#like callum is not manipulative and i think a lot about how he interacts with other people's

[raayllum]

like the thing about callum is that like he can be ruthless / impatient / brutal but part of his intensity means he's going to be way better at successfully threatening someone than actually manipulating them, y'know?

[jamieedlund]

I've got to complement you on ur massive brain. You sold my soul to the Aaravos and Callum Master/Student/Besties on the run dynamic that I didn't know I needed until now. I am begging, praying and manifesting a S4 where they at least have a few scenes of cool interaction.

The more I think about it now the better it gets because we don't know much about Aaravos but we can guess that he's never had someone like Callum around before. I mean Aaravos has put so much into teaching humans magic but all he can do is give them a tool - dark magic - because no matter how good Claudia and Viren are at dark magic its not like primal magic which requires a deeper understanding of the world than just knowing the right words and squeezing out the magic from something else. Then Callum comes along and he was told he could only use magic as a tool by using dark magic or a primal stone but he said no, no I refuse and he had this deep spiritual revelation about the world so now Magic is something Callum IS. I think it would be really good for Aaravos to see that humans are capable of more - without his help!!!! and that you don't have to just use magic cynically as a tool, I think Aaravos started out loving humanity more than he hated the elves and their socioty but over time that balance shifted to wanting vengence more than he wanted to help people, meeting Callum could get him back on track to the person he used to be(lol watch that get contradicted by S4)

They both did what the world told them was impossible driven only by their own curiosity and ambition. They both connect with arcana they were not born with. Callum has a foil in Viren but I feel there are lots of similarities with Aaravos slowly popping up now as well.

Also obsessed with the idea of Aaravos initially being all manipulative and sneaky but then realising he can't do that with Callum because Callum won't sink down to Viren's level just to get power- he will always find a better way(just like every time Callum has struggled with wanting to be powerful in the show). And Callum actually getting a Magic teacher who truly understands what he's about but also a weird older friend man who has issues and might need big feelings time????

In short LET THEM DO MAGIC CRIMES

READING! LOTS OF READING! I kinda delayed answering this ask because of how glorious it is and it would be a shame for me to just reply half-haphazardly with a short 'oh hell yea' or 'thank you' (also because I’m still very sick forgive me🙏🙏🙏)

But first of all thank you this is wonderful I am always super happy to receive long passionate asks about these two. I am, after all, also very passionate about them!

The bit about dark magic imma saved it for the end of ss4 because I feel like they’re gonna do a bunch of info dump on me maybe and I don’t wanna have to rewrite anything. However I can say this, it feels like they’re border lining Aaravos towards the ‘can’t be redeemed’ path because they have already made it SO. MUCH. HARDER. for Callum to like him now! Because uh telling my childhood friend/crush to murder (albeit it was still Claudia’s choice to do so, Aaravos did not force her into anything lol) is probably something harder to get through. BUT THERE IS STILL HOPE!!!

provided IF that in their first meeting Aaravos spoke the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth (lol what are we in court or sth? YES AARAVOS WE ARE IN COURT! THE COURT OF JUDGING YOUR HEART,SIR!) BUT FIRST THINGS FIRST-

CALLY THAT IS NOT A FACE YOUR MASTER CAN LOVE— Not when you do your signature sad puppy-eyed sob… It just…looks…W R O N G, not with that damn hair and I am still pissed— so much to say about it but my main issue is hair like that typically is reserved for out going, somewhat “wild” type of personality(cough and generic western animation protagonist but we don’t talk about that…)

Much better... Where was I uh - oh right, back to the truth bit, this might include showing Cally his memories (insert horrific gruesome crimes committed by elves and dragons towards humanity, all of which hopefully we’ll see in season 4 via maybeeee Aaravos’s backstory???) probably traumatize the boy a little a lot but— HEY AT LEAST THEY HAVE A SOLID MUTUAL GROUND NOW. CALLUM NOW UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL DID THIS MAN HAD TO LIVE THROUGH.

I think if Aaravos came clean about his past and what he’s been doing pre meeting Callum, no matter how hard he tries to make his savior condemn him (assuming it is Callum who freed him), the boy will not!

(Cally being so pure and understanding he fought off every fiber of his being from calling the man evil and it’s just gonna be the most precious thing ever) Major character development right there. This is where the story gets fun because man who was deemed evil by the world and even thought of himself as cursed suddenly gets emotional support by someone full of goodness telling him he’s not evil or cursed and ‘hey lol revenge isn’t working out how about we just run away together and start over instead hm???’ is objectively, the best thing I can see this series giving all of us. Callum really needs to develop on his own as an understanding and emotionally capable protagonist. Adventuring and living a somewhat carefree life with Aaravos might prompt this as he slowly realizes he’s absolutely fine without a romantic interest nor does he even need one to be happy.

Aaravos learning how to be a good person again is truly a sight to behold too like the man is so used to thinking 50 steps ahead of everyone and now all he has to do is to not get caught, which substantially lowered the amount of braincells needed BY A LOT. Plus domestic Aaravos being simultaneously the best and worst mentor ever LIKE LOOK AT THIS GLORIOUS EXAMPLE RIGHT HERE---

You telling me that THIS isn't profitable and fun to watch???

But also I think the chances of the writers actually supporting this story line is slim considering where they’re taking Aaravos (which is away from redeemable like pls no come back— CALLUM COME GET HIS ASS PLEASE HONEY SWEETIE BABY YOU’RE MY ONLY HOPE-) It’s not gonna be this

It’s probably gonna be this…

which I really don’t wanna continue watching if that’s the case… fucking...beat down boulevard over here...

Personally though, if there is an alternated universe where Wonderstorm DID decide to make this happen, the manga adaptation of these two will be sooooo adorable! Everyone will just die from the way they address each other. This is for anyone who has made it this far into my Ted-talk

Here is baby’s attempt to fake a manga style doodle, as a big thank you to you and everyone else who has and will continue to love and support what I make. I am so grateful and I hope you guys will continue to spread the words about their wonderful dynamic <3 I truly love these two with all of my heart.

[theredhairedmonkey]

Thoughts on ellis and callum as a romantic pairing? maybe when theyre both older?

Well. Uh.

Pros:

They both have a surprising amount in common. Ellis is the only person who seemed to be equally as excited about magic as Callum (besides Claudia, of course), and Callum in turn is super excited about meeting magical creatures and has an explorer's heart (both of which are true about Ellis too). So there's a lot of stuff for them to connect over.

They each admire the other. While Rayla and Ezran were busy making fun of Callum's wind spell, Ellis straight up admired him and thought he was amazing ("I can't believe you're a mage!"), Even when he told her all the magic he can do came from the primal stone, she still thought he'd be pretty great, with or without magic (she's probably the only person in the show to expressly say this about Callum).

For his part, Callum admires Ellis as well. His very first line about her in his spellbook is "Ellis is pretty amazing" (which is a word he's only described one other person...), and goes on about how brave and caring she is, and that their journey would have ended were it not for her.

Unlike Claudia and Rayla, I think Ellis would never betray or manipulate Callum. If they were in a relationship, she would definitely give priority to him and his choices, not sacrifice his agency for some mission.

Cons:

The age gap. If this doesn't bother you, all the power to you. In fact, it wouldn't even be the largest age gap among romantic pairings (Anakin met Padme when he was nine and she was fourteen), but it would still be controversial. For me, the aspect that bothers me isn't so much the gap itself, but the fact that 11 and 14 are such wildly different stages of one's life that it seems next to impossible to form a romance amidst that.

All their interactions come from s1, and starting in s2, they just really don't interact anymore. Ellis is busy playing with Ezran, while Callum is trying to learn magic/plan a date night with Claudia. There was no overlap, no attempt by one to spend time with the other.

It just really never seemed like they saw each other as anything other than friends. Sure, that could change, but following the point above, there have to be interactions between them for that to occur, otherwise nothing does change.

There's already a Betty-and-Veronica thing going with Rayla and Claudia. Adding an additional romantic interest for Callum would just make his love life way more complicated than it needs to be for the story the Dragon Prince is trying to tell. This isn't Grey's Anatomy or How I Met Your Mother, it's a story about two princes an an elf trying to keep an evil wizard from stealing a dragon.

Verdict: Jury says no, but if you want to ship this, all the power to you as there's enough subtext to pull it off. At minimum, I could see Ellis developing a crush on Callum when she's older, and maybe when they're ten years older and if they're both single something could happen.

Personally, I ship Callum with him living his best life, so if you're able to piece together a cute romance between him and Ellis, who am I to say you can't?

[austennerdita2533]

Hey!

I love Penelope Douglas for sure check her out! She writes some of the best smut tbh. I’m working my way through her devils night series right now-I’m on book 2. It’s good so far, definitely dark though. I’m interested to see how she goes about a redemption arc for the character Damon right now I don’t think he deserves one but I hear such good things about his book, Killswitch, but that’s book 3 so I will see how it goes. I definitely recommend Birthday Girl from her though I loved it and the couple from it are my favorite age gap could I’ve ever read. I find myself still re reading some of their best moments.

I am slightly embarrassed by Credence though so I hope it doesn’t bother you too much if you read it. Just so you know before going into it, it is about her and her step uncle/cousins. To be fair they are not blood related and very distance to the point she didn’t even know about them. But she does call him Uncle Jake during a sex scene, and the two others call her cousin during one too. There’s also a MMF scene with her two cousins. But on top of that there is a sexual assault scene (it does get stopped but the intent is there)-personally I wasn’t a fan of how she inwardly dealt with that scenario it felt like she was blaming herself for it instead of holding the other character accountable. Uncle Jake also does kiss her when she is still 17. So if any of that makes you uncomfortable don’t read it.

I’m so happy you liked the atlas six as much as I did. I can’t believe we have to wait until next year for the sequel to see what happens. It’s too long!! I also liked Callum the least, I still appreciated his character though and what he brings to the story I just wasn’t a fan of his, probably because of his problems with Libby/Parisa. Plus his powers terrify me-as someone who likes to have full control of my emotions the fact that someone could just change everything scares me. I also loved Nico he is my typical character that I love the whole I’m an asshole but soft and caring for the people I love gets me every time. Parisa is my queen though I’m obsessed with her. Like I’m literally in love with her, I wish she was real so she could be with me instead. Not that she would because I’m broke have 0 magic or power to give to her, but still. But I have a thing for power hungry women so I was gone the second I met her. But anyway if she was real she could destroy me or do anything she wanted to me and I would say thank you. Reina I also love and agree she could destroy the whole planet and one day probably will. I just love how she is there and wants all that knowledge but also doesn’t give a fuck about anyone else. Tristan also grew on me I’m still not completely sure how much I like or don’t like him yet he gets annoying sometimes because he is constantly in his mind about his alliances but I also love how loyal and caring he is. Libby is my girl!! I also relate to her as well since I was an outcast and battled inadequacy and all that (you and I must have some stuff in common!) Out of all the characters I relate to her the most and am rooting for her so hard-also because the author made her from Pittsburgh and I’m also from the area so I felt personally attached. But Olivie just did an interview and said Libby is getting a corruption arc and I am so excited about it!!

Okay ships- so I will be honest and I think it’s an unpopular opinion but oh well-I am a nicolibby stan. They have every single dynamic that I love in a ship and they could potentially be my favorite book couple of all time if that is the road they are being taken. Honestly I was obsessed with them from their first interaction so i have it bad for them. Obviously I know they were not romantic in this book but the potential (at least for me) was there especially in some of their quotes in the end. I fully believe they are soulmates though-even the author said they were born on the same day and feel like their other half is missing in an interview once-whether that will be platonic soulmates or romantic soulmates I have no idea and I could see either happening. My heart will break if it is platonic but it’s okay I can just live in my own little head about their potential.

But I get the idea and also like both libbytristan and NicoGideon and could see those happening instead of nicolibby too. I wouldn’t say I would be mad about it either-I do like both just to me the potential of nicolibby works more for me! My only thing about libbytristan though is I’m not sure how much of their tension/feelings are real (like did any of it exist before Parisa put the idea of the other person in their thoughts to lead to all the feelings.)

Weirdly enough since they probably my least favorite characters I also adore Tristan and Callum together. Their dynamic just works for me.

And I love Parisa and Dalton too and I’m so interested in how that relationship pans out because they have some stuff to figure out. But they work well together and honestly they are just so sexy together so I’m down for it. Although I do ship myself with Parisa more than her and Dalton but I’m biased.

Honestly though all the ships are wide open though so I’m curious to see what ends up being endgame. But omg yes the twist I was not expecting it-I’m so excited for the rest of this trilogy!!!

In other news though I finished up the ravenhood series. I know you said you either read it or it was on your tbr. But god I loved it. That series broke me and then put back all the pieces. If you haven’t read it and want to feel both heartbreak and happiness I highly recommend it!

Oh and don’t apologize for babbling as you can tell I also babble!!

-ACOTAR anon

Hiiiii sweets!

I've been sifting through a bunch of summaries of Penelope Doulgas' work on Goodreads and there's a bunch of stuff there I think I'd enjoy. I'm all about good smut. I didn't realize she had that many books. I'm excited! Thanks so much for the rec! I love dark romances/erotica every now and again so I'm also going to have to dive into the Devil's Night series at some point.

Oh, and idk if you know about it/read it but a couple of my friends told me about the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day a while back. It's BDSM, like Fifty Shades, but supposedly loads better. I don't know if you're into that but I figured I'd just throw it out there anyway. The smut is supposed to be steamy. I haven't read it yet but I do have the first four novels on my Kindle (where they've been sitting, unread, for about 2 years now)...so that's something haha.

And please don't be embarrassed about Credence. Seriously, the most wonderful thing about reading is you can go wherever tf you want in your imagination. No one can stop you. There are no rules. No restrictions. You can be whomever or whatever you want to be for a while, morality notwithstanding. One of my favorite things about books is that I can experience the most bonkers, outlandish out-of-this-world stuff that I'd never dream of wanting/liking in real life. It's liberating!

Thank you for the trigger warnings, though. I appreciate that. None of them sound off-putting enough to keep me from reading it. (Tbh, I want to read it more now.) I've read loads of books where characters marry or have sex with their cousins or siblings *waves at ASOIAF, the Secret History* so it doesn't bother me. I've also read most of Lolita and all of My Dark Vanessa by Kate Russell, which both romanticize pedophilia in disturbing degrees, so it takes a lot to put me off. If curiosity could kill then I'd be long dead by now. Hell, sometimes I will purposely read things I know will upset me to my core. What can I say? I'm a weirdo. 🙃

I DON'T WANT TO WAIT A YEAR FOR BOOK 2 OF THE ATLAS SERIES, EITHER. AHHHHH. How am I going to make it that long? It seems so far away!

Callum is the most terrifying of them all right now, imo. I think that's why I disliked him the most. Like you, it shook me to my core to imagine someone like him being able to toy with my emotions. I have a tendency to detach, to keep my emotions pressed close to my chest so that I can't be manipulated or hurt, and the idea that someone could have power over them, over me in that way is...no freaking thank you! I would put as much space between him and me as possible. Most of the Atlas crew had the right idea there. He does bring a lot to the story, though, like you said. I have a feeling he's going to be one of those characters I "love to hate" as the series progress. I might even grow to "hate to love" him, idk. He's just such a shady bastard! And so judgmental/mean to the girls.

I'm with you on Parisa, by the way. She's the kind of conniving, ambitious siren of a woman I can get behind. She has a similar vibe as Katherine Pierce on TVD. I mean, there's nothing in her arsenal she won't use and I love how she weaponizes her beauty. It's delicius. She's unpredictable. Definitely the type of character who inspires "scared and aroused" energy any time she walks into a room. Like, she could choke you and instead of crying you'd just ask her to do it again...harder lol.

Reina has the same kind of "no fucks given" attitude I have because I genuinely don't care what people think of me, either. I'm just here to do my thing. Be nerdy. Learn. Whatever. And Nico is my fave for the same reason as you--the asshole who only has soft edges for those who matter to him. *heart eyes*

Omg, Libby is going to have a corrupted arc? AHHHHH. That's going to be amazing, I cannot stinking wait! I was sort of hoping she'd go dark so now that it's confirmed I'm even more pumped. Also, I think you and I have more in common than either of us realized. I'm from the Pittsburgh area, too! How wild is that? Maybe there's something in the water here and that's why, like Libby, we've both felt inadequate and like outcasts at different points in our lives? Olivie might be onto something here...🤔

The thing that's been so cool for me about this series so far is that there are a bunch of potential pairings I could get behind. And I kind of like that it's not clear cut right now. Most series I know who I want together or who will be together like halfway through book 1. I like that I don't know have firm preferences and am still open. That's novel. Not to mention fun!

I don't blame you for shipping Nicolibby so hard, though. They're definitely one of my top contenders for a romantic pairing. They have that enemies-to-lovers element with witty banter that I always gravitate toward. And you're right about Libby/Tristan. I don't know how much of their connection was manufactured because Parisa intervened, either. That'll be fun to puzzle out moving forward. And Callum/Tristan should NOT be a ship I like but they have a palpable something that I can't put my finger on. I've got my eye on them, for sure.

The Ravenhood series is still on my tbr. I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it so much, though! It's rare to read something that just ticks all your boxes. The next time I'm the mood to binge a series I'm gonna have to pick that one up. :-D

I've been trying to clear out my backlog of ARCs lately. (Not possible because I'm getting more on the regular - as in constantly haha - but I'm trying.) I just finished Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult, which has a Sliding Doors premise that is set during the pandemic where the main character has a parallel life experience (one, where she's in the Galapagos Islands on vacation when the shutdown hits so she's stuck there with strangers, alone, not speaking the language; the other, where she's in Manhattan with her surgeon boyfriend and recovering from COVID). It's intense but so, SO good! Picoult is such a good writer. Anything I've read by her has been moving, with rounded and real characters. I haven't been disappointed yet. I so recommend her.

Oh, and if you're into nonfiction/biographies at all I finished The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson not long ago, which is about Winston Churchill as well as those around him, and it was fantastic! Read more like fiction. I loved it. I am no longer surprised it was on all the BEST lists for 2020.

[aroacekazi]

Hello, this isn't on your list of theories, but I'm curious to see if you have a theory on this: what do you think Aaravos' relationship to humanity is? And do you think its tied to what happened 300 years ago? And do you think he was ever "good" at any point in his past? Though, I'm sure it's more complicated than the simplicity of of the black and white thinking of good and evil. I'm curious about your thoughts.

This is actually something we know a fair bit about when it comes to Aaravos. And it’s quite a unique relationship, especially seeing as he is said to be the ONLY Startouch Elf any human has ever seen.

Where our information starts is long into the past, back in the era of the First Elves. We don’t know much about this, other than that it was ~5000 years ago, and the First Elves were Startouch Elves, and humans were around in this time, struggling to survive. As a First Elf Aaravos was likely also around in this time.

Secondly is still a long time ago in the timeline, but closer to current events than it is to the era of the First Elves (it seems possibly ~2000 years ago). Aaravos came to the aid of the people of the human city called “Elarion”, we know this from a poem that was in Arabic briefly shown in the show, there were also some other interesting similar literary bits and pieces about Aaravos we know about. Elarion was in Xadia, it’s the same place we see the first Dark Mage defending from Sol Regem in the S3E1 intro. We can see its ruins on the map. This is quite significant as it is implied this may have been one of, if not the only, major human settlement prior to the discovery of dark magic, and Aaravos may have had a major role in establishing it as such.

We believe the next major interaction between Aaravos and the humans comes around the time of Ziard (the first dark mage). Aaravos is said to have given a gift to humanity, and even has the title “Giver of Gifts”, this could be referring to dark magic (though I doubt it would be so simple), but something that is pretty cerrtain would be Ziard’s staff, which is later owned by Viren. Why? Because Ziard says the staff is a gift, and when Sol Regem asks who from, Ziard states “one of the Great Ones”. What do we know about the Great Ones? Well not much, but most significant is that Aaravos is the last of them. Given his title of “Giver of Gifts” as well, it’s pretty safe to assume Aaravos is the source of the staff, particularly since its focus seems to be dark magic and Aaravos is likely the only elf to have ever touched dark magic.

Shortly (relatively speaking) after this Xadia was divided, at which Aaravos was present, if he were involved, the elves likely did not know that Aaravos had a hand in this.

Now we get to the point at which we’re a little more uncertain, so I’m going to describe a few more things we know about Aaravos around this time and in the years following. At some point in this time Aaravos befriended a human, who gave him an apple which he liked the taste of. Additionally, again referring back to the map of Xadia, there is a “name of someone close to Aaravos on this map”, possible options (though we don’t know of all these individuals) could be: Tenebris, Skall, Kalik, and “the Castout”. Tenebris would be the name of Luna Tenebris, so we can ignore that for the purposes of this discussion, leaving the other three. Skall comes from the location “Skall’s Hook” in Northern Duren, we do not know anything about this location, or even that it’s definitely named after somebody, other than that it’s in icy tundra. Kalik comes from Mt. Kalik, you may recall this is the highest point in Katolis and the mountain climbed by Claudia and Soren in S1, as well as the place where a mage captured the storm to make the sky primal stone that was owned by Viren / Claudia / Callum, this option has potential as the mountain may be named after that mage, and it sounds feasible as an individual’s name, but it’s not guaranteed. The final option is “The Castout” from the name of the sea in Xadia “The Sea of The Castout”, notably Elarion lies on the coast of this sea.

I want to take a moment to talk about the apple, as there’s an interesting theory around it and a small detail in the first episode of S1. The theory posits that Aaravos was close to the Orphan Queen, who is thought to have lived ~300 years ago, and she gave Aaravos the apple. What is significant about this is that in that episode there’s a small mention about a tree that Claudia almost walks into being 300 years old, and that it is an apple tree that originated when the Orphan Queen & Aaravos met.

From here onwards speculating with as few details as we have becomes pretty meaningless I feel. But it’s evident Aaravos was manipulating Viren in S2 & S3 only to achieve his own goals of conquering Xadia.

As for what I think on Aaravos’ specific relationship to humanity and how it may have changed...? Well, chronologically, I certainly think back in the era of Elarion Aaravos may have actually felt sympathetic to humanity, certainly unicorns (the only other major star primal connected creature we know of) did, and I would think it would be really interesting if the main reason Elarion was the only major human settlement in that time was BECAUSE of Aaravos’ assistance at the time. But things have definitely changed since then, with Aaravos being willing to delve into dark magic, and becoming manipulative only to achieve his own goals. I have to wonder if the human he became close to that gave him the apple was hurt and killed as a consequence of the actions of Xadia and Aaravos has harboured resentment towards them ever since.

I know this post wasn’t exactly what you were looking for, but I hope laying out the lore in this way has helped let you in on some key pieces of information we have about Aaravos, as, as I stated at the beginning of this post, we know a surprising amount of the history here and I think there are probably a lot of takes that could be taken from this. So maybe you’ll have your own unique ideas now.

[eastendies]

Okay guys I've been thinking (and I've been reading medical papers and all abt this to educate myself but by no means am I a psychologist) but what if we had a Sociopath!Callum AU?

HEAR ME OUT OKAY

So let's classify sociopaths as Antisocial Personality Disorder (ppl who have a hard time/can't emphasize w ppl due to a mix of nature/nurture) and Callum already has the beginnings of it--he had an abusive dad who we can say has ASPD genetics and a childhood enforcing ASPD behavior (you know, crappy). In this AU Callum would have ASPD (be a sociopath) but start seeking treatment around the time he's with Chris in the military.

Due to the fact that Callum's AslSPD is not very severe and he's actively trying to gain more healthy relationships (maybe as a way to manipulate Chris into trusting him until he actually tries it), his relationship w Chris is the first real meaningful one he has before Chris dies, from a battle wound this time, and his death (the stress of it and how he missed the healthy relationship) prompts him to continue treatment in Walford while staying w Mick

Now Callum still keeps some of his old behaviors, such as being intentionally very nice in order to manipulate people into liking him and doing what he wants, and keeping the image of this clumsy guy who no one really suspects could have ASPD, but he still misses a real relationship. (Sociopaths get p bored apparently). So he gets involved w Whitney by being his normal manipulative self but then his therapist (VERY HEAVILY) suggests that he actually trust her w the fact that he has ASPD. Since Callum is, you know, gay, he isn't using her for sex but for a need to have an intimate relationship w someone, so he tells her, to which Whitney freaks and shuts down, but comes around in a few weeks once Callum is insistent that he is ACTIVELY SEEKING HELP and gives Whitney complete control of their relationship so that she can leave whenever she wants/force him to be open abt how he's feeling. Whitney reluctantly agrees, and they have an actual functioning relationship, which is all Callum really wanted from her.

Callum is feeling like a new man! During this time he makes great strides in emphasising and caring about other people and changes his behavior to be more assertive and more like a jerk (instead of his default nice, manipulative side) and things are going well! His job at the funeral parlor helps him by having him emphasize with people daily and use the practices his therapists teach him. No one outside of Stuart or Whitney knows about his APD, however. And that's when Ben shows up.

Ben comes back to Walford after staying in Portugal, walks into the funeral parlor where Callum is working with Jay, and after about a week of being exposed to Callum's behavior and watching a few times where he accidentally relapsed, immediately catches on that Callum's a sociopath. Bc of Ben's shady business and experience in prison/juvie, he can spot the manipulation tactics Callum uses and confronts him about in both passive aggressively and normal aggressively. Most of their interactions go like this:

"Stay away from Jay and Lola and the people I care about you manipulative--"

"Leave me ALONE, I don't even KNOW you"

Now Callum is a bit scared since Ben is so insistent that maybe someone will believe him (even if everyone thinks he's the nicest guy in Walford) and his therapist says to ignore him but Ben can be reallyyyyyy irritating in that flirty aggressive way that Callum really hates and so this one time where he and a group of friends (Whitney, Lola, Bex, Louise, Jay, etc) that happens to include Ben get kinda drunk and Ben needles him abt it again ("I'd start crying but I bet you wouldn't even feel bad about that, would you, lover boy?") Callum breaks and drags him outside where no one can see/hear (which Ben doesn't protest to, interestingly) and basically yells at him to leave him alone bc yeah, he DOES have a ASPD but he's trying to get BETTER. He is actively trying to make his life HEALTHIER and Ben has no right to judge him when he doesn't even KNOW him or what Callum has been through or how he's trying to manage his personality disorder so FUCK OFF.

Ben just stand there, gaping. Kinda shocked. Very shocked, really. Cause Callum broke his nice guy persona and told him to fuck off after confessing to being yeah being a sociopath but one who is trying to get better.

So when Callum leaves the bar immediately after this encounter (gotta get his keys), Ben feels a little bit shitty. Maybe a lot of a bit shitty. But also a part of him thinks he's still being manipulated, so he goes to talk to Stuart. After some prodding, Stuart tells him Callum was a weak kid and their father's abuse made him harden into someone who couldn't really feel and it's been a problem their whole lives. Stuart is a bit wary of Callum in this AU bc of the ways Callum has manipulated him before, but its not like Stuart is a prize either and he recognized the impact Callum's changes has had on his life (though he mostly attributed it to Whitney being a god among men when it came to changing people which we know isn't true but Stuart is an asshat so).

Ben is still a bit apprehensive abt it but the next time he sees Callum (who gives him the cold shoulder despite his instincts of nice manipulation) he tries to pass off a small apology which Callum dismisses at first before accepting on the pretense of Ben not telling anyone and leaving him alone. Ben kinda offers that they can hang out sometime maybe and Callum is like "fine fine" and at said pint outing Ben shares his experiences w sociopaths in prison and in his "line of work" and makes it clear why exactly he didn't trust Callum in the first place. Callum actually opens up a little abt his childhood, something he's barely even done with Whitney, and and the two get drunker and Ben flirts with Callum a little with less "you're a virus of Satan" vibes and Callum maybe likes it a little so doesn't protest too much and then the next thing he knows they're out in the back and Ben's kissing him and Callum kisses back and Ben realizes that Callum is DEFINITELY not straight and mumbles something to this effect and Callum freezes. Just freezes. His face goes blank, he realizes he miscalculated SEVERELY and oh my god he could lose Whitney who he needed and Ben is looking at him weird and it's easier to shut everything off, push Ben away and tell him to NEVER talk to him again before rushing off and wondering what the hell he's going to tell his therapist oh my god he could lose EVERYTHING

And that's what I have for the AU so far!! Would anyone read this in fic form?? What do y'all think??

[nautiscarader]

The Dragon Prince season 3 - thoughts

One evening and nine episodes later, I’ve binged the entirety of S3 in one sitting - the momentum was too strong, and episodes were more and more interesting with each one, so like with a plate of jelly tarts, I couldn’t stop after one. I had to eat entire batch. 

Spoilers ahead.

Just to recap, for me, season 1 was okay, second one rose up to “good”, but third one peaked at “great”. Almost everything clicked. Rayla, Ezran and most importantly, Soren, grew up so much during the course of their adventures. Especially Soren that was put through hell of emotional rollercoaster with his father and his sister twisting him, forcing him to question his own identity. His story arc was superb, and the final scenes of the battle when he confronted Viren and Claudia are easily the best.

Rayla’s story came full circle; she was doubting herself and her parents she felt she failed, simultaneously mimicking their fate, and in the end, she proved she was more than capable as a dragon guard. Though I wish it was explored a bit more, her seeing the village of people that have ghosted her was truly heart-breaking, and on the other hand, seeing what really happened to her parents brought more moonlight into our life.

Ezran was already pretty mature for a kid his his age, but obviously, his position as the king forced him to become adult even faster. Again, we’ve seen very little of his struggles, but they were enough to earn him the position of rightful king of Katolis.

And that brings us to first major problem of the season, the one it inherited from first two - length. If any of these, this season DESPERATELY needed filler episodes. in every single one we were bombarded with plotpoints, flashbacks or emotional drama. (I think the episode with Nyx is the only one that can be counted as filler). I have said it already, but I will repeat: Avatar The Last Airbender set up a golden standard on how to create magical journey cartoon, giving enough time for character interaction, as well as deep and intriguing story. Think of all the adventures Rayla, Callum and Ezran could have had in Xadia in them, meeting new places, deepening their relationships, finding new allies that are not magically spawned at the last moment...

Actually, come to think of it, what was up with Nyx? Do we know her motivation? I suppose she’s a Han Solo-esque character? She literally went and flew by!

And she stole our hearts.

That, in turn, leads me to shipping. Because dear lord, there was a lot of Rayllum in this season... and... please, don’t kill me, but I think it happened a bit too quickly. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved the teasing and all the cute moments, but I didn’t expect their kiss to happen mid-way through. The scene at the Storm Spire, where Rayla learns from Callum about her parents - that felt as a bit more appropriate time for the first kiss - again, mimicking Kataang’s from ATLA. Still, I will be fangirling all about these two cutiepiesjellytarts for weeks now. 

Viren is steadily climbing up the manipulative assholes ladder, and this season we got tremendous amount of evidence of how evil he can be, even if he thinks he’s doing that for the benefit of the mankind. He was ruthless, effective and intelligent, everything you’d expect from a great villain. And the fact that he teaches his daughter that is even more chilling. 

Speaking of, we didn’t get to see that much of Claudia this season, and her struggle is as complex as Soren’s, though as we’ve seen in the last episode she is not so much dancing around the dark magic, as making a whole Broadway show. I don’t want her to become the next Azula to Soren’s Zuko - hopefully, next season will fix that. 

The entire human-elves conflict, though rushed, was more than entertaining, with the final battle forcing me into my chair. We got only a glimpse of the Elven side of the conflict, and sadly, it has never been that properly explored. We had a hint of Sunfire elves being as cruel as human dark mages, but that ultimately was scrapped pretty quickly. Same goes for the Sol Regem’s opening scene, I wish we could have seen what lead to it! We knew that the war between dragons, elves and humans wasn’t black-and-white, but we only visited one shade of that spectrum. 

I’ve also noticed that for an aspiring, first real, proper, arcanum-filled human mage, Callum did very little magic this season, aside from last three episodes, which is odd, given his understandable fascination. Again, filler episode or two would have fixed that hole easily. 

And that leaves us with a question: so, now what? AFAIK the creators have spoken something about a time skip between the books, and from what it seems, it might be a while until Viren, Claudia and Aaravos will lick their wounds properly. We got tons of questions unanswered, and if anything, then this season has hyped me for more. 

[wishingformemoria]

(Spoiler heavy) S4 hopes and beyond for Viren, Claudia, and Aaravos.

Prefacing this with: this is just my opinion, and what I want to see regarding these three. Feel free to disagree and discuss in the comments. Each section is meant for its own reading, so if you'd rather skip to a certain character you can; rather than each part leading into the next. Video version of this post linked here! (Timestamps in the description) I know the novels, comics, and games will add more context to scenes for the show and will be great in their own right. But there're things that should be there within the show that people can’t skip. (Links are bolded)  (Reddit version)

TL;DR:

_____________________________________________________

  • To make the conflict between dark versus primal magic more meaningful, we need to see more grey-areas in dark magic. Which should be shown through actions. I can't think of a better way to do that than by shifting the focus to Viren, Claudia, and Aaravos.(The rest of the cast still gets meaningful screen-time! Ex: Callum learning more primal magic.)

_____________________________________________________

  • If (big if) Viren gets redeemed no one should be obligated to forgive him, but he has to do right by his family first before anything else for a realistic redemption arc.   • Claudia will have to get worse before she gets better. She needs to separate from Viren (and Aaravos), to figure out what her goals are and see the world outside of just her family. _____________________________________________________   • Aaravos, when he escapes, should genuinely grow to care for Viren and Claudia and for that be a conflict itself, due to whatever his plans are. If he does care, he needs to respect boundaries. Period. (Sorry! The whole "switch targets to throw Viren aside to focus on Claudia" doesn't sit right with me; including the fact, Aaravos has no one else, and it'd be a waste for him to throw away the people who have anchored him to the present!)

_____________________________________________________

Viren:

I’m of the mind that not every villain needs a redemption arc, or even deserves one. They especially don't need to be redeemed to justify likeability and "negative" character development is interesting too and is just as "realistic."

Viren is that character for me, and I’m still interested in where his story goes from here; his actions kick-started the plot, and there're many ways for him to go forward. There is no point in resurrecting this character if they do nothing with him.

He’s a polarizing character. I have mixed feelings on him but does he deserve redemption? He has to do a lot to justify one; every character is capable so long as enough time is spent to commit to the idea of a believable redemption arc. Viren’s redemption will not come from the elves or dragons, (not that his actions against Xadia should be ignored) but they will not be what causes him to realize the error of his ways. It has to come from his family, but forgiveness should not be obligated.

I don’t think we as the audience are meant to feel sympathy for his character, more towards the people he’s connected to--his children. I want to believe he was once a loving and caring father, as seen in this end credit for S1, and that this is the reason Claudia and Soren idealized him so much even after the fact he started to change.

I need to be shown this, not informed. I understand there’s things to save until later in the story, but if they were going for sympathy for Viren--it could have been shown within the flashback scenes of S2; not in a skippable content.

I know they use the end credits to foreshadow things.

I despised Viren’s actions in S3, and while he's being manipulated by Aaravos, Viren lost whatever "greyness" he had this season. Viren claims what he does is for humanity and yet turned the human armies into monsters; he even considered doing this to his own son! There is nothing "pragmatic" about this, even if you try justifying their fire resistance. We don’t even know if this was reversible!

And this is due to Aaravos' manipulation but it didn't take that much prompting. Aaravos gave him everything he wanted: Power. Respect. Recognition. Something Viren has wanted for a long time. He took Aaravos’ suggestions uncritically after becoming King.

Viren has done terrible things before meeting Aaravos, but he's not responsible for every wrong in the show. His misguided vengeance for Sarai was driven by emotion, not logic; is how this all began. We wouldn’t have this story without Viren. There are too many unanswered questions and things only he can solve that shouldn't be placed on his children to solve.

I don’t think he should be redeemed. If he’s redeemed, death should not be that redemption. Because what is the point in his resurrection if they go that route? It would take Claudia leaving Viren (and Aaravos) for him to realize, whatever his goals were before this, that it was not worth losing his family’s love. Probably the only people who do still love him.

Redemption arcs do not end when a character realizes their actions were wrong, it begins that way, and it’s a continuous effort to correct them. But forgiveness should not be obligated for the acknowledgment of change. Especially not so from the people they harmed; too many times a villain gets redeemed at the expense of their victim’s feelings, and that their victims are obligated to forgive them to complete their redemption arc.

I want the show to answer this: The Viren that Soren and Claudia idealized so much, did that person ever truly exist?

Claudia:

I’m not alone in disliking her actions in S3, and as much as I didn’t want her to go down this path, she has. I felt she needed more screen-time in this season to justify it. More conversations with Soren challenging their belief systems--not seeing eye-to-eye for example.

Claudia has constantly had to choose between the people she loves, between her family and childhood friends. Never wanting to make that choice: feeling personally responsible for her family’s health and happiness instead of Viren doing that himself. Family may be what drives her, but it can't be the only thing.

Love has been her motivator behind her actions. It was never about power.

Claudia has a lot of potential and it shouldn't only be to further Viren and Soren's character development. What about her? Even though I felt Aaravos’ warning to Viren was unnecessary, since I never saw Viren being honest during the prison scene anyway--the implication of that was if Claudia did learn the truth? She would have turned away from Viren the same way Soren had.

Claudia doesn’t do this because she desperately wants to believe Viren isn’t this person who’s done these horrible things; She goes into denial when Soren reveals the truth of the secret mission to kill the princes because she’s placed Viren on a pedestal. Even her excuse in “Hearts of Cinder” of “maybe he’s just doing what needs to be done” not even she believed that. Claudia’s clinging onto the family she has: the abandonment of her mother isn’t a good excuse for what’s she’s done in S3, and Viren took advantage of that fear. It only took Viren questioning Claudia’s faith in Ezran for her to become silently resigned. Claudia isn’t staying with Viren because she thinks he’s right, she’s staying because he made her believe she can’t trust anyone else. She’s in a vulnerable spot now without Soren.

And Soren is going to have to deal with people openly celebrating his father's death and his sister's disappearance. But I’ll save my thoughts on him for another post. Claudia and Soren need each other and things are going to get worse for her before they get better. She’s not going to accept her father has changed until this pedestal she’s placed him on is broken. Possibly she’ll even escape from him when she gets the chance. S4 should deal with the aftermath of S3, and show us how she’s not handling it well. I don’t think she’s beyond hope. Claudia’s lost right now, not evil.

Aaravos:

Prefacing this with: I know Aaravos is using Viren as a means to an end; I'm not blind to that. The fact that he refers to Viren as his "vessel" and Claudia as an "asset" is so telling in how he views them--not as people, but tools. And likely nothing beyond that.

Aaravos is the type of character you’d introduce in the second to last season, not right there, in the beginning. Yet, Aaravos is our narrator and much more than that: heavily tied to this story’s history; both past and a present we don’t know about yet. There’s a reason the present era is called “The Return of Aaravos.” Is Aaravos an unreliable narrator or is he telling the story from the beginning of what was true at the time, and telling it in a non-linear manner? In the words of Jean-Luc Godard: “A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but not necessarily in that order.” Is he a friend to humanity? Despite standing with the elves for humanity’s expulsion from Xadia? (x) Does his “special interest” in humans extend to seeing their potential as equals or just a means to an unknown end? 

Aaravos is apparently genuinely “kind, generous, and giving” as informed in this interview with the creators,"he's disliked, that's not the same as bad." But the question of whether he's a Lucifer or Prometheus remains to be seen. And if a Prometheus, was his “gifts to humanity” dark magic? Since Aaravos is the only elf seen thus far using it. I could make a separate post on just Aaravos, but for the sake of this section, it only focuses on his current relationships: The person he mainly interacts with is Viren, who connects Aaravos to the present story. As just one of the many examples of elf and human relationships on the show, they’re both manipulative, self-serving, and form a tentative alliance; only time will tell how lasting it is once Aaravos is free from imprisonment. What his plans are for when he escapes is anyone's guess; he's embittered by imprisonment and seeks vengeance for all who put him there. Punishing their descendants if need be. (Ex: Killing Sunfire elf Queen Khessa, related to Queen Aditi; harming Zym due to the Dragon King and Queen overseeing his imprisonment.)Centuries may not seem long to elves or dragons, (especially so with Startouch elves having the longest lifespans of the elves), but it is a long time to be alone. While I understand he doesn't have to form any attachment to Viren outside of escaping imprisonment, it’s the more interesting route. Aaravos doesn't have anyone else, and their stories are closely intertwined now. But there’s a clear power imbalance in this relationship and Viren is aware of that. Viren is only in this mess for two reasons: his curiosity got the better of him, and he was at a low point, desperate for someone, anyone, to listen to him. The power then given to him by Aaravos only sealed his fate. (Despite this, their interactions were enjoyable to watch; largely due to the amazing voice actors, and the fact their character’s personalities balance each other out.) There's no doubt that Aaravos will continue to manipulate Viren and now by extension, Claudia.

But if Aaravos is this "kind, generous, giving" person, then that needs to be shown through his actions of caring for anyone other than himself; and if Aaravos does grow to care it becomes a conflict of interest. Their dynamics would need to change the moment he cares because boundaries are nonexistent for Aaravos regarding Viren. As for Claudia, she’s going to be wary of him and will sooner blame any changes in Viren on Aaravos, (which is not an unfair assessment), rather than accept Viren changed a long time ago. Aaravos will likely mentor her and their relationship will grow into nothing beyond that of a student and teacher. Viren and Claudia are already skilled in dark magic, Aaravos just knows more due to age and possibly contributing to its creation. Again, this is just what I want to see for these characters: Aaravos is going to be a series-long mystery, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get character development in S4 and to have him grow to care for the people who connect him to the present this alone will prove he's what these interviews claim him to be. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments whether you agree or disagree? O/

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Mirror Mirror, pt 3

Just adding a third section (part 1, part 2) onto this mirror theory to address a further detail. In part 2, I only talk about what Aaravos knows about Viren. This part’s about what Aaravos knows about Runaan.

Aaravos can see Runaan’s markings, and I think he knows what they mean.

I think Runaan’s markings reference Aaravos specifically. 

Between the Archer’s Moon on his ungloved hands and the six diamonds on his shoulders, there looks to be a clear (blue) line drawn from Aaravos’s double-diamonds to Runaan’s Moon. 

These two elves are connected--literally--on Runaan’s skin.

That adds a whole new layer to what Aaravos can read during the 1:05 that passes between the time the mirror is uncovered and the moment when Viren leaves the cell. Not only can he read Runaan’s intent all up his arms, he can see the circular markings on his chest..

Moonhenge? Moonhenge. 

If Aaravos did indeed step through the Moonhenge portal, he’ll know those markings, know what they represent. He can read Runaan like a book (it’s a little easier than reading Viren when everything’s literally drawn out for you, but Viren’s pretty easy to read).

The question is, what does it tell him, and how does that knowledge inform Aaravos’s plans and his interaction with Viren? 

Because I think it does both of those things.

I really hope S3 answers some of my questions about Runaan’s and Aaravos’s connection. Right now, I think Runaan has been living a life dedicated to keeping Aaravos where he is at the least, and trying to thwart his plans should he have the chance. I think Runaan has set himself up to be an antagonist to Aaravos. I don’t think Aaravos would have any trouble dealing with Runaan in any way he saw fit, though. And I don’t know whether he’d feel the same animosity if they did meet. I kind of doubt it. 

Runaan’s had a lifetime of stories and training among the Moonshadows, with the druids perhaps, and he’s sharp and focused and ready to do his duty, all possibly stemming from a thirst for vengeance for what happened to the Moonhenge. But Aaravos has been chilling for a thousand years, snug as a bug in a rug, with everything in the outside world progressing according to his plans and/or divinations. Either he knows that he can defeat or deflect or distract Runaan, or he knows the assassin is no threat. 

But why stop there? Runaan’s existence in Viren’s cell tells Aaravos a lot, too. Moon Druids are still a thing. They travel to human lands, looking all fit and muscley and battle scarred. Warriors, then. Killers. Badasses. Were they always like that? Dancing in circles in the Moonhenge one night, stabbing someone to death the next? But he’s injured, and a dark mage has him prisoner, so dark magic is also still a thing, and probably contributed to his capture.

Also. Moonshadows are still stubborn as hell. Check and check.

Aaravos’s intentions from this point are harder to pin down. Will he use what he gleans from Runaan and his capture against Viren directly? What if Aaravos could gain control of that coin? Could he control Runaan’s spirit? Would he free him? Strike a bargain?

Could Runaan reopen the Moonhenge? Is there any circumstance in which he would change his mind and help Aaravos? Would he do it for Rayla? To save her? Ahhh, God, I’m getting terrible shivers at the thought of Aaravos slyly manipulating Runaan with his soft, tender feelings for Rayla!

I’ve been thinking all this time that the only person Aaravos is directly after is Callum, and that he’d hop from Viren to Ezran in pursuit of him. But what if he also needs Runaan and his connection to the Moonhenge?

Runaan does know a lot about that mirror. 

What if Aaravos betrayed Thunder to his death in order to get himself captured by Viren, because he found a way to manipulate Rayla’s parents in the Dragon Guard, and also learned from them about Runaan? If he could get free of Thunder and kill him at the same time, vengeance would be taken. And that’s a job for a Moonshadow assassin, descendant of the ancient Moon druids.

Aaravos getting his mirror moved to where he’s going to meet Runaan is basically the same thing as a can manipulating its way over to a can opener.

[pedro-pscl]

Thoughts on FB: Crimes of Grindelwald

Things I liked:

- Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander was a great choice. I think it’s really believable that he’s Newt’s brother. I also like Theseus overall, even though he didn’t have much to do. But I think that’s good as I wouldn’t want him to overshadow Newt. I expected him to be bossy or maybe even an asshole (he gave me that impression on the character poster), but he was rather the opposite. I love that he’s a hugger.

- Jude Law as Dumbledore was also a perfect match. There’s a lot of warmth and mischief about him, much like the older Dumbledore. I love that he smiles a lot, it made instantly feel like he’s trustworthy?

- Newt and Tina’s relationship. I wasn’t that fond of Newtina in the first movie, but I absolutely loved it in this one. They’re both adorable and awkward beans, and the whole engagement misunderstanding felt like something you’d find in a fluffy fanfic. Newt’s crush on Tina is just the cutest.

- Queenie choosing Grindelwald’s side. To be honest with you, I’m glad they allowed this character to be flawed. She’s still a good person and still Queenie, but this character shows that even good people can make wrong choices when left powerless. I don’t think she realises just how dangerous Grindelwald really is yet, and that his methods are manipulative and destructive. Having her turn to the opposite side can create some interesting plots in the future and I’m excited about it.

- The beasts and Newt were still a major thing. I saw people speculating sometime after the release of the first film, that Newt and his beasts would take the backseat in the future FB films, and I’m really glad they were proven wrong. It feels like there were even more beasts this time. Even the fireworks at the circus and Grindelwald’s blue flames were in the shape of beasts.

- “Oh Newt. You never met a monster you couldn’t love” - Leta Lestrange

This quote made me very emotional for some reason?

- The Directing, freshness and a sprinkle of nostalgia. I loved the directing in the scene where Pickett and Newt run for the button and then Leta appears. I have no idea why, but I thought it was so pleasing to watch? I’m not a film maker tho so I might be just rambling weird stuff.

I also like how there’s a lot of spells, music and creatures sprinkled all over the film that we’re already familiar with, but that there’s also plenty of new things we haven’t seen before. It feels like a nice balance.

- The interactions between Leta and Tina. I was worried Tina would still be upset about the whole engagement misunderstanding when meeting Leta, and that she wouldn’t treat her that well. I know she met her after Newt explained it all, but I really don’t trust Hollywood. There’s too much pitting-women-against each other out there. But their interactions were really chill, which I appreciate.

- BABY NIFFLERS. Also Niffler being hero of the day, and getting a cup of tea with milk as a reward at Hogwarts. I live for cute shit like this tbh

Things I didn’t like:

- The whole Bunty thing. I honestly felt sorry for her. She was clearly crushing on Newt while he’s really oblivious about it, and head over heels for Tina. We know Newtina is endgame in canon, so it feels like Bunty will end up getting rejected and hurt at some point. It felt rather unnecessary?

- Johnny Depp as Grindelwald. I wasn’t happy when I saw Johnny in the first film. When the reveal happened, I didn’t think “holy shit Grindelwald”, I thought “what the fuck is Johnny Depp doing here”. I was hoping I’d warm up to him, but it hasn’t happened yet. Jude Law as Dumbledore is incredibly charming and I’d expect Grindelwald to be even more so. But whenever I see them in the same scene, I’m a bit like ehh... why is he lusting after this pastey guy?? I liked Johnny in many other movies, but I just don’t feel like he fits this role.

- The whole graveyard and Credence scene. The amount of versions of one story that were thrown at us within the (what seemed to me like) five minutes, is ridiculous. One second Credence is a Lestrange then he isn’t...Then we get a bunch of backstories... way too timey wimey. If I was Credence, my head would’ve burst tbh

- Leta Lestrange was a really interesting character. I was intrigued by her and I really enjoyed her on screen. She was gorgeous, classy and felt authorative and yet had that softness about her. But I found the whole Leta/Newt/Theseus situation rather confusing and I’m still not sure what the deal was with the trio. There was clearly a tension but I’m still unsure as to why. And when she said “I love you” I had no idea whether she directed it at Newt or Theseus. Also, I was disappointed that she died tbh.

[raayllum]

How do you think Callum will discover Aaravos/finally be able to see through the mirror? (cause he will…right??) With all these Viren/Callum parallels in the first episode do you think Callum might have a similar scene to Viren’s rage in 2x02? (on one hand, yes, more angry callum please, but also, maybe his version is more angsty brooding, just him sitting in the dark like the emo teenager he is? cause that would be kinda funny ngl)

I’m curious as to 1) how exactly the mirror works since we’ve only ever seen Viren interact with it and it can’t just be “unlocked” by darkness right? Maybe like desperation, being completely alone, something more emotionally linked in general? then 2) How Callum is going to communicate with Aaravos because I am guessing he figures something out much faster than Viren did, and I honestly doubt Aaravos has more than one bug pal just chilling in his mouth at any given time- that, and I’ve always thought Aaravos could have been manipulating or playing with Viren the whole time and could hear and speak to him just fine but needed the blood ritual to have a deeper control over Viren and or the ability to channel magic through him, also cause he’s got the time and the patience.

So I do think that because Aaravos can seemingly see out of the mirror without much fuss, I think it's very purposeful he only chose to make contact with Viren in some ways once the man had revealed his curiosity and his vulnerability, if only in facial expressions.

Given that we see Aaravos can make the mirror go dark on his own in 2x09 (aka when he retreats from channelling his magic directly through to Viren) I think he probably has more control over how it operates than not, but who knows?

I honestly wonder if the cube is going to work almost like a communicative lightning rod for Callum in S4, being what unknowingly lets him access the mirror in ways Viren couldn't by proxy of not having it. Partially inspired by how the S2 novelization has the cube almost giving Callum visions of the past and future while he's holding it in the dark magic dreams before he throws it away

I'm curious if part of the reason Aaravos needed a blood ritual with Viren was to be able to channel magic through him, whereas Callum own't need to do so, because he has an arcanum connection already and he and Aaravos share the sky primal (or something like that). Although I certainly wouldn't be opposed to Callum doing a blood oath this season...

But yeah we're sure to learn a Lot more about Aaravos and the mirror this season, cube, prison - possibly the staff? - and I could not be more pumped tbh

[timeanddivision]

Quick TDP Theories

im only writing these down to see how the story unfolds. please, watch the dragon prince if you have 3 and a half hours to kill. tell your friends! its a great series~ and feel free to ponder these theories!

okay! starting from the more weakest to the more strongest theories! (theyre all pretty weak but this is fun)

1. A group of fanatic elves WERE planning on using the egg as a weapon.

yeah, yeah, there’s isn’t much to defend this other than viren’s word but hear me out. harrow does have a point in saying dark magic is the real problem here; the conflict between human and elf does stem from it. the thing i find so interesting is how elves found dark magic to be so evil that they thought the appropriate thing to do was push humans away and isolate them from a rich, bountiful land of primal energy. 

given several thousands of years to nurture hostility towards humans, i imagine there may be a good amount of elves who see themselves as better than humans, maybe even growing fed up with their constant back and forth fights.

it wouldnt be too hard to believe a group of elves found opportunity in the birth of the dragon prince to finally get rid of humans. (i think it would be more thematically appropriate if they were willing to use dark magic to destroy humans; both enticing the idea of “killing you with your own creation” and “not even elves are immune to the temptation of dark magic”)

but anyways, a certain high mage could have caught wind of this idea and went “thats a nice plan you have there, would be a shame if i stole your idea and the egg”

2. Amaya and Sarai are decedents of a mage.

It isn’t too far fetched to believe mage powers skip generations, and many lines of families may have lost knowledge of their lineage. i imagine mages are sparse in the human kingdoms with how little primal energy they can access.

so why assume amaya and sarai are related to a mage in their ancestry? well, its a little peculiar that callum can use magic AND ezran can speak with animals. i know many people assume callum’s father is either an elf or a mage himself, but both callum and ez have a set of unique abilities, and their only commonality is their mother. 

it has me believing one of two things: mage powers skipped amaya’s and sarai’s generation entirely, or, like ez, sarai had some smaller, unique ability that we might learn later on (maybe in a certain letter~)

3. Viren: What was once good intentions turned into fanatic ambition.

i’m very passionate about this theory. when you take the time to really pay attention to viren’s actions, how harrow talks about their relationship and how the TDP team talks about viren, you don’t really get the vibes that this guy was always a two faced villain. more a man passionate about his goals.

so what happened to him? hm? why did viren do a total 180 kick flip into villainy? WAS the original dark mage in pip this whole time???

as much as i adore the charm of that theory i dont think so. according to aaron ehasz (from the live commentary) viren and harrow have known each other for a long time, estimated since childhood. that’s enough to nurture a deep trust between the two and it gives a lot of weight to their interactions. but gabi, WAS viren just planning this whole thing from the get-go? i think its more complicated than “viren was always manipulative from the start”. from what harrow tells us, both men seem to have encouraged each other to do what was necessary for the kingdom; the only difference is viren still believes they made the right decisions and harrow does not.

regardless of whether harrow did die or is now in pip’s body, there’s one thing for sure; viren is still very driven by his goals, almost fanatic about it now. with harrow unable to really do anything to stop viren’s agenda, its enough to make him tip his morally gray values into the more darker/borderline villainous region. especially if he’s been planning an assault since a certain egg was taken by the dragons.

(ps: i fully believe viren wants xadia, i dont think he cares much to rule over the kingdom of katolis but it has resources that can get him xadia.)

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

ANN Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin

This is all originally from an Anime News Network interview.

Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin

Interview Info: October 7th, 2014 By Callum May for Anime News Network

As a person who is aspiring to become a score composer (kind of an unrealistic dream that I can’t seem to let go), I found this really, really interesting. I left a lot of stuff in because I feel like there’s so much to unpack, and most of the information is interesting to me.

I did edit a few things out (mostly not music related), and I put in some square brackets for the sake of explanation and context. 

It appears that all of your anime soundtrack work has been with Kinema Citrus. How did you come to work with them?

I met Kinema Citrus when we were attached to the same project called "Under the Dog"[...] Since then, we've enjoyed a wonderful relationship on other projects such as Norn9 and most recently, Made in Abyss.

Do you expect to be working on anime outside of Kinema Citrus in the future?

That would be lovely. It's not entirely up to me, but that would be lovely. I'm very grateful to get any work in anime, as I'm very, very passionate about this industry. If I do get the opportunity to work on another project from any company, I would consider it to be a great privilege.

What was your first reaction to Made in Abyss when you were approached with the project? How much of it did you get to read?

I was given the first 4 books as source material to read and was immediately taken by the world that Tsukushi Akihito had created. The early stages of production were just me going through the books and finding interesting scenes or artwork to write music to.

Who did you have the most contact with on the Made in Abyss staff? What sort of questions did you ask?

I have a music director named Hiromitsu Iijima, who I would talk to on a daily basis. Every couple of weeks after a large chunk of the soundtrack had been written, we'd set up a meeting with Kojima-san [Director, Storyboard, and Episode Director] and Ogasawara-san [Animation Producer who works with Kinema Citrus] to discuss the current state of the soundtrack. We'd discuss if there were any points of concern or if anything needed to be changed. We essentially repeated that process until we were ready to record, mix, and finalize the music.

What sort of instructions and materials were you given in regards to making tracks for Made in Abyss?

In addition to all the manga books, I got a lot of background and concept art that I could reference. Trying to match the visual colour palette and the musical "colour" palette was really important to me. For example, looking at how the foregrounds and backgrounds were so juxtaposed gave me ideas such as writing for a small ensemble of instruments, but recorded in a large space. This was meant to act as a metaphor for Riko and Reg exploring in this humongous, expansive cave system.

Could you elaborate on the idea of developing a musical "colour" palette? How do colours and music correlate?

It might be best for me to give some examples. Starting more broadly with Reg, he's a character made up of both organic and mechanical body parts. So combining organic and mechanical sound sources when writing for Reg felt perfectly natural.

Talking more specifically about colour correlation, there is a lot of information in colour that allows us to perceive essential things such as relationships and distances between objects. The sound has this as well. Depending on how you combine the essential components of sound (pitch, timbre, harmony, loudness, etc.) and controlling how they either complement or clash against each other is going to result in a specific listening experience.

“Depths of the Abyss” is another example of the musical key slowly “ascending” over time to act as a sonic metaphor for the Abyss rising up to surround and engulf our main characters. There's the flip side to this as well. The title track “Made in Abyss” features descending string passages to represent Riko and Reg's descent into the world of the Abyss. I've personally found that thinking about these sorts of concepts can be very helpful when trying to establish the palette of sounds (colours) that you think will complement and/or enhance what's being displayed on-screen.

How much did you know about how your music would be used? Did you know that Underground River would be used to introduce the world in a montage just six minutes into the first episode?

Syncing music to anime is a slightly different process than what I've experienced [...] In the limited amount of anime that I've done, I've typically been instructed to create music away from the picture, which is then matched to the desired scene(s) at a later stage of production. This might contribute to why a lot of anime music can feel like a music video at times. From what I've experienced and from what I can research, I've seen directors take large chunks of time out of an episode to let the music take over so that the audience can “breathe". Underground River is a good example of this. [In episode one] you're introduced to characters, their motivations, world building, monsters and action all in a very short amount of time. Taking a minute or two to let the viewer digest all this can be very effective, and music can help with that.

You're also known for your work on Necrobarista and Kieru, two Australian indie games. What draws you to working on Aussie games, even after making your debut internationally?

[Being an Aussie], there's a lot of pride in how interesting and unique Australian indie games are. I've always had a connection to games and Australia. So even though I'm currently living in the UK, the fact that I'm still able to work on games with friends who are living back home is something really special.

It's not common to see an Australian in the credits for anime. Do you think musicians from outside of Japan are becoming more common?

I [...] grew up watching Dragon Ball Z on TV. There are actually two scores composed for that series depending on [whether you are watching dub or sub]. So I actually grew up listening to Bruce Faulconer's music for DBZ, not Shunsuke Kikuchi's original score. 

[In regards to other foreign anime score composers] There are also other examples such as Blood+ with Marc Mancina, Gabriele Roberto with Zetman in 2012, and Evan Call has done quite a few things as well [like Violet Evergarden]. So I think while it may be becoming more frequent to see musicians from outside of Japan being attached to anime projects.

How would you say composing for games differs to composing for an anime series like Made in Abyss?

Speaking for myself, composing for games, anime, or whatever typically starts the same. I feel that if you're able to nail the concept and/or tone of the project, that's a big part of the process already completed. Then it's just up to the individual needs of the project. Games are typically approached from an interactive point of view. If it's film or TV, you need to know if you're writing to picture or if you can write with no time contractions like I described before. You sort of go from there really.

How would you describe that concept/tone of Made in Abyss?

Made in Abyss offered the perfect opportunity to get really specific with instrumentation. We had analog synthesizers, field recordings, vocal samples, and much more that were heavily manipulated to create distinct electro-acoustic textures. Deciding where to record was also a really important discussion, and we ended up recording at a studio in Vienna.

[It was] a huge, state of the art recording facility just outside central Vienna. I asked for a custom chamber orchestra comprised of three violins, three violas, two celli, one double bass, two flutes, two clarinets, one bassoon, two french horns, one trumpet, one trombone, and one tuba. Totaling 19 musicians. Each musician had their own “solo" part, meaning that there was up to 19 different “lines” being played at the same time during a piece of music.

The concept behind such a setup was to represent the small company of characters exploring the Abyss. Everyone's in this massive underground cave system, so I felt having a small group of soloists in a space designed to fit over 130 musicians was the perfect sonic metaphor for this. It just so happened that we were also working with some insanely good musicians and an unbelievable technical team as well.

If you were given the chance to collaborate on a soundtrack with one composer working in anime today, who would it be?

That's an interesting question. To be honest, I think I'd rather be an understudy of someone really experienced, rather than write side by side with them. If I could be a fly on the wall while Cornelius was writing Ghost in the Shell Arise, or Yoko Kanno while she was writing Terror in Resonance, that would be so, so informative. That said, Flying Lotus just got announced as the Blade Runner 2022 composer so I'd do anything to get in on that, even though it comes out in a few days (laughs).

Made in Abyss is one of the most highly regarded anime of the year. What do you think about the reaction to it?

I can't tell you how happy I am about the reaction to Made in Abyss. Writing the soundtrack was tough. The music is experimental in nature, and it required a lot of time and effort from many, many people. Everyone came together to make this work, and I'm over the moon with how it turned out.

[maria-and-aguilars-codex-1492]

Assassin's Creed 2016 Movie Review

Movie Review: Assassins Creed I am a huge Assassins Creed fan, so when I first heard of this film I felt worry and enthusiasm towards it. My worry spans from the very first video game to movie series that I watched and that was Resident Evil. Now, if you have played the Resident Evil games then you know exactly how different the movie series was when compared to it. The characters from the games made brief appearances that often felt out of place while others had been completely different from how they are in original canon. So you can see how I still held worry despite my rather optimistic look towards it. Before going out to buy it I read professional reviews that depicted it in a negative light and gamer reviews that came out a whole lot more positive. I looked through tumblr to see screenshots from fans that pointed out game Easter eggs. I watched the trailers and as many behind the scenes videos that I could find. I even watched films that the past actors and actresses played in, along with the Kurzels works. It made me feel better when going out to buy it and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The Cinematography: With the Kurzel's I expected nothing more than to see scenes that were aesthetically pleasing; that were both beautiful and stunning to look at while hidding details everywhere. That is what Assassin's Creed gave us. The past scenes were all stunning: the details from the auto-da-fe sequences, the smoke that was covering cities from the burnings that were constantly taking place, the moor influence that was everywhere it should have been for Al'Andalusia, etc. Then we had the modern day scenes, and all of those held such a nice contrast in lighting when compared to the past scenes. Abstergo was given the proper clinical, controlled setting that I was expecting to see it have and the many different rooms we are shown remind me of how Abstergo looked in the games. The Music: Jed Kurzel is a talented composer and as someone who has spent the last seven years of my life performing contemporary music trust me when I say that I judged this part of the film harder than I did the rest. As with every movie I watch I listened carefully to the ost, seeing if it corresponded correctly with the scenes and characters it influenced around, and Assassins Creed did just that. The music corresponded with the cinematography when parallels were made and the music transitioned through the past and modern scenes. To top it off the music itself was something in the realm of the games and that was a huge golden star for me. The Characters: This casting was filled with so many actors and actresses that are already well known around the world that I was amazed that it went beyond the main cast. Not only that, but the extras for the modern scenes gave us diversity and female guards. A small detail, yes, but one I have been wanting to see in the games for so long. Onto the characters, I am going to start off with Callum Lynch, as he is our new main character. As a character Callum had his flaws, he was emotional, and for that I give the writers and producers a cookie. The psychological aspect for a child to go through what he did transitioned into adulthood as you would expect it to and we really get to see that with the time shift of what happened to him and who he became. As a child he discovered his mother murdered by his father, who is shown about to kill him, and after that we are left with what came after. What came after was a broken individual; as a child he went through the system multiple times, ended up getting involved with gangs, before bordering on the line of a serial killer with how he killed a pimp(something we only get to truly delve into with the novel). We then of course end up at the point in the film with someone who tells themself that they are ready to meet their fate, yet at the same time we see that demeanor fault away at his execution. Through the film we do get to watch a character move back and forth with sides and what he is willing to do, and that fits in with who he is. He lost stability as a child, chose a path in life that took him to his 'death', only to end up with two new paths to take; hesitation on which is understandable for who he is as a character. Then by the end of the film we get to see who he is becoming. Note when I say who he is becoming, because his development is far from over. Now, the rest of the characters, is going to go through a speed round with my review. Alan Rikkin: A man we know very well from the games, I knew that this would be Ubisofts Albert Wesker make it or break it moment. They ended up making it, Jeremy Irons played the role well. We got to see a character that is a manipulator that doesn't try to cover it up, he was blunt, he was to the point, and that is how I expected Alan Rikkin to be. However in the end I feel like they made the wrong choice. Spoiler: Alan Rikkin's assassination I believe was too soon. An assassination in that moment of the film though was needed. Sophia Rikkin: I have no issue with Marion Cotillard as an actress, however her character fell flat for me. To me it seemed that they wanted her to be sympathetic while being a character that you do not like or trust. The thing is though is that the deleted scenes of her made her sympathetic. I watched her there and it made me think of her to be someone who is emotional beneath her professional exterior. However those scenes were just that: deleted. Looking at her without it shows us a character that manipulates, but ends up coming off as hypocritical when she acts as if she hasn't been doing that this entire time(that scene coming down to the final discussion with her and Alan Rikkin). It made her part of the ending to be a mesh of emotions and decisions for two reasons. The first being her discussion with Alan Rikkin; she had been doing the exact same thing he had been only to call him out as being a liar. As if she didn't know that all of her research would come down to that very moment? The second then goes to her interactions with Callum. Throughout the film it is obvious that she is manipulating him, that he is the ticket to completing her life's work, and then at the end she goes back and acts as if she is being sympathetic to her test subject. She knows that Callum is there to kill her father and take the Apple, she allows it to happen, and then she makes the decision that she now needs to kill him and ensure that the Apple is in Abstergo's hands after it is already too late. It's too late for her to make that choice when the reason for it spans from her inability to make it when she needed to as a character. As I stated above, an assassination was needed at that point, but in my personal opinion it should have gone to Sophia instead of Alan. Not for her fall out as a character, but for the symbology of justice finally coming for the test subjects in her program. The Test Subjects and Abstergo Guards: We didn't see them expand as characters in the film as much as we did in the novel. However, the movie managed to give us interesting test subjects with ancestors that we already know about. Moussa, Lin, Nathan, and Emir all had potential to be developed on into the series while still having that interesting quality that they had been given. We also have McGowen, played by Denis Menochet, who I got the impression on that there is definitely more about him than what we were shown. The only critism I have with this section goes to Emir and Nathan's death. Justin Kurzel believed there to be too many characters, which would have been fine, if he didn't decide to kill off characters for that reason. The Spain Brotherhood, Aguilar and Maria, and the Creed: I love the Spain Brotherhood. The moor influence, the diverse weapons, the hidden blades that were very advanced for their time. We get Aguilar de Nerha, fresh from being a novice, and Maria, his mentor, who I could watch a three hour movie on. The both of them were nice contrast on Assassins: one leaning more towards his personal ideas and emotions while the other was strict to her beliefs and trust placed upon the Creed. The Creed was also an interesting thing in this film for how seriously it was taken with this Brotherhood. They still held onto the strong tradition of removing ones ring finger and they repeated the Creed almost ritualisticlly. Why? Well to me it seemed as if this Brotherhood was rather isolated, which could explain thsir reasons for doing what they did and acting as they did. As for the other Assassins, as short lived as they may have been on screen, they were badass. Ellen Kaye and the Lynch's: Ellen Kaye was the type of antagonistic force that leaves you creeped out. She wanted Alan Rikkin out of the picture even if it meant taking out the Animus Program; a stark contrast to how we normally see Abstergo's big wigs, yet realistic in nature. She was also very influential with Sophia which I wish they had expanded upon. Mary Lynch was interesting and I applaud them for making her the one that the bloodline comes from when in the games it came from Desmond's father. Her character was in my opinion more well written out than Joseph's, and I would like to think that it comes from her being the one we will most likely see again. Joseph Lynch was another story all together though as I found him to be a character that harbors many regrets, who isn't all that sane anymore. Killing his wife, almost going through with the choice to kill his son, the years spent inside of Abstergo, it all just adds up to the moment where we see him years later. The Game Influence: The game did hold an influence in this movie that was strong enough that it worked out well. The way they fought, the moves and skills that were done, all came straight from the game. The Leap of Faith, the Bleeding Effect, the Apple of Eden, the hidden blades and weapons seen from past games were all done in a way that fit in with the film and they didn't simply place those things in as Easter eggs either which is a major plus for a video game movie. We also have the Animus 4.3/5 that is made up of three parts: the Arm, the Archive, and the Animus itself. All of which were practical for the setting of the film and for a film itself. The robes worn came straight from the game and the modern ones we see at the end were such a nice call back to the past that I honestly prefer them over wearing a white hoodie(speaking practically). All in all, the film had wonderful cinematography and an ost that matched up to that seen in the games. The characters had their flaws, some could have been shown more, but considering that this was meant to be a start I think they did good for that. The overall influence and transition from game to movie was a major victory when compared to what gamers have been given before. For that, I would give Assassins Creed a good review, and since we know its canon with the games and in the same universe its safe to say that we will see it again.