#like he'll listen to rayla and to others but

[raayllum]

I think it was reading @numptypylon's fic that helped cinch it for me, metaphor wise (which kudos for nailing the path metaphor emphasis like seasons ahead) in regards to like Callum and Rayla's devotion?

Because they've always felt equally devoted to me, but with two kind of caveats between both thought process and manifestation

When it comes to how that devotion manifests, we see repeatedly that for Rayla it doesn't always equal the same kind of prioritization that Callum offers (she tends to just have the Most Faith in her loved ones ever??) which makes sense given the way she knew her parents + Runaan loved her but she didn't always feel like their priority, and that they'd do things that were for her yes but also for the common good lumped in together. Whereas with Callum if he's devoted to you, you will be his #1 priority at least 75% to 99% of the time when it comes down to it, because that is how he shows devotion/love through consistency and persistence / general Togetherness

But the other one in terms of thought process / operation is where the paths metaphor Numpty uses I think is really useful and apt, and kind of perfectly illustrates how I & many others see them, because it's like...

Like Callum, Rayla will walk down every path she sees as an option to keep her loved one(s) safe, but unlike Callum, she just fundamentally doesn't see certain paths.

It's not that she sees them as options and doesn't pick 'em, it's that they don't even occur to her as concepts (i.e. she knew Claudia and her bag of dark magic ingredients were there in 2x07 and that there was a chain breaking spell, but it's very clear Rayla never would've considered that as a option given how she does approach freeing the dragon).

Meanwhile Callum, due to his immense intelligence and creative thinking, does see well - creative solutions. He does see those paths (like in 2x07) and because he sees them, because they are presented as options, he can and and will and has gone down those roads. Like Rayla, he'll take every path he sees - he just sees more of them than she does

and Idk, I think it's a very nice piece of not only description but very strong characterization

#path motif #rayllum #every separation is a link #characterization #cannot recommend numpty's canon compliant stuff enough #the characterization and voices are so good #fic recs #snake boi callum #added notes is like. rayla will take direction if she needs to #but she will generally fall back on looking to other ppl (callum) for direction #meanwhile callum is a leader and is honestly pretty bad at taking direction from other ppl #like he'll listen to rayla and to others but #he can also steam roll / will forge on ahead regardless of what anyone else thinks (see: like all of 5x05 and 1x09) #which is a great thing most of the time (see not letting go of magic) #also has its downsides

[hoothalcyon]

Let's Talk About Ethari

PLEASE READ: this is not meant as an attack on anyone. I never intend to call anybody out or call them names. I don't think anybody in this community intends to be rude in any way, so I certainly won't presume they are. I'm also not looking for a debate; I just wanna say my thoughts.

So, let's talk about Ethari, and how the fandom (generally) perceives him.

I would like to encourage people to consider not labelling or thinking of Ethari as passive or a pushover in any way, because as far as I'm concerned, he certainly isn't. I touched upon this in another post of mine called "first impressions", but I think it's worth expanding upon.

Ethari is not passive. He does not keep quiet about his opinions or thoughts, and he shouldn't have to. Quite literally the first thing he ever says in the show is that he TOLD Runaan that he didn't think Rayla should've come on the mission even though he KNEW he would get pushback from the ASSASSIN LEADER. Runaan is his husband, but he is also the leader of the assassins. what he says, goes. and Ethari knows that. yet that didn't stop him from being like "hey, no, let's talk about that first" and he stood his ground. that debate ending in a compromise or in Runaan getting his way DOES NOT mean that Ethari didn't fight for what he believed in. given all that we know about him, there's no way, and you can't convince me otherwise.

I want to point out that Ethari has the more "feminine" (take that with a grain of salt; fuck 'gendering' aspects of personalities) traits and gender expression (with his outfit) between himself and Runaan, with Ethari being objectively outwardly soft-hearted. Take a moment to consider how this might impact your views on his personality and how you think he responds to his more-masculine presenting husband.

See where I'm going with this?

I'll say it again: I'm not calling anyone sexist or anything. I'm merely pointing out something that I've noticed, and I want this fandom to be better. I want them to treat all characters equally and to be able to make accurate judgements of their personalities regardless of what they look like or what their gender is.

This following part might just be my opinion, but if there's anyone (between Runaan and Ethari) who's passive or more willing to shut their mouth and do what they're told instead of questioning, it's Runaan. He conforms to his society and the questionable ideals they present to him. He doesn't have much to stand up for or feel like he'll be criticized for. Ethari, on the other hand, is the antithesis of what Moonshadow society wants him to be. He's soft, he questions their problematic traditions, and he cringes at society's brutality.

So yeah. Those are my thoughts on the trend of people associating passivity and being 'docile' with Ethari, because while he's soft and less "masculine" than his husband, it doesn't mean he's a pushover. Thank you for listening.

#this isn't @ anyone #it's a widespread thing #ethari #runaan #ruthari

[mandaloriandragontrainer]

Hi Mando, I love your blog so I just decided to rant anonymously here abt TDP bc i have no idea what else to do with my feelings so very sorry to subject you to this lmao ;-; (none of my friends watch TDP so like, that’s rough buddy) I feel like I should preface whatever this is by saying: pleas feel free to ignore this, i really just need to yell some stuff into the void. :))

I’m having the weirdest time with season 4 right now specifically with the time skip because at the moment when i first watched the dragon prince I was exactly Callum’s age at the start of the first season (15 in two months//14 5/6) so that was already kinda cool/trippy especially since Callum quickly became my favorite character and I saw a lot of myself in him. Obviously over the next two years I was a functional human and got older, and in my eyes Callum didn’t, because he’s, well, a character. BUT THEN the two year time skip was revealed and now we’re the same age again. I even turn 17 really soon after the s4 release, like whut. So basically, I went from “woah that’s cool, I relate so much to this character” to “aw a baby who is slightly younger than me lol that was totally me a few years ago” to “PFT- whAT.” It’s been emotional to say the least. So when I say that this show grew up with me, not only do I mean that in a sense of the show itself maturing, (much like what happened with a lot of OG clone wars fans and other shows that “matured with their audience”) but I also mean it LITERALLY. l

So yeah I might be the exact target audience for my favorite show ever(in a way?) so that’s neat?? It really makes me more emotionally connected to the characters and makes them feel more real to me, but is also insanely mind-boggling at the same time (also cause Rayla is suddenly older than me technically when she wasn’t for what felt like so long)

Ahem. Anyways Thank you for listening to my too-jumbled-to-be-a-TedTalk-talk 🤟😶

There is nothing better than growing up alongside a character! I had the exact same experience with HTTYD, and to this day I consider Hiccup and the gang to be my peers and friends--I'll see a gifset of Hiccup from HTTYD1 and think to myself "we were so young back then!" Callum is a sweet little baby to me, but it's so wonderful to know that there's a whole new generation of kids who will grow with him. I know he'll be a great friend to you (after all, he and Hiccup are so alike)!

Thanks for the message! TDP is tormented my every thought as of late, and I'm always down to ramble about it.

#messages that make me smile #the dragon prince #how to train your dragon #callum #hiccup haddock #tdp fandom #httyd fandom #answered asks #hello nonnie

[jelzorz]

Hey Jelly long time no chat! Hurt/comfort prompt “go ahead I’m listening” - whichever characters you’re vibing rn. Hope you’re doing okay, love Stormy xoxo

Ahhh Stormy it's been forever!! Hope you're doing well!!!

94.

The treehouse in Callum's backyard is ancient. It was there before Mom and Harrow had bought the house, already rickety and squeaky and unlikely to be safe, but he and Ez were fond of it anyway because it was cool, and because it was theirs. When they were younger, they had campouts in it, braving the cool nights with old books and scratchy blankets, their multicoloured night light projecting stars against the walls. It was a fort once, and a boat another time, and a castle another time after that. It doesn't get a lot of use these days, which is a shame—they've grown out of it physically and metaphorically but it's—well...

Callum's getting married tomorrow. It feels like the concept should be bigger, scarier, and though he's never once doubted his love for Rayla, or her's for him, the treehouse is familiar, and tomorrow, things will be... different, he supposes.

Not in a good or a bad way. Just different.

The space is smaller than he remembers it—and he's bigger, too, but it's hard to believe he could lie here comfortably once upon a time. Rayla, of course, is spending the night with her family, and he'll see her tomorrow all prettied up and beautiful (not that she needs to be—she's beautiful any day of the week), but Callum sits in the treehouse anyway, breathing in the summer air and basking in the remnants of his childhood.

Then the tree shivers with someone's footsteps, and Ez appears in the doorway. "Thought I'd find you up here," he says, hoisting himself into the cramped little room. "You okay?"

Callum chuckles to himself. "Fine."

"You look nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"It's okay to be nervous."

"I'm not."

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be here." Ezran gives him a look, blue eyes so piercing that Callum can't help but look away.

He sighs. "Yeah," he breathes. "Maybe I am a little. But not, like, in a bad way? Just in... a nervous way."

Ez raises an eyebrow at him and settles against the other wall, knees knocking gently against Callum's. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

Callum snorts. "It just feels like it's all about to change, y'know?" He murmurs. "Rayla is—she's the love of my life, easily, but... I dunno, I guess getting married is real proof we're not kids anymore."

"Yeah," sighs Ez. "To be fair, it's a long time since we have been, but I get you. But y'know? You're lucky. Being an adult can be scary, but at least you and Rayla can face that together. Not all of us have the luxury of having a partner like her."

"You're only twenty-three, Ez."

"I don't mean me." Ez gestures vaguely around himself. "I mean in general. You and Rayla are two in a billion. Some people spend their whole lives looking for a partnership like that and don't even get close. Other people think they've got one and they fall apart anyway. But you guys? You're never not gonna be together. You'd find each other no matter what. And yeah, things are gonna change and we're not kids any more, but moving forward is exciting too. And you get to do that with her."

In spite of himself, Callum chuckles. "Practising for your best man speech, huh?"

"Your wedding's tomorrow," snarks Ez. "Gotta make sure I get it right." He grins then and leans across the treehouse to clap his brother's arm. "It's okay to be nervous," he says again. "And excited and scared and happy and all those other emotions. Those are valid. No one'd think any less of you for them. You get to be with Rayla either way."

Callum lets out a snort, his heart warm and his nerves easing, ever grateful to have a brother like Ez. "Thanks Ezran," he mutters. Then he he breathes and pats the floor of the treehouse. "You think any kids we might have might like this thing too?"

Ez's face splits into a grin. "Oh, one hundred percent," he says. "This thing's got a lot of memories in it. Won't hurt to add a few more."

#in anticipation #rayllum #idk what this is supposed to be but im feelin their brotherly love u know? #broyals