Ezran will have an easier time understanding Rayla's side - he's friendly with Zubeia, who ordered the hit and who he's gotten to know as a Person ("Zubeia is gentle and kind and funny") - because no matter what Runaan did, he's still her father, and well... Ezran sure as hell misses his Dad, too. Rayla will also, most likely, be against any sort of dark magic risk as well, so they're more aligned there.
Ezran going back to stomp the arrow reminded me a lot of Claudia tricking Rayla in 4x09, which is to say - younger, typically more passive siblings who were forced to be more active in uniquely taking up the heavy burden of their father's powerful mantle, while their older brother got off comparatively scot free? Yeah.
I think Ezran could have a harder time with Callum's involvement because 1) this man took their dad away, and Callum has no personal relationship to Runaan (although I'm sure meeting Ethari, which Ez has not, impacted him) and 2) the anger and fear at Callum being willing to risk himself as well could be a wedge. Even maybe getting at "You're going to risk yourself for Rayla when you nearly died last time" mixed with "You're not going to listen to me when I've been right here the whole time?" because well - she did leave both of them. And if they make plans or discuss the coins and wait to bring Ezran into the loop? It's their joint secret keeping in S2 all over again, and he has every reason to be hurt about that.
But yeah as someone who's wanted Ezran to have Big Messy On Screen Feelings explored in depth for a while, a possible "Ezran feels hopeless/angry" arc, and a Broyals conflict episode/arc (for those sweet Viren-Harrow parallels) I am thrilled. This is everything I could've ever wanted for him tbh
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raayllum · 1 year
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aaravos gets released on a new moon. you know, for the vibes
Okay it's Funny you say that because I was working on another meta yesterday (about S4 and Rayllum's interpersonal duality in it) and was reflecting on S1-S3's earlier examples of duality (both good and bad from the magma titan mission, the half moon metaphor, etc) and stumbled upon, well
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Claudia's hair as phases of the moon, for those sweet Raydia parallels
So Claudia starting out completely oppositional as Rayla (new moon vs full moon) on the full moon night of the attack, where Claudia is nothing but loyal to her father and Rayla defies hers (hi Runaan). And them being tethered to this again in 2x02 Half Moon Lies
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Claudia before the date on the left, Rayla after the date / broken news on the right. And we see this reflected in the way that Callum walks out of the darkness (remember, Claudia's hair is wholly black at this point) and toward the light (and keeps choosing Rayla in the next episode as well).
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However, as I've said before, the series' associations with Light are not that well, black and white. Light here isn't necessarily a good thing - Callum is grief stricken, and even the most important truths can hurt more than anything (sometimes especially then).
For Claudia, keeping her dark hair is a sign of her humanity / overall wellbeing. That's why the end of S2 chips away at it, and the end of S3 even more so. S4 sets up something particularly interesting, though, given the timeline.
Rayla, after all, arrives in Katolis one day after Claudia revives her father (Callum's actual birthday and Viren's rebirth day). And Rayla arrives on the full moon.
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Which means that give or take a day (and TDP's phases of the moon have never been the Most consistent thing, outside of full moons) Aaravos is set to be released on a full moon. This has very Moonshadow-y implications, of course, as well as the cube being a flash of bright white light in the 4x04 intro before Aaravos picks his little Callum game piece up (which would track with the light symbolism) but it also means that well
I think, assuming it's the end of S5, Claudia is going to go full or almost full white hair, on the full moon while releasing Aaravos
I just think it'd be Neat
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raayllum · 10 months
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really mulling over the likelihood of what i detailed here (amid a different set of speculation for s5 perhaps) of my “rayla destroying and saving callum” pattern going 1) destruction first (like freeing the moon fam) and 2) salvation second (breaking him free of possession, maybe in s5 or even in s6) rather than the CHET engine of 1) salvation first and 2) destruction second. both allow for their own Tragic Cliffhangers, but with the arc decidedly split down the middle rather having both presumably crammed into s5 or stretched out through to s6. also means that book 6: star(?) can have the possession plot line (literal agency vs destiny with those same sweet rayla-aaravos parallels and duality), explorations of stella, and the cube (which is decidedly a secret of aaravos / linked to deep ancient magic and understanding in Some way) unencumbered, as well as possible parallels of viren and soren trying to bring claudia home with everyone else working to bring callum home as well. y’know, for the Foils
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raayllum · 1 year
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Before s4 came out I didn't follow anyone here (didn't know you guys existed) so I was sitting there trying to point out parallels between Callum and Viren and how wild it would be if in a canon divergence au they would forced to work together and how horrified they would be as they slowly realized shit we are alike, and maybe even a good team and all of my friends were like????? Honey, sit down, maybe to watch something else, touch grass outside?
Which, fair. BUT NOW HOWEVER I know I'm not crazy 'cause your posts are in my dash to not only say yeah, those two nerds have their similarities but to point out so much other things I wouldn't have guessed like never, so all this rant to say thanks, now I can go back on my bullshit with your beautiful gifs as cientifical proof I'm in fact so right
Hello & first off, welcome to the fandom, I hope you're having a great time!! And thank you for sending this ask in because Viren-Callum parallels are literally one of my favourite things in the entire show!!
And have been for quite a while (as this post documents, from post-S2 onwards back in Feb 2019 I've been chugging that sweet foils juice and only getting continually more fed), I always figured S4 would majorly ramp it up (just like S2 did from S1) but I am still thrilled beyond my wildest dreams that the foil dynamic is becoming this richly layered / complex / overt, y'know?
I think in terms of personality presentation Viren and Rayla are very similar as well (which I still need to do a S4 update for them whoops) but in terms of narrative weight and arcs and Viren's personality beyond his independence/paranoia? It's Callum all the way down, 100%
Like, they were already tied together as mages with Claudia's loyalty to each of them pit directly against one another (with Viren unsurprisingly winning) as well as brothers to the king (Harrow, Ezran). As Callum lets go of titles and calls Harrow Dad, Harrow insists on Viren using his title formally (which Viren already often did so) and Viren forsakes him as a brother. The plume of Harrow's funeral pyre in 1x04 going into Callum's primal stone transition shot; Viren going to the butterflies to de-corrupt himself while Callum looks at the Star primal on the cube, etc.
I've always been fond of Callum having to work with Claudia or Viren if/when the two mages come back across the moral horizon line, purely because those dynamics are so complicated and tainted, and yet they are also two people who can uniquely understand Callum's headspace and attachment to magic (or perhaps not unique understanding, but like, mirroring, haha?) I've written Callum and Claudia doing so before but idk if I've written Viren and Callum (although I have written them being on friendlier terms in "looking for a way to break in," although it's a very small part of the fic). I may have to write a canon divergence at one point where Callum is taken on as an apprentice to Viren (or Viren's old mentor Kpp'Ar even) but we shall see
Because like, they're both smart and clever and research focused, and just pragmatic enough to not be completely opposed (if they had a common goal) but Callum would have some lines he isn't willing to cross to the same capacity, which would keep Viren in check, and Viren could bring in knowledge/experience Callum doesn't have by virtue of just being so much younger. As well as primal mage (and friend of Xadians) Callum having access and knowledge of things that may surprise Viren and teach him a thing or two in addition
I think what makes me the most excited though is a couple of things stacked on top of each other, tbh
Viren's speech in 4x04, regarding, "I have always been ready to do anything to protect my family, however dangerous, however vile. In the name of love, you may perform acts so unforgivable, you can never forgive yourself" just as Callum finds a new consequence for doing dark magic way back when
We see Callum in 4x07 is later horrified of the possession mostly because "I'm afraid he'll force me to do awful things. Or hurt people I care about" (as Callum has already done, if not vile, then dangerous things to protect his loved ones, notably Ezran and Rayla)
The fact that Viren doing something awful to save Soren as a kid is now working it's way in the show (also in 4x07) of "You would be dead without Dad's magic" to be explored further in S5
Callum also having to inevitably fail to free Aaravos, with all the symbolism behind the idea ("Accidents happen" "On purpose" / "I hope it was worth it to you, putting everyone's lives in danger" / "This doesn't end well for you" / "It's the key of Aaravos, no good will come of it") that he may have more of an active hand in purposefully freeing him under coercion, also possibly in S5
Like if Callum and Ezran start being tested in s5, and Callum saves Ez at any cost (thus leaping over how Viren and Harrow failed each other bc those sweet generational parallels? Gold). Or Viren wanting to save Claudia and not wanting Aaravos to be freed, with perhaps Callum freeing Aaravos in order to save someone like Rayla but
Just having parallels with Aaravos thus far hasn't been the main reason, it seems, to have such an intense foil relationship between Viren and Callum, but there's still gotta be a bigger reason, and it really feels to me like this aspect of Viren might be why he and Callum have been so contrasted with each other
Other posts u can show ur friends if you want to:
My general Viren-Callum foils tag
A pre-S4 breakdown of all the ways they parallel each other season by season
A post-S4 breakdown of how they parallel each other with some bonus foil stuff
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B2:S - Chapter 3
Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.
Here be Lujanne, Callum, Rayla, Ezran, Bait, and Soren goodness!
Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.
Lujanne having excellent fitness for all her walking around the Moon Nexus, and she's so energetic that Callum has trouble keeping up with her! She seems like those active grandmas who almost never stop moving, who have a lifelong supply of endless stamina. It makes me wonder if Lujanne will need that level of fitness for some upcoming conflict.
Callum feeling really hungry over not eating grubs and then still deciding he'd rather be hungry. It makes me wonder all over again how Lujanne got to the point where she eats grubs, considering that other Moonshadow elves we know of back in the Silvergrove don't. I still love my hc that the giant leech ate all of Lujanne's moonberry bushes and she's taking her revenge. Whatever's going on there, Callum is definitely not at that point yet.
When Lujanne asks Callum how he knows she's real, he thinks to himself that he'd put up with just about anything from someone who was going to teach him magic. That's a great parallel and foreshadowing for Viren's student/master relationship with Aaravos! And it's telling that neither student gets exactly what they hoped to get. Lujanne doesn't actively teach Callum any spells, because she believes he can't learn Moon magic at all. Aaravos does offer Viren power, but it takes him to some very dark places - literally and figuratively - and the cost is terribly high.
Callum sees a moon shape among the ruins, and Lujanne explains that the Moonhenge layout is an intricate rune that uses the structures themselves as part of its symbols and power. That's apparently a thing even with ordinary Moonshadow villages like Hollow Wood in the east, which is the coolest idea I've seen in a while: city planning as magic runes!
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Yes, that's the same shape as the pendants Ethari made for himself and Runaan. Protection? Home? Feelsiness? A sense of safety and belongnig for all cycles and seasons?
Wonder what this Moonhenge rune stands for, then, and how much of this landscape is included in that rune. I bet it's more than we think!
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But it makes sense now, how toppling the stone pillars would disable the spell the druids would cast to connect with the Moon Nexus lake. Breaking the infrastructure of the Moonhenge breaks the rune.
There's a physical sensation involved with the visuals that Historia Viventem brings up! When that one ghostly druid walked through Callum, he felt icy cold. Like in ghost stories. I really wonder about what exactly Historia Viventem is doing when it activates. It shows truth, "what really happened here?", so it must have some kind of time-related element, maybe tied to how the moon always repeats the same cycles or something. But it also seems to draw on the spirits of any living people involved in the flashback, because Callum could physically feel that wispy shape passing through him. So very interesting!
Orrr... is that all wrong, and there's something else at work with this spell than time? Maybe the world beyond life and death can act as an imprint of the things that have happened in the living world, and the spell that Lujanne (and later Callum) casts taps into that place, with perfect recall. I'm looking really hard at the sentence that says "dozens of translucent elf ghosts" and "phantom Moonhenge" and "lost in their own world" here.
Lujanne says more here than in the show about the world beyond life and death, being her mysterious Moonshadow-mage self. She says that "beyond" and "between" might both apply to where this other plane of existence is, and she doesn't much care which. With all the relativity swirling around this place, and not much in the way of empiricism, it's sounding like perhaps multiple conflicting ideas might actually coexist in such a place, allowing more ideas to fit there than we might normally believe is possible. Which is a fascinating bit of worldbuilding. Basically, every headcanon anyone has ever had about the Moon Nexus could all be true at the same time, for all we know.
Oh oh oh, Callum coming in soft with a secret wish! He takes one look at the Moonhenge and immediately thinks of finding a way to see his mom again! Poor boy, my heart! I'd say that could be another interesting parallel with Viren, but then, who wouldn't hold that sentiment?
Oh my, is this another breath of life into Ye Olde Ley Lines headcanon? Lujanne mentioning the Nexuses again, so soon after talking about the runic design of the entire Moonhenge, makes me wonder if the six nexuses are in fact giant runes. On Earth, the places where ley lines cross are called nexuses, and there are those who believe those points got marked with ancient structures, like Stonehenge and many many others. If Xadia were crossed with magical lines which naturally formed nexus points where they met, and if powerful magical runes were built across those entire areas, well. That would be cool beans, fams. Can I smack a map of Xadia and release a spell like Luz Noceda does? Because ngl that is my first instinct here.
Lujanne has got to be missing some grandkids to spoil, right? The way she's always whipping out cake and ice cream for Callum, and she's so grandma-ish about it. Headcanon about her being Runaan's mom aside, she is canonically lonely and she's very sweet to Allen and Ellis and I think she's missing whatever family she once had in the past. She may never get to have that family back, so she's finding a new one among the humans who live nearby, and I think that's sweet. Found family isn't just for the young.
But Ellis is straight up gonna be her fave, I bet, because she didn't turn up her nose at Lujanne's illusion food!
Ezran and Bait have a lot more to their relationship than was visible in the show, and I'm so excited by it! Ez can tell by looking at Bait's colors that he's not truly jealous of Zym, even if he's really grumpy about the dragonling taking up his favorite human's time.
And Ez thinking a lot about his dad and the things he's taught him. They're soft leadership material, and I love that so much! "Pick your battles" and the importance of encouragement. Ahh, my heart. Ezran, you're going to be such a good king.
But wait a second: both times that Bait gets extra grumpy in Zym's first training session, Ezran has just mentioned something about flying. Guys, I think Bait wishes he could fly, really badly. And that's his biggest problem with Zym, and with Ezran teaching Zym to fly, instead of Bait who doesn't have wings so. Bait is so old that his secrets have secrets, and I'm really curious how flying fits into them now!
Rayla, Dramatic Assassin: "I need to patrol for dark forces." That's what Lujanne called the source of the purple wisps that found them. I wonder if that's an official term all Moonshadows know, or if Rayla is just taking her cue from a veteran Moon mage. And I wonder how far Rayla is falling into the apparent pattern of "one mage, one assassin", since she does spend a lot of her time patrolling without being asked.
When Callum tells Lujanne that he was bad at prince stuff, and she asks if he didn't give up and got good at those things anyway, it's an opportunity for Callum to embrace subverting his parents' expectations in favor of seeking his own path, which is a primary theme of the show. But Lujanne is a couple generations older than Callum, at the very least, and I have to wonder what her upbringing was like. Is her version of success the one she took? Was she bad at magic once too, but she persisted? She is very soft and doesn't want to kill anyone.
Maybe Lujanne had dreams of doing something else with her life, but she felt she had to pursue the destiny that others handed to her, so she studied magic as hard as she could, and she did get good at it, but using it to defend Xadia from humans is not what she wanted to do with her life. Whether there's a parallel between her and Ethari on that point, there's one between Callum and Ethari, I think. How much of your life are you willing to let others direct for you?
LISTEN I WAS DYING AT THE EAR BREAD SCENE OKAY
This is my new favorite Soren and Claudia moment ever. Soren loves him his bread, okay. Even as earplugs for Claudia's sleep ocarina tune. The fact that it's "super effective" makes me think of a Pokemon defense. The fact that he learned it at camp, where he also learned about Moonshadow Madness, is hilarious. Later on, Corvus doesn't know Soren by name, but I still love the idea of Corvus being a kind of Strider-esque camp instructor, filling the ears of his young charges with all kinds of useful tactics like ear bread for magic spell songs (which actually seemed to work as intended), and warnings about the enemy elves' blood-themed tactics (which may or may not come back around in BH)
I thought they were gonna go in a kind of deep direction when Soren still wanted his ear bread back, but then he just. Eats them. Just noms them. I love this kid. Give Soren all the bread!
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raayllum · 4 years
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Rayla (and Callum’s) Choice :: A “Through the Moon” Analysis
So... “Through the Moon,” huh?
Spoilers discussed for the whole comic under the read more
I think it goes without saying that both Callum and Rayla are going through a rough time for the majority of the graphic novel. Just like I predicted when we got a glimpse at the first 10 pages a few months ago, Rayla is deeply traumatized following the events of the first three seasons (particularly season three and 3x09) and does not receive the closure she wants from her mission at the Moon Nexus. 
Neither are perfect. Rayla lets her irritability and self isolation rise to the surface; Callum loses his compassion and empathy for her in a brief lapse. Both work, after their fight, to make it right. They seem to learn how to make it work, saving each other and promising to stay together, which is what Callum wants more than anything. Without the last page of the comic, TTM would’ve been angsty but ultimately sweet additional story. An unflinching look at loving someone with mental health issues, in some ways... 
Then of course the last page happens, and we see how unflinching it is in full. 
I’m not here to say Rayla didn’t do a fucked up thing. She undoubtedly did. She lied right to his face and left him in the middle of the night. And I absolutely figured she would pull something along these lines. Not this extreme, perhaps, but Rayla’s tendency for self sacrifice and wanting to be the protector has been a reoccurring plot point and strain on her relationship with Callum. It had to come to head sooner rather than later.
What makes “Through the Moon”’s repeated instance hit so hard is that, unlike the others in 2x07, 3x08, and 3x09, it exists outside the context of war and, at its core, is after she lied to him that they would go search for Viren together. And it’s very easy to put ourselves in Callum’s shoes, of how hurt / betrayed / angry / devastated he’ll feel in the aftermath.
He already has trust issues, and she lied to him. He’s already proven he has abandonment issues, and she left him. He did everything he possibly could to help her, was going to pack up his life and spend who knows how long searching with her, and she left him. She left him. 
I know for myself I woke up the next day just thinking, “God fucking dammit Rayla, how could you do this to him?”
Again, a very emotional response, but it is a good question. How could she do this to him? And beyond that, why?
There’s a few layers here: trauma, background, and parallels.
The why is simple: because she loves him, and even what goodbye she does have makes that clear. She leaves knowing she’s going to hurt him.
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R: I never want to lose you either. I love you, Callum.
R: White lies are illusions you build with your words to protect the hearts of those you love. I’m sorry. You can’t come with me.
So while it feels like a betrayal (similar to Claudia’s with lying right to his face) the motivations are completely different, and both her and Callum know it. (Those feelings and understandings of it can coexist, btw.) Callum will know, even when he’s frustrated and hurt, that Rayla did this ultimately because she wanted to try to protect him. Because she’s scared of losing him. It’s not like Rayla did any of this out of malice.
Even if, even in TTM, Rayla hasn’t told him the full extent of that fear. After all, Rayla makes it clear multiple times — “I’m not risking both of us,” “I can’t risk you coming with me,” “I never want to lose you either,” — but she never tells him about the nightmares. She doesn’t tell him that losing him is one of her absolute worst fears and how much it haunts her. To the point that when she has the second nightmare, what’s focused on isn’t the loss of her family, but the fear of also losing him.
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So there’s her immediate trauma. Rayla says so herself.
Viren has taken away everyone I love — everyone except you.
And yes, it seems obvious to us — and to Callum — why Rayla would want to go hunt down Viren. He’s a threat and Rayla is reckless and mission focused. That’s just who she is. Viren almost coined her, too. It’s also not the first time that Rayla has gone to handle a situation at first on her own (and later needed Callum to bail her out). But why has only the former pattern — of “I need to do this on my own” — stuck so strongly over staying with the boy she loves and letting them handle it together? What’s so bad, to her, about letting Callum come on this mission?
Well, part of is that Rayla feels responsible for Viren’s possible survival. It’s not a coincidence she goes to talk to Soren, who is tied to both Runaan and Viren’s “deaths” and also thought he killed Viren, only to find out that he didn’t. So if Viren is alive, that means Rayla failed to kill him. That was her mission and she failed it. And it’s not like the last time she failed to kill someone she should’ve, it resulted in every single person on the mission other than her dying. Because if Rayla “let” Viren live, then... 
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So Rayla decides to emulate Runaan further. Runaan berates her and takes her off the mission? Rayla can know, in retrospect, that he was doing it to spare her life now that it seemed they would have to pay with theirs because of her mistake. She’s reminded in the Nexus that they did. Runaan did, too.
The last people who came on a mission with her all died. When Callum stayed with her in Xadia, he nearly died at least three times — all of which were because he followed her out there; with Sol Regem, with the soulfangs, off the Pinnacle. And then Rayla sees her parents, who died together because they refused to leave their duty — and Rayla has never had an issue with the thought of dying for her duty? But Callum?
She’s gone from “It’s okay Callum, I’m not asking you to come with me,” in 2x07 to “I’m sorry. You can’t come wth me” because, in between those incidents, she’s experienced the devastating fear of possibly losing him
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over
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and over
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and over
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again. 
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Not even getting into the times she was scared of losing him in Through the Moon.
He means too much to her to lose, even if it means she has to leave him, even if it means he hates her. Because in her eyes, she’s not necessary for his happiness (“Just remember me, okay?”),  because she can’t give up the mission — she can’t let go (“Rayla, you have to let it go!”). Rayla knows she’ll be on the mission until she succeeds or dies, like her parents and her troupe, and that Callum won’t leave her, even unto death. 
So that’s “how she could do this to him.” Because it’s her way of being brave, even if it completely shatters her heart. 
And yeah, Callum is going to be hurt. It’s going to hurt like a son of a bitch, as TTM replicated his traumas as much as it replicated Rayla’s — seeing someone he loves jump into water and nearly drown (1x06 with Ezran), letters as a last goodbye, being lied to (Claudia), being left behind. He might even snap, deciding enough is enough, but, even then, underneath the hurt and anger...
I also think a part of him will understand, because why she left is the same reason why he didn’t want her going off on her own in the first place. Because he loves her and wants to keep her safe in any way that he can, and this is the way she’s chosen. And as much as it will frustrate and devastate him, Callum will know this is because she loves him, even if it’s an expression of love that he hates. Not to mention, Callum has always extended an insane amount of compassion and forgiveness towards her — for levying a sword at his throat, for ever threatening Ezran, for keeping the secret of his father; when he knows she’s still keeping a secret in 1x06 and decides it doesn’t matter, because he trusts her with the egg anyway. 
R: It doesn’t matter what you did before, I just want you to be okay again!
And Callum chasing after Rayla, even when she pushes him away, even when she does hurtful or stupid shit like this? Because just like in 3x04, she left and lied to him (about her own state) out of love and fear and pain, and he’s never been one to turn her away when she’s actively hurting. Because he knows all the things that led up to her choice; he saw her grieve and struggle and suffer under the weight of all those consequences. I think with their reunion we’re going to see something very similar to these scenes down below.
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He’s been through all of this before. He’s not going to give up that easy. In what world is he not running after her? It’s certainly not this one. Callum can fly now. He still has a Moon phoenix feather. There are magical, moon tracking moths at the Nexus she left him at. When have we ever seen Callum give up something he cares about? When has he ever given up on her, regardless of the risk to his physical (or emotional) wellbeing? 
And when people have tried to hold Callum to the past, when they’ve told him he can’t do something, when they’ve clung to self destructive cycles, when the world has tried to take his choice from him, the way Rayla did? 
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And he’ll get that through Rayla’s thick skull eventually, come hell or high water.
Like, the final page of “Through the Moon” is not a breakup. It’s devastating in its own way, but their entire plot point in the comic is emphasizing just how much they love each other and how scared they are to lose one another. One page, on Rayla’s end, that also actively contributes to that plot point, doesn’t suddenly erase all that.
They’ve come back from worse, in some ways, with far less reason to. Rayla and Callum, when they had only been friends for maybe nine days, worked things out within a day when he found that she’d been lying to him about his father’s death in order to protect him. 
They’re going to be just fine after a good crying session, and so will we.
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Impressions from TTM
Spoilers, spoilers everywhere. Just a big bulleted list of thoughts as I read through the graphic novel. Not a lot of detail included, so it’ll make a lot more sense if you’ve already read it yourself!
looks like Moonshadow elves cross the arms of the dead... when they have a body to bury
it’s nice to see that Rayla imagines Runaan with all his shirts, the way she last saw him
kinda looks like Rayla changed into her jammies right on her bed and dumped her clothes on that little table. maybe she’s afraid of letting the few things she actually possesses out of her sight
listen we get one little panel of Opeli in here and it’s great
Soren’s cape smacking Callum in the face, 10/10
Lujanne’s appearance out of nowhere, along with Allen’s is just adorable, she’s so sparkly. And also she can apparently just turn totally invisible with an illusion spell? Even at a new moon? Probably because of the Nexus I guess
Lujanne’s “Big strong man with big strong feelings.” She and Runaan have exactly the same type and I support them
Allen’s face when Lujanne says it aches to miss Phoe-Phoe
Callum eating off Rayla’s plate and wondering how Lujanne suspected they were a couple, hmmm
Soren and Allen bonding
Rayla warning Lujanne about hand disguises, as if that was something Runaan made very sure she knew
Rayla’s cute chaos grin when Callum’s Aspiro spell goes off is my favorite pic of her in this whole graphic novel
Lujanne’s “Oh.” afterward is my fave pic of her, too, she does not seem to handle reality well!
Bait’s tongue will never get old
Lujanne’s whole speech during Phoe-Phoe’s rebirth ritual is so touching and beautiful, my heart
Lujanne putting the newborn Moon Phoenix into Ezran’s hands, like she knows he’ll have the best connection with her
Callum’s tears as he reminds Rayla that Runaan killed Harrow, he’s trying to move on, but it hurts
Rayla’s self-soothing behavior when she has her second nightmare in the book--she must have these most every night :((((
the big symbol on the Moon Temple doors looks like a stylized Moon staff, like it’s a building for mages
Lujanne saying Rayla might not want or need the truth right after Callum mentions Runaan’s name to her, he sassily asks about her husbands and she turns it into a compliment
Callum’s big reaction to the moon opals is adorable. The only other one he’s seen was part of a pair of treasured gifts between long-time spouses, so it kinda looks like he’s all “uhh we just started dating”
also Ethari must’ve made cute metal swirly covers for the pair he and Runaan wore, since these two are undecorated--maybe he got his from Lujanne?
listen Lujanne is a hoot and all but she’s both an ally and an antagonist. Her actions are trustworthy but her advice is generally terrible. It’s an interesting parallel to how Runaan says a lot with his actions too, but he talks a lot less than Lujanne
Rayla yeeting herself into a fight just to ask Soren for a talk is 10/10 Moonshadow assassin goals
but her hood is up when she’s lurking in the trees--she might not have known where she’d find Soren and was anticipating something less fun on the feels-o-meter
Rayla in the mud again. Soren keeps making people fall in the mud
Allen’s grumpy squiggle
Callum, I love you, but you have no respect for moon opals. It’s like they wronged you in a previous life or something
that dancing elf has very long hair and shoulder pauldrons, and they start off dancing with six kneeling, watching, hooded elves around them--Moon Druids wore hoods even before they were assassins. Considering what Lujanne said about why the portal was sometimes opened, maybe those six kneeling elves are waiting under their emotion-hiding hoods to farewell a loved one who’s recently died?
can’t tell for sure but maybe the elf is dancing along the lines in the stone like they mark patterns for ritual dances, which would be the bomb
Soren and Rayla’s conversation is pretty wrenching. Seeing Soren have to struggle with what he did because it’s tangled up with Viren is rough because as a Crownguard it should just have been his duty to defend his king and he’d have nothing to feel weird about
Rayla dissociating herself from the term “assassins” and Soren dissociating from calling Viren “my father” in the same conversation is 10/10 excellent growth
Soren must know what happens to prisoners his dad gets a hold of, even if he doesn’t know the details :(((
“we captured him” and “Viren took him” seem to be talking about the Crownguard and Viren, not the brodigies and Viren
Rayla having a wooden sword at the end of the day bc she played swordfighting with Allen and Soren all day long
the panel where Rayla doesn’t say anything at all after telling Callum that she asked Soren about Runaan actually says so much, you can hear it
every time Lujanne’s white lies idea gets repeated, things get worse
Allen’s reading glasses, there must be one optician in the human village and he caters to soft kindly gentlemen of a certain age
in the moon phase montage, baby Phoe-Phoe is flying next to Ezran after one week at the Nexus. Maybe he’s paying her back by helping her learn to fly after she helped him teach Zym how to fly! Did they bond as tightly as Ezran did with Zym? I support Ezran just bonding with the most powerful flying creatures in all the land.
the irony of Callum using Lujanne’s tactics against her is amazing, but really the white lies thing is a giant ball of chaos in this story and it does not play favorites
Bait on the stone pillar during rebuilding
all the noises the Moonhenge makes are 10/10
Rayla dancing with Callum even though there’s almost no chance she’s ever done that dance before
Lujanne’s pupils going white, that is a cool effect, what’s it mean?
the black moon in the pink sky is so spooky! Is it just me or does the color scheme here kinda vibe like the space outside Aaravos’s library?
the smoky assassin squad, 10/10 creep factor, I love it
the lightning being a literal crack of doom with “CRAK-DOOM” as Katolis Castle appears, “echoes of thunder” indeed, very nice
Lujanne being mad but she can’t decide if it’s at Callum or herself
when she says pulling Rayla out now will leave her soul on one side and her body a husk. After the Insta live stream last night where we learned that soulfang serpents are Moon primal creatures, that’s... super interesting
smoky assassins go tssh in the rain like they’re still hot from being cremated, thanks I hate it
Andromeda finds Rayla first and seems closest/most aggressive so I wonder why she might hate Rayla more than the others
the assassins’ wrist bindings have gone red but they’re still attached and seem to trap the souls where they are. But all they need to be free is to perceive that Rayla completed their task, even though we know otherwise. So... would that work for killing any target? If you’re certain that you did it, does your binding fall off even if you’re wrong? eyes Pip
this must not be the actual afterlife since the spirits kind of mist up toward the moon and vanish, it’s more like a lobby, no one stays here unless they get stuck
portaling around just by shouting at villains, excellent
Rayla literally dropping a sword at the sight of the pod Viren’s in, yeah, it’s that creepy, I agree
Viren’s eyes are so black I think they’re Aaravos’s. I got a whole headcanon on Good Viren and Evil Viren for S4 now, wow
Phoe-Phoe pulling out a feather for Callum, awww my heart! This is why Ezran had to come, to bond with her so together they could save Callum and Rayla, it’s so sweet
so these humans are from the Storm Spire battle, bc that’s the Storm Spire behind Rayla and Callum on p108, with the rune-written arch. Did they die hating Rayla and Callum from the battle? Did they even know Rayla was up there? Or is pod Viren/Aaravos actually making them attack out of hatred for Viren’s death? One of these is definitely creepier and more awesome
Rayla’s confidence that Callum can and will boost her at the right moment with his magic, my heart, I love battle couples
that one panel that mirrors the Ghost Feather key art, hhhhhh
Rayla being the better swimmer, such precious irony, thanks Runaan
them holding hands and swimming upward together on the full-page panel is blessed
Lujanne pulling Rayla out of the lake with both arms gives me feels bc my grandma saved my life once
Lujanne being super soft over Rayllum, she is indeed a hopeless romantic
Rayla says “gone” about her parents and Runaan, and that’s the word Ethari used too, and I’m suddenly wondering if Ethari reached right into that pool and has always known that the lotus is half-submerged and if the sword he’s been making is for himself
I’m so glad Rayla told Callum what she saw of Viren
Rayla deceiving Callum and heading into danger alone because his life is more valuable to her than her own is exactly what Runaan did for her the night of the full moon in Katolis. I’m leaning toward her having thought this over and doing it on purpose bc she believes it’s a sign of deepest love--that Runaan’s actions and Lujanne’s words match up in her head, so she thinks it’s the right thing to do bc the mage and the assassin agree. Alas, Callum doesn’t understand the Moon arcanum yet, so he will have a different opinion. That mage and that assassin do not agree!
Rayla’s cloak has that Moon Temple symbol on its back. Is it Lujanne’s cloak? Any Moonshadow who sees it will probably know where she got it and who helped her. That could be fun!
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