#the fact that most of these have to do with Rayla lol

[imminent-danger-came]

Callum + looking at his palm

[raayllum]

Whenever you talk about Callum and Claudia and moral ambiguity, I always think of this quote

"A hero would sacrifice you to save the world, but a villain would sacrifice the world to save you."

I love your metas, and I thought you might find this interesting (unless you already had this one in the back of your head lol)

Now, part of this may be because I grew up with PJO - a series with a very heroic, brave, and loving main character whose in-universe fatal flaw is "To save a friend you would sacrifice the world" - but I tend to err away from this dichotomy of villain-hero and subsequent selfish-selfishness in general.

The hero "saving a loved one vs the the world" is an age old conflict and also an inherently fantastical scenario, as it's a literal trolley problem on a level no real life person will ever experience (there can certainly be similar things in IRL war when a lot of hard, otherwise unfathomable choices have to be made). And, traditionally, most villains cover up their schemes with notions of doing things for the Greater Good (hi Viren!) even if their actions are also things that are conveniently benefitting themselves. And typically, the hero is the Hero precisely because they understand that recognizing the personhood of the individual and that it's important to always value the individual (of which the many are made of) is a crucial cornerstone of well, valuing life at all.

This sort of trolley problem is something that TDP comes back to over and over again and most of the time, the 'right' choice is defending the life of the (innocent) individual under attack no matter the otherwise personal consequence.

Runaan: You let him live, but you killed us all!

Sol Regem: No, you have two choices. You all die, or just the wretched evil human dies.

To do otherwise leads to Sarai's death as a narrative punishment. (ATLA explores this too, with Aang being literally Killed the second he successfully, albeit reluctantly, gives up his attachment to Katara. Which is harsh but very indicative, I think, as far as narrative punishments go, and reaffirmed in the finale with Aang being given a third path precisely because he refuses to surrender his attachments a second time.)

That's not to say heroes never prioritize the greater good. Rayla is very world focused ("This could end the war and change the world!" / not taking Claudia's deal in 4x09) and Ezran exchanges his freedom/safety for the chance for his soldiers to be able to lay down their arms and it's a primary concern for him in S4 ("But the kingdom needs me" "The world needs you"). Callum smashes the primal stone to hatch Zym. But, most importantly, the Heroic thing to do is to choose to lay down your life, not solely offer up others', for those causes or choices. And Viren's hesitation and later inflated self importance (among other emotions) is his Original Sin, series wise. (Even the fact he refuses to give up the egg and offer it as a possible plea for Harrow's life; he'd rather sacrifice his own because of his own paranoia than risk giving Xadia a 'weapon'.)

In many ways, TDP says "The villain will sacrifice you for their notion of the world (who counts as a person, etc), and the hero will save you even at the potential cost of the their world, re: themselves".

However, because this is TDP, even this dichotomy isn't Simple or clear cut. Runaan and his troupe all willfully give their lives for an ultimately lost cause that will only create more suffering and was, per the words of the story and reaction of the other characters, completely Unnecessary; Claudia is certainly prioritizing the life of the individual, but with a complete lack of regard for any other life forms as a dark mage (and isn't thinking through the long term consequences, but more on that here).

TDP also calls into question the nobility or necessity of self or self imposed sacrifice, particularly in Rayla's character and where and how it can be taken to a dangerous level. For example, her walking away from the drake is a character regression, not a progression, precisely because it throws away the life of the individual (something she largely never did before) while also reaffirming that she's far too prone to throwing her own life away unnecessarily/unfairly.

So. Where does this leave us? And what does this mean for Callum and Claudia?

Well, I think there's a few consistencies:

1) Are you sacrificing yourself because you feel like you have to (obligation and guilt) or are you sacrificing yourself because it is the right thing to do (harm mitigation)?

This is probably where Rayla and Harrow fall the most. That's also not to say this dichotomy is solid, as it can definitely be flexible / bleed into each other (Harrow's surrender of his life in 1x03 is, I believe, both). But it is useful in differentiating when Rayla is being noble (saving Zym, 2x07, 3x09, possibly 4x09) vs when she's being self-punishing (1x02, 3x08, Through the Moon, definitely 4x09).

2) Are you sacrificing others in ways you would not sacrifice yourself? Are you sacrificing yourself in ways you would not sacrifice others?

This is where I think Runaan, Viren, Rayla, and Callum primarily fall into. Viren is the only one who really hardcore engages with the first question (yes, he'll sacrifice himself, but it's almost always with an edge of disregard to others and/or a sense of ego), with Runaan, Rayla, Callum, and Claudia all leaning towards the second one. "You're going to be better now, that's all that matters" "It doesn't matter what happens to me, live or die this dragon goes home" "If me dying is the only way for you and Zym to get across safely, then it's time for me to meet the end" and "I am already dead".

3) Are you actively chasing a self destructive/sacrificial pattern or is it something you are pushed into and then have to react to?

This is the key difference (most of the time) I think between Claudia and Rayla (first option) and Callum (second option). For me, I perpetually come back to the way Callum is willing to risk his life, most often, only when he has hope of survival (i.e. he lays down his life for Ez but also immediately argues that he should get to live; Rayla talks him down in 3x01 with two words and Callum immediately starts looking for another plan; he jumps off the Pinnacle with the hope of wings). This is in direct contrast to Claudia and to Rayla. Where Ezran argues in 3x02 that children shouldn't pay for their parents' mistakes, Rayla argues the exact opposite and that she should die in 3x08. The "pushed into a corner" Callum vs Claudia "seeking it out" seems pretty consistent, but I could see Callum seeking it out a bit more in S5, particularly in relation to the coins (but we'll have to see).

Closing Thoughts

To be clear, I don't think TDP is interested in giving a Definite answer about self sacrifice and selfishness vs selflessness (sacrificing yourself can be selfish; saving yourself can be selfless; selfishness is not always a vice and sacrifice is not always a virtue). I think it's a theme, as a subset of grief and relationships, that the story has chosen to Explore in a variety of different ways.

One of the main reasons I've always leaned towards Callum and Claudia paralleling each other more directly is 1) they always have (Claudia comes up with the switching spell in 1x01 because of Callum, and that's precisely what Callum executes when he says he's Ezran, for ex), 2) Aaravos' pawns ("a song of love and loss" "Aaravos chose as his instruments" "those who fail tests of love," etc.) and 3) Claudia is primed to be the one pushing for Aaravos to be freed.

This is somewhat sympathetic because it's for her dad, but Viren-Claudia have a complicated to unhealthy kind of dynamic, and Viren isn't really a character most of the audience cares about being saved (nor does he himself, and he's already been Saved once), so the sympathy can only go so far. However, it's still pretty clear that they're both set up to get atonement/redemption arcs to a degree. The easiest way to not have Claudia be incredibly demonized is for another, good guy character, to make the same/a similar choice for a similar reason. I've gone on record saying I think Callum will either make a conscious choice where he knows he could be risking Aaravos' freedom if it snowballs, or an active choice directly freeing Aaravos, simply because who else would have the incentive, who else has the foreshadowing, and it ties together the thematic overhaul of S4 pretty well, as well as Callum's associations with Freedom thematically.

Because valuing the individual over the world isn't Wrong, just like valuing the world over the individual isn't necessarily Right. It depends on bond, sympathy, circumstance, the attitude and role of the character you're saving and who's doing the saving and how. I've said it before that every character in TDP typically wants the same thing - to protect their loved ones - and so their methods - what they're willing to do or not do, and how they do it - is what creates the moral and ethical spectrum of the show.

TLDR; sometimes we sacrifice the right things for the wrong reasons, or the wrong things for the right reasons. Claudia still doesn't think/know that Aaravos is evil (because she is a Legend at ignoring red flags and her own prejudice); Callum does. Claudia doing all this to save her father out of her own desperation would offer up a nice parallel of Callum also doing something out of desperation to protect/save the people he loves. I think they both have a great capacity to be Wrong, while (in Callum's case) also somewhat doing the Right Thing. That's why it's Moral Dubiousness, after all.

And also why his Tales of Xadia bio spells it out for us 3 different times:

Liberty: I'm beholden to my inner circle, not some silly kingdom.

Devotion: I value those close to me more than anyone or anything.

Has the lowest Justice (the defined desire to do What's Right) score of any of the main heroic characters in the trio or in the show, other than Lujanne

[theredhairedmonkey]

Posting my reply to @kuno-chan’s post separately here as I’m not going to reblog slander disparaging me or others.

Also, since these are just all the same talking points lifted from elsewhere in the fandom, there’s no need to go line by line. Nevertheless, I’ve given this plenty of time and thought, and will break my take down into four parts:

Callum and Rayla

No, Callum is not obsessed with Rayla. Sorry, but one brief evening of him mourning the anniversary of Rayla leaving isn’t a constant obsession lol. This scene shows he still has feelings for her, but it does not constitute a constant preoccupation. For the vast majority of time in s4 before she returned, he hardly acknowledged her. Even when she returned and left again in 4x03, he did not have a any reaction at all, and went along with his day.

Callum is a deeply caring person who would do anything for those he loves, including Ezran, Soren, and Amaya (Yes, even Soren, as Callum was about to fight Elmer to defend him despite being injured himself). This fierce loyalty is part of his nature, not evidence of obsession over one person. His willingness to fight for others can be both a strength and a flaw at times.

At the same time, as Finnegrin points out to Callum in 5x08, his friends are also willing to do anything for him too. It’s a two-way street.

Meanwhile, Rayla seems more singularly focused on Callum, calling him the "best thing I ever had" and clearly pining for him constantly. Her moral compass now revolves around Callum and protecting Callum specifically. So between the two, she displays more obsessive tendencies regarding their relationship. To the point that I have mentioned before it’s a little disconcerting that most of her character arc in s4 seems to just be about getting back together with him.

Speaking of which, even after they reconcile, the lead writer dropped the bombshell that they’re actually not currently dating:

Which really begs the question, if Rayla is so eager to resume their relationship, why haven’t they? If Callum is so obsessed with her, why hasn’t he taken her back yet?

This doesn’t mean Callum doesn’t care deeply about her. He absolutely does. But if Callum were truly obsessed, he likely would have immediately resumed the relationship. The fact that he has not suggests he has set healthy boundaries and is not driven by obsession.

But that’s just the relationship angle. There’s also the issue with assigning Rayla’s traits (flaws specifically) to Callum. Callum is indeed loyal, and to his detriment sometimes, but loyalty and devotion aren’t the main driver for his actions. They’re Rayla’s. You don’t even have to take my word for it, it’s spelled out in Tales of Xadia:

Callum’s most important value is Freedom/Liberty, once again spelled out in Tales of Xadia:

And this distinction is crucial, as it’s the crux of his storyline in s5: is he really free to choose not to do dark magic (or free to make any choice for that matter), and what does it mean to have unlimited potential, and whether that unlimited potential can lead to a very dark place. Once again, flat out stated by the lead writer of the show:

Notice how Devon explained Callum’s motivation without ever mentioning “Rayla”?

Chalking up his motivation to just an obsession for Rayla that he’ll always have, that he’s just That Way and nothing else, deprives him of this arc and reduces him to a two dimensional sidepiece for Rayla. It strips him of the complexity of his season 5 arc, where he struggles with the meaning of unlimited potential and the darkness that could engender. His inner conflicts go far beyond his feelings for Rayla. Suggesting otherwise diminishes his character development, and it's beyond me why anyone would want that.

Callum and Morality

As I’ve said before, I enjoy Callum’s dark side immensely. I really do. But the point of the Ocean Arcanum, as I've mentioned before, is that everyone has a dark side:

Thus, Callum isn’t any more particularly morally dubious than anyone else. Sorry, but a single use of dark magic, with already-dead ingredients, in an extremely controlled setting for the very narrow purpose of setting himself free, doesn’t make Callum morally dubious. And I’m sure the average person could see the VAST chasm of difference between using One Bad Spell and dooming the world for Rayla’s sake that the story has no chance of bridging in just two seasons.

He refrained from using the snake chain spell offensively against people, as we've seen it used before (in 2x03). It was narrowly employed just to free himself, after which he immediately returned to primal magic. And in that sense, I haven’t seen a single person argue this one act was unjustifiable.

And, as he gives Finnegrin the wrong list of ingredients, that’s basically the only real act of moral ambiguity Callum has displayed. Because for everything else, you have to hold Callum to a unique (and impossible) standard that applies to no one else. For instance, it's not considered morally dubious when Amaya punched Karim, yet Callum punching Finnegrin supposedly is? Callum is dubious for forgiving Rayla of her crimes (in a show that’s centered on forgiveness and trust as sources of true strength), yet Rayla isn’t dubious for actually committing those crimes? Like, Rayla actually lies, steals, and abandons her friends, yet Callum is viewed as more dubious simply for forgiving her?

Seriously, why am I supposed to think Callum is dubious for saving his friend at the cost of a snake’s tail, yet Rayla is merely “complex” for what she's done?

To be clear, while Rayla has certainly done morally questionable things, that does not make her a bad person or even a morally dubious person overall. But the same must also apply to Callum - his singular use of dark magic for escape does not negate his generally good and principled nature. Very few people would consider his actions in that scene truly unjustifiable.

Callum and Viren

As I’ve said before here, Callum and Viren are indeed foils, and perhaps the most important foil relationship in the series. But the point of foil characters is showing each other’s opposing traits:

And yea, it should be pretty obvious that Callum and Viren are dramatically different from one another. Callum protects those close to him and tries to do the right thing, while Viren seeks to amass as much power for himself as he can.

This is even clear from their parallel shots that Viren and Callum are extremely different, for good and bad reasons. When opening the door to greet the guard, Viren appears self-important while Callum seems nice and humble. When he confronts Soren on the battlements, Callum is aggressive and angry where Viren was calm and calculated. These are not the same person.

That doesn’t mean Viren and Callum are opposites in every way; some minor similarities are there to humanize Viren, not equate him with Callum. For instance, the moment he parallels Callum and the group’s “I’d do anything for you” was to show that Viren isn’t just a power hungry tyrant but also a devoted and desperate father. However the fact that this is a sympathetic moment undercuts the supposed dubiousness of Callum.

Viren's devotion to his children parallels Callum's loyalty to his friends, making Viren sympathetic rather than wholly evil. But this does not make Callum dubious by association - if anything, it suggests Viren has glimmers of goodness akin to Callum's steadfast decency. If Viren is portrayed as good to the extent that he’s similar to Callum, what does that say about Callum himself?

So while they have a couple superficial similarities, their core character traits and motivations remain opposites. It is unreasonable to equate them based on scant common ground when their differences are so pronounced. If parallels to Callum humanize Viren, that reflects well on Callum, not poorly.

It’s also pretty telling that the same people downplay Callum's explicit and canonical similarities to the moral exemplar Amaya, while overstating negligible common ground with the villainous Viren...

Fandom Toxicity:

While I can be blunt or harsh about takes I disagree with or think are poorly thought out, I never attack the people holdings those views or suggest that they’re terrible people. I would never, for instance, suggest that people who don’t subscribe to my view of Callum to be incels, or who don’t subscribe to my view of Rayla to be mysoginists, or who don’t subscribe to my view of Ezran to be racists.

It’s not just toxic and offensive behavior, but it’s also inconsistent. When you ask “why is it so bad that some people believe Callum is dubious,” it kinda falls flat when you turn around and call people "incels" for having a different take on Callum.

I’m not going to comment much more on this as I think it speaks for itself, but I also deal with enough bullying and harassment as it is, so this will probably be it for me. I see no reason to continue when you are arguing with such bad faith.

Postscript

The argument here is basically “since Callum was willing to squish a snake’s tail and risk his life for Rayla, then it’s reasonable he’d be willing to risk the entire world for her.” I’m sorry, but I’m of the opinion that this doesn’t follow and is kinda far fetched. That isn’t a personal attack, just my personal take.

It’s fine to want Callum to be morally dubious. You’d be pushing an open door with me if you think it would be cool headcanon. Completely unsubstantiated by canon, but still cool.

But for whatever reason, the favor is not returned. It should be fine to think Callum has a moral code, that he has a life outside of Rayla, and that he’ll probably rise above his weaknesses and flaws by the end of the saga. Yet the namecalling and mudslinging that this is responded with is just WILD.

I don’t deal well with insults, or namecalling, or the insinuation that I am in denial subconsciously, or I don’t really mean it when I discuss Callum’s dark side. Nor will I entertain it. This type of bad faith dealing barely deserved a response, much less several paragraphs worth, but now that this is all on a page, I’m going to do both of us a favor and say that we’re done.

[thedragoneprince]

Whyyyyy do I feel like me actually genuinely enjoying the new season of tdp is an unpopular opinion

Like I had so much fun this season and it was just so good to me personally and I absolutely loved it (I did have one issue regarding how they handled Rayla’s return but like it wasn’t enough to make me hate it at all)

Like I’m trying so hard to understand why people didn’t like it and I just can’t wrap my head around it

Is it the fact that it’s hard for me personally to view creative works as objectively bad because I do tend to look for the good in things because someone made it someone put time and care into it and that’s so cool I know a lot of the things I do enjoy are considered bad by a lot of people but most of the time I can see why (lol) and I just can’t see why with tdp idk

[blutopaz15]

OTP asks: 4 and 24?

4: Which one tells the other not to stay up all night and which one stays up all night anyway?

I know that the expected answer is that Rayla stays up all night, but I think they’re both night owls, tbh. I do think the moon would make her restless when it’s closer to full, but I def think Callum’s getting the moon arcanum figured out ASAP, so who’s to say it won’t impact him the same way? So, taking that into account and the fact that Rayla’s sleeplessness/late nights in TTM are certainly not by choice.........I’m gonna say Callum might actually be a little bit worse about not sleeping than Rayla is, and here’s why:

Rayla’s super active. No doubt in my mind that she spends a fair portion of her day training and girl is intense so she’s gotta wear herself out. Perhaps Callum gets on that training wavelength, perhaps he sticks mostly to magic and thus really only gets that tired when it’s a mage-wings day...but no way Callum is as consistently physically active as Rayla is. Thus, less tired than she is, which plays into...

Late-night artist/dork Callum! (It can’t be just me who’s most creative at night, right? I am so much more productive with writing between like 11pm and 2am when I have the luxury of being up that late, lmao) It probably wasn’t THAT late in the first episode when we first see Callum drawing while Ez is already asleep, but I can see Callum with a tendency to get a little wrapped up in whatever he’s working on...whether that’s drawing or maybe studying up on something or other.

...and I think Rayla yells at him about it, lol, especially when she wants attention/snuggles and he’s still working on that dang drawing. Like I can definitely see this as a source of some sweet, sweet rayllum bickering. (The best kind, too: I-love-you contest bickering!)

24: Which one gives the other a piggyback ride when they’re tired?

Callum gives Rayla piggyback rides but it only happens when she’s intentionally being all dramatic and cute for the explicit purpose of having an excuse to make Callum give her a piggyback ride. She kisses his cheek a lot when he does and really, really, really likes having a reason to be all close and snuggly. (:

otp headcanon thing

[beautifulterriblequeen]

I love that Ethari is first as Runaan’s likes lol he’s so in love!💕 Can I get you’re thoughts about the beautiful couple???? Like how they compliment each other so well? Like Runaan’s got a hardened heart and Ethari is just this big ol cuddly bear💕💕 I love your TDP blog by the way!

Runaan and Ethari, Ethari and Runaan. A puzzle with two pieces, a balance of imbalances. Neither of them are perfect, but they’re perfect for each other. Deep down, they each understand what Moonshadows would never say out loud--on their own, they’re flawed and they don’t always make good choices, even when they want so desperately to succeed. But with each other’s perspective, advice, and support, they can do so much more than they could by themselves.

That’s why they each pick the other as their favorite thing. They know they’re more together. Moonshadow love is more than just affection and attraction. It’s a giving, practical love as well. 

Runaan helps Ethari be more strategic in defense of their people by offering tactical suggestions for what to make, and for whom. Possibly coordinates meetings, demonstrations, and the like. 

Ethari helps Runaan connect more with the village council and the Silvergrovers. Possibly runs roleplay with Runaan for difficult conversations so he doesn’t come off too hard and reminds him that others have actual feelings so please don’t step on them while zeroing in on the long-term goal.

Runaan reminds Ethari that Rayla needs to have a place in Moonshadow society, she can’t play all the time. Ethari reminds Runaan that she is, in fact, just five and needs more sleep than he does.

And every time, every time, they listen to each other. They trust each other’s perspective. They find resolution for every single issue they face, because they face it together. Until the stakes get so high that they end up digging in their heels, because what they can see from their own perspective is just too important to them. It’s 500 times Runaan listened to Ethari + 1 time he didn’t.

But other than the, y’know, single instance of failure that led to the whole plot happening, these two are Silvergrove’s power couple. Runaan’s the leader of the assassins that live there. Ethari might be the leader of the crafters as well. These two, on the village council, a voting bloc to be reckoned with. How much of the Silvergrove has been changed because they voted it so? Runaan might have implemented more patrols or heavier wards. Ethari might have trained a whole generation of crafters in jewelry making, especially if that were his only outlet for it anymore. I can see him offering to teach a class on it just so he can keep up with his favorite techniques. Runaan’s not gonna say no to that. He knows Ethari will deck him out in pretties when the semester’s over.

Runaan’s got that lovely duality of being stoic or passionate/intense without much in between. He’s several dualities all on his own, separate from the ones he completes with Ethari by his side. But he does have feelings. We’ve seen quite a range of them. He just plays them low key, is all, but they’re there.

oh is it time for more screencaps of Runaan yes it is

Tender and caring

Nothing left to lose

Dad Mode

Broken

Totally cool with PDA

Legit afraid

Instructor Mode

Soft for a pretty dragon egg

Arrogant

So mad he’s actually yelling

Gently focused on showing appropriate care with Ethari’s heart

Okay, whew. This elf’s a roller coaster. Yes, he spends most of his time stoic, like this okay just one more

But he has a whole range of those passionate/intense feels. He’s not heartless, he’s not cold. He’s just... quiet, when he can be. That’s the way he likes to be. Feel the feels, but keep them under control. That’s his comfort zone. (Which means that his mission was like seventeen levels of uncomfortable for him after it went pear-shaped)

I’m going somewhere with this I swear

So when you pair an elf that has these deep feels with one who’s good at reading them, one who enjoys expressing his own, you’re going to get such a deep connection it’ll blow your mind.

Listen, Ethari is three emotional outbursts in a trenchcoat, okay.

Genuine marshmallow of light and softness

Soft for his stabby husband

Quietly alarmed

Deeply focused (also probably his angery face, which, omg I both do and do not want to see)

About to cry

Proud and poised, looks like he’s at his own wedding holding that flower

Knows his manners and his dad jokes all rolled into one, how Moonshadow

Soft Dad Mode

Having the worst day of his life

Overwhelmed

Intent but soft

Kissing his favorite elf

Ethari has the range, and he only tries to hide it that one time when Runaan’s flower sinks. He wears his feels on his face and in his body language and basically with every breath he takes. He’s super expressive. Which is a hilarious and awesome thing when you pair him with a stoic badass and say they’re deeply in love. This relationship is glorious, I’m telling you. There’s very very little these two can’t manage to express or experience, between the two of them.

And then, you make them Moonshadow elves. Life and death and weapons and justice and killing and honor and duty and social obligations. Family and friends and show-don’t-tell and acts of kindness and self-sacrifice and cooking on birthdays to say I-love-you. Painting each other’s markings, quiet love languages, knowing how much each one does behind the scenes for everyone else, falling so deeply in love with each other because their hearts are truly dedicated to good and they support that in one another. Waking up soft, falling asleep together, every day a new gift given and received and spent well.

They don’t do everything perfectly. But they try. They try so hard, every day, to do what’s right. For each other, out of love. For their family. For their village. They are each other’s strongest support system, first thought in the morning, and last thought at night. And from this power base, they can go out and change the world, one little thing at a time, and they know that at the end of the day, they can come home and be understood, supported, listened to, and commiserated with. They’ve each worked very hard to be the best version of themselves that they know how to be, and it’s that determination to be good that connects them deep down and holds them together.

As they move forward in the plot, I think their choices will be heavily tested, because they are not perfect. They can be different, maybe a little better, if they work at that too. But it’s their sheer stubbornness that makes me think they can do it. They’ve gotten this far in life. They’ve done good things, together and separately, and that’s not gonna stop. So if they see a need, an opportunity, to help in ways they know they can contribute to, even if it means changing a little bit about who they are, even if it means shaking up that perfect system a bit, I have faith that the strength of their love will hold them together through that, too.

This is my OTP. They can and will take on the world and make it better. Because they love each other, they trust each other, they want a better world for each other, and they will challenge death itself to make it happen if they have to.

[eggbertith]

the dragon prince and representation; a (fairly personal) ramble

there are a lot of things in the dragon prince that have stood out as very important to me and i’m going to talk some of them here

this post isn’t going to be groundbreaking or mind-blowing. i’m just going to be talking about things i’ve been wanting to talk about for a while. it’s going to be mildly disorganized probably (sorry lol) so, if you’re interested, feel free to read

[disclaimer] this post and what i say are from my perspective: you don’t have to agree with me on everything. in fact, if you don’t, i’d love to discuss about it. i don’t think i make very bold claims, but i am putting a disclaimer here just in case

diversity for the sake of diversity (averted) 

lets lay down a line: diversity in a show does not make the show good if there is only diversity for the sake of diversity. remember it. 

there is a deaf character, a non-binary character, 4 confirmed gay characters, people of color, someone who is blind, and more. what do i like about these characters in particular? they are actually useful and contribute to the show as a whole. 

it’s easy to throw in some POC or gay characters in a show just to have them, but real representation is present when the characters who are supposed to add diversity also add to the show as a whole. 

lets talk about some of these characters. the most obvious that probably comes to everyone’s mind first is amaya- callum and ezran’s aunt. i have not encountered a single person who dislikes amaya. she’s an absolute badass as she has the right to be. 

she is deaf, she communicates in asl, she has a translator because not everyone understands asl, she’s absolutely lovable, and she’s a good character. if amaya wasn’t as good as a character as she is, she would be less important and the diversity she offers to the show would be diluted (in my opinion). 

amaya helps move the plot forward. she’s relevant. she’s the reason why viren wasn’t crowned as king earlier. she destroys the breach which led to her being stuck on the xadia side which then leads to the push against the stigma between elves and humans that have lasted for years. and as i’ve said before she’s outright one of the best characters there’s no denying it. 

((also these two beautiful women are girlfriends (try to change my mind i dare you), and as a lesbian i could not be more pleased))

captain villads is blind. he only shows up for two episodes (technically three if you include callum’s dream), but he helps the team get across the ocean (big lake??) which was faster than traveling on foot and he offers some wisdom to rayla and kind of helps callum indirectly

kazi doesn’t have much screen time at all but they are confirmed nonbinary and they are the temporary translator for amaya 

(look at them i love them and i want to protect them)

at the end of the day, i just really like that this show represents people in some shape or form. the characters who are meant to provide diversity are likable and are enjoyable to watch. they contribute something, they aren’t there just to be there. 

however, i am not saying that the representation in this show is perfect (especially with lgbtq), but i believe it is a step towards great representation. if, in the future, runaan is reunited with ethari, and if they confirm a relationship with amaya and janai (and don’t kill one or both of them off), they will avert the “bury your gays” trope which is something that would be very refreshing to see. i’m wishing that this ends up being the case. 

there are other small things in the show such as interracial relationships, people of dark skin that actually have brown eyes, and more. if i took the time to talk about all of it i would be here forever. 

on personality and reflection

i want to talk about one scene that’s very significant to me: s2e9 “breathe”

sarai: “breathe. breathe. callum, you need to breathe. you just need to breathe, sweetie.” 

callum: “i feel so overwhelmed with everything. i...i have so many thoughts, things racing through my head.” 

the first time i saw this scene i thought ‘panic attack’. which 1) me too, callum and 2) it’s very well done. in the first image, callum is sinking. the water is his thoughts, his thoughts that are encasing him, drowning him (much like what it feels to have anxiety, over-excessive worry, an over-active mind/hyperactive thoughts).

this scene is very powerful; i’m a big fan of television accurately representing mental health so i might be a bit bias towards it. these 30 seconds alone bring me to tears because i feel like a big part of who i am is explained. i see myself in this scene. and they pulled it off in 2 sentences. as someone who has bad anxiety and depression this scene just speaks to me, it’s hard to explain. 

the advice that sarai gives is interesting and honestly sounds like cliche kids show advice but it’s something i always tend to keep in mind: “sometimes things can get so complicated that our minds can't quite sort them out alone. but when you slow down and let yourself breathe, your spirit and your body can catch up with your mind, and help out.”

there are also people like ezran: people who feel they don’t quite fit in with societal norms (which i 10/10 relate to honestly like):

ezran: “i’ve always been different. it’s hard for me to make friends with other kids. i just feel like i don’t fit in.”

and then best girl rayla swoops in and says “fitting in is boring” and i’m like ‘thank you’! besides, rayla doesn’t quite fit in, either. 

speaking of rayla, she is an interesting character.

i will seriously never get over rayla’s arc. rayla, after meeting callum, learns that its okay to be emotional. she doesn’t always have to be strong and invincible and perfect. i know a lot of people who are very much like rayla (emotionally) and i’ve seen people on this site that say they are emotionally like rayla as well

on top of being closed off, she grew up to view herself harshly. she blames herself for everything. she thinks she deserves to be ghosted, to be rejected. it brings up an issue that too many people deal with: self-deprecation. 

rayla: “they’re right to reject me. i’m not good enough and never will be.”

tldr; i appreciate that this show makes me (and others) feel represented in some way and brings issues that people deal with on a daily basis to light 

[hirazuki]

Can't say I'm a fan of tdp s3's pacing, it felt way too quick (and ngl, the pacing has me rooting for Callum and Rayla to break up by the end like call me cynical but these two haven't even known each other a month.) Also I don't like the direction they took Viren in :/ he was actually starting to seem really sympathetic thanks to s2, until he gaslit Soren in s3.

Under a cut because salt and spoilers! :D

Yeah, exactly :/ The pacing was really weird, the humor was off (idk if it was just me, but most of the jokes or things that were played for laughs were… just not funny), Callum/Rayla was way too quick (I think that most fans would have been fine with them going in this direction but maybe only like 1/3 of the way by the end of the season?), and the discrepancy between what was going on with their easy-going fun little romantic adventure vs. the crisis the rest of the world was having and Viren’s body horror galore situation was just really jarring.

I have no idea what they’re trying to do with Viren and tbh I don’t think they do either – he started as a very pragmatic villain in S1, then became sympathetic antagonist in S2 with clear and understandable motivations, and now it feels like they went “oh shit we made him too sympathetic BETTER PUT THIS WHOLE SHINDIG IN REVERSE AND SPRINKLE SOME EVULZ FOR GOOD MEASURE,” which had me going 😑Not to mention his perceived horror at Claudia bringing him back from the dead -- if he was really that evil of a person, I feel like he wouldn’t be horrified? But from his expression, it looks like he thinks that maybe his daughter went too far??? Which makes no sense given how they’ve been building him up??? Are they setting Claudia up to be the next big bad? Is it because Aaravos is no longer in his mind/did dying release him from some star elf magic shenanigans? Wtf? Adding that to what we know about him being named after Ehasz’s close friend and that he’s a staff favorite (and remembering that Lotor was also based off of one of JDS’s close friends and was, supposedly, a staff favorite), I’m just not too hopeful about even things as basic as keeping character consistency.

It just felt like the whole show suddenly gave up any nuance it had built up in S2. The animation has gotten a lot smoother, to the point where I can actually watch without getting dizzy, and even though I’m not a fan of the visual world building as a whole (I can’t tell if they’re going for a medieval society, or renaissance, or enlightenment or what with their setting, there are too many conflicting elements for me to not find it distracting), the individual character designs are super cool, so I was really hoping this could be a series I eventually managed to settle into. I’d much rather genuinely enjoy a show than salt-watch it :/ 

I think what bugged me the most is that it professes itself to be a super progressive show, with representation and sense of morality, etc., except that it continues to glorify really archaic ideals without providing any kind of solid proof as to why these are good things. Like child monarchs or divine right to rule, etc. – I know Opeli said kings are chosen by vote, but there’s been nothing but proof to the contrary for that. Whereas Viren, who has been the only non-royal main character (along with his kids) and essentially the voice/perspective of a more common type of person, esp in S2, keeps offering some of the most forward-thinking and pragmatic courses of action, but which always keep being undermined as “dark magic = evil lolz.” I just… don’t get where they’re trying to go with this, I guess.

The dynamic between Aaravos, Claudia, and Viren was super enjoyable though. Kinda makes me wish the show was about them lmao. It feels like, once again, the writing surrounding the villains is more compelling than that of the protags, and I think that it’s, again, because of the fact that villains don’t have to be “cinammon rolls uwu” and can be real people, whereas the heroes have to be P E R F E C T. I just wish people would write characters as just people, regardless of where they fall on the archetype/moral scale X_X

(I’m not even gonna touch Kasef lol, someone better qualified than me can do that XD).

If anything, I feel like it’s super obvious there was Stuff™ going on behind the scenes, and if we didn’t know about it from the tweets, I would have def wondered what the hell was going on with the writing team. I read some reviews that chalked the pacing up to the show runners not knowing if the series will be renewed and wanting to provide closure should this be the end of the show, but also leave it open enough so that they could continue it if they got the chance, but like… supposedly this season was done some time ago and there was never any risk of it being cancelled, so there should have been no need to make it so rushed? 

 Idk man ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I feel like my biggest takeaway from this season is that either the whole AtLA team had one single braincell between them so that when they split to do their own projects, all those projects went dismally, or that the stars were in alignment for some kind of magic to birth AtLA. or it was actually ghostwritten by some third party lmao bc I literally have no other explanation for it. 

[wildselkie]

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)

*not ordered in which is better or worse, but it will be in chronological order*

Also some things are worded weirdly. I have a pain in the ass time trying to get my thoughts across in words so... I thank you for your patience :))

_________________________________________

1) The scene where Callum, Ezran, and Rayla find the dragon prince. Ep. 2

I think this is one of the more pivotal moments in the show. I mean it is literally the scene that sets the story in motion after all! Two human princes, an elf assassin, and the lost dragon prince (who was thought to be dead/gone/egg destroyed(?)).. this is just IT.

*also i’m aware that Ez probably found the egg first cos he already knew about this secret area but still

2) Viren (attempts to) proposes the idea to trade his life in for Harrow. Ep. 3

Now there are other well thought and well written posts on this scene with Viren and Harrow, so I won't waste your time with all the gushy stuff. I find this scene important because it shows the lengths that Viren would go for his friend. Whether he's doing out of the goodness of his heart or some other selfish reason... maybe both(?)..

!WARNING! MINI VIREN POST ALERT EVEN THO I SAID I WOULDN'T GET INTO IT

In the book Moon, it dives deeper into the plot along with expressing the characters' thoughts and feelings. As for Viren, it's stated in the book that he wanted to:

"offer his life for Harrow's, but he wanted him to understand that this was more than just a sacrifice of a subject to his king. This was personal"

"... he would need to be straightforward. He wanted to say simply I love you and I will die for you" (Ehasz 80).

I have no doubts that Viren didn't not love Harrow or anything of the sorts, but at the same time it feels like there was another motive. Maybe there was, who knows.

All we know about Viren is that he's a father of two (Claudia & Soren), divorced/ separated from his wife, and he's a dark mage. Of course there's some more (like he's taller than Harrow according to the character line up)... also his staff... like if you look at it, it's the same one as the mage who faced Sol Regem all those centuries (?) ago. Maybe he's related to him, or possibly descended from one of the followers. I'd imagine that teaching dark magic may be a thing within his family and ancestors... he taught Claudia dark magic. That doesn't prove anything but it's a small thought.

ANYWAY-- this scene is one of many scenes that show Viren in a vulnerable state. The book gives a look into how he felt when he decided to sacrifice himself and everything. It's just interesting and I'm here for it. 

3) Amaya and her weapons grade baguette Ep. 4

On a less serious and more fun note, the fact that Amaya is a breakfast connoisseur is just perfect. Amazing. Fantabulous.

"As a breakfast connoisseur, she was offended that Ezran would neglect a hearty morning meal" (Ehasz 120).

I only emboldened and italicized "offended" because in the show YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE HER FACE WHEN EZ TELLS HER.

Bruh she was so offended lmaooo

It's right at 13:36 time in the show... the slow zoom in and all 😂

4) Amaya and Gren meeting Viren at the statue Ep. 5

I’m trying to see if I should have paired this with the first scene where Amaya arrives first. That scene is pretty calm but has a somber feeling. It introduces the relationship of Amaya and Sarai without having to directly say it. 

But this scene here is... interesting. Not in a good way or bad way, but we see they’re reminiscing of the past. At some point, they all got along nicely. Callum even noted in his spellbook that Viren’s family became like a second family to him when he moved to the castle. 

This interaction was cute tho. It started out positive (sort of) with them joking about Viren eating the last jelly tart which pissed Sarai off lol. But then Viren went on to apologize to Amaya and reassured her that what he does is out of the goodness of his heart and love for Katolis. But...

“Aaaaand, he’s back, Amaya thought” (Ehasz 150). 

And then went on to sign that he’s on a bunch of bs. See? Even Amaya knows he’s full of shit lol. But really tho... it makes me wonder how much of bs Viren goes on even before the events of the current story line. 

5) Rayla saves Bait from the sea monster Ep. 5

Let us give a round of applause for Rayla going against her fear of water to save Bait, the grumpy frog who hates her. I think this just goes to show how compassionate Rayla really is. This would include the time when she goes back to grab bait back in the banther lodge in episode 4. 

6) Viren giving his kids their *secret* missions Ep. 6

Okay this isn’t just one scene. I cheated yeah yeah whatever >:3

When Viren is telling Soren what he must do when he finds the princes, at first he doesn’t fully get it, but then.. OH n0

Viren’s intentions are starting to unfold and come together as one. Like, this man just told his own SON that should he find the princes, he should kill them. This 18 yr old bby 

bruh

And Viren didn’t say it aloud, but he heavily implied it. Only to then gaslight him later on when Claudia confronts him in prison. 

As for Claudia, Viren tells her that she must retrieve the egg. And do everything in her power to bring it back, even if it means that she’ll have to sacrifice Soren... her own damn brother ;-;

7) When Callum finally lets Rayla hold the egg Ep. 6

This scene is pretty big. Rayla knows that Harrow is long gone and is trying to find a way to tell them. Obviously she doesn’t choose the best time to try it.

They were in a dire situation that could potentially kill them (even tho they had plenty of those moments already). The reason why this scene is so big is because it shows her struggle to break the bad news (ever since the right binding fell) as she continues to grow closer to them. Here you can see Callum passing the egg to her, despite her hand being in the terrible state that it is in. It is also the scene where right before passing it, he finally tells Rayla that he trusts her. 

8) Human Rayla!! Ep. 7

Human Rayla is so corny but it’s the good kind of corny. One of the best comedic jokes in the series! 

That is all cos human Rayla needs an AU of being a nighttime tv host or smthg

9) Viren and Runaan Ep. 8

yo this is alot okay. The scenes with these two introduced some Moonshadow philosophy and such (ie. not being scared of death). Runaan being the stoic and serious assassin that he is. And Viren not having any of this shit. 

There are three major things here:

 Runaan knows about the mirror and is most likely aware of who Aaravos is. He literally says, “That mirror? You have found something worse than death.” Goddamn...

And then Viren just... trapped his soul.. his essence into a goddamn coin. Just like that? wow. And hold it, almost admiring it in front of Gren. 

Also this is the first time we officially see Viren in that form. In the beginning of episode 5 we are given a darkened silhouette of Viren and the butterflies. But here we see the damage resulted from years of having done dark magic, and it’s horrifying. He is the high mage and all but goddamn. I mean with every action there are consequences so- 

10) Callum destroying the primal stone Ep. 9

I feel like this is one of the “of course it’s this one!” scenes but it really is! Callum realizes that only a sky dragon can be hatched in the eye of storm and there he is with a literal storm in his hand. By now, Callum has come to understanding what feels right and that being a mage is his destiny. But he also understands that he needs to sacrifice some things for new beginnings. This whole journey was to get the lost dragon prince home and restore balance and peace and with the egg starting to die... well you can’t really do that without the egg. 

It’s at 18:50 where he realizes all of this. It’s one of the big boy moments in the show. Seriously, it’s a big moment and the suspension helped get the feels in. And we got a cute baby dragon!! 

End, begin. it’s all the same. (pls someone get that reference ;-;;;)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some honorable mentions:

- Episode 7: Claudia and Soren interacting. I love their sibling bond; it’s so silly and sweet and I love it. It makes me wish I had an older brother of some sort. 

Ellis and Ava,, I like the flashback story given when they meet the dragang. I just like it, okay? Smol chiald w/ smol wolf pup and a hippie Lujaane seeing the beauty & strength in Ava. 

CGI Coran. That all I have to say about that guy lmao

- Episode 8: When the group is going up the cursed caldera and they encounter that giant leech. Like can we just appreciate Callum’s funny way of making out a plan? Fat respect for that. 

Another is when the group split up and waited for the leech to leave. The conversation between Ellis and Callum were sweet as was the one between Rayla and Ez. I loved Ellis’s admiration for Callum being a mage. And her expectations of what a mage was is pretty hilarious. So wholesome. The same goes for Ez when he gave Rayla that daily fill of positivity. 

Like... Ellis is telling Callum how smart and confident and cool he is. And meanwhile Callum is like... it’s not me, it’s this. *whips out primal stone* And she goes on to tell him that she believe he’ll be amazing with or without the stone. 

And Rayla is telling Ez how she failed in her job of killing the enemy. And Ez is telling her how she’s awesome at everything she does.

this is the positive wholesome shit I come for like... this is parallels but GODDAMNIT it’s so.. ;;;;-;;

Yo this is long ENOUGH! Thank you so damn much if you read to the end. You’re the real beauties. Anywho... uh parts 2 and 3 will be up soon. 

 It’s 11 now so I need some sleep. goodnight kids

[dawniebb]

Rare Glow Toad Impersonation

Hey y'all :)

If somebody decided to read this: Hi! Thank you!

So, this is my first ever TDP fanfiction just because I love these dorks

This takes place …i don’t know. Somewhere lol. Maybe during s2, episode 4 “Voyage of The Ruthless”. It’s something I would’ve liked to happen :’).

I hope you guys enjoy it https://archiveofourown.org/works/21113417

——————————————————————————————–

She likes her space, and Callum usually respects that, but this time is different.

 For some reason, Rayla believes this kind of suffering is a private thing, meaning it’s something she should be ashamed of. Something she must hide so people around her don’t think she’s weak.

 And again, Callum usually respects that, but not this time. He knows they were raised in different environments and under different beliefs, but this is just too much, for the simple fact that she’s right there, and she’s not only scared. Instead, she’s also been sick for the last hour, and while it may not seem serious for other people, Callum is fully aware she’s scared of water and, consequently, for him, this not only shows how brave she is but also how big the sacrifice she’s making is.

 In the moment he hears her gag reflex again, he turns back and decides to at least try to help instead of just sitting there looking like a dork.

 Slowly, Callum walks towards her and drops on his knees. When Rayla shows no reaction, Callum knows she must have confused him with Ez…And that’s actually okay, because she has grown to love Ezran very fast (faster than Callum could’ve ever imagined, given the fact Rayla is kind of serious and Ez is more one of an upbeat, loud one) and when he’s around she doesn’t hide that much, even though she knows he fairly much understands most of the things happening around him and his life. For instance, Rayla is aware Ez can tell when she is sad, mad or in pain. He just likes to give people time.

 When Callum comes closer, she’s sitting on the floor with both of her elbows resting on the stairs and both of her palms covering her eyes.

 She’s covered in cold sweat and her white hair is starting to stick on her forehead. With every movement the ship makes, Rayla turns either paler or more green…ish, yellowish tonality (it’s hard to tell because her skin is so pale). Callum sits on the stairs and gently places his hand on her shoulder.

 Rayla gasps, startled.

 "You scared me, you dummy.“ She says. Her voice sounds hoarse as if somebody had been trying to suffocate her, and Callum can tell she is now kind of annoyed. Yet, he smiles to make her feel comfortable.

 "How are you doing?” He asks gently.

 "I’m doing great. Can’t you tell?“

 Callum takes a deep breath. She’s definitely annoyed, and when she’s annoyed she gets pretty difficult to manage, not because she tries to fight him or makes a big a deal out of things, but because she starts getting pretty defensive until she somehow accomplishes her objective of changing the conversation into a whole different subject.

 “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” Callum asks, leaning a little more toward her and paying little attention to her tone. Then, he starts rubbing her back absently, almost like a reflex. In fact, he doesn’t even notices he’s doing it until he feels the texture of the fabric through his palms.

 Maybe when you are forced to face life-threatening situations with someone this often, you get used to touching them quite fast.

 Rayla doesn’t seem to be aware of it at first, either, but then they are embraced by the sudden breeze that carries the saline smell and essence of the sea. For Callum, it’s really pleasant, almost like a memory buried at the depths of his mind. Not a sad one, but a really happy one, filled with warmth, peace, and happiness.

 Nevertheless, it’s not hard to tell that’s definitely not the case for Rayla. At the moment she feels it strike onto her face, her whole body tenses as if acid had just been poured into every limb attached to her body. To Callum’s eyes, it’s surreal. One could’ve thought they were existing in two different realities, judging by how different their reactions were.

 Rayla takes a sharp breath and shuts her eyes. She frowns so much that her forehead turns yellow, almost translucent. She takes a couple of more breaths to stabilize herself, but just when it seems the feeling has gone away, she is forced to cover her mouth with her fist. A grunt emanates from the center of her throat, and she swallows hard.

 "Stop doing that.” She commands, in a tone so low that, mixed with her accent, almost sounds like gibberish.

 For a second, Callum doesn’t know what she means, so he just stops everything he’s doing. He even stops breathing.

 "Stop doing what?“ He dares to ask.

 "The back rubbing. Cut it off.” She snaps. “It’s making me feel sicker.”

 "Oh.“ Callum swallows. “Oh. I’m sorry. I… I didn’t realize I…I’m sorry. I promise it wasn’t my intention to…”

 "Stop talking.” She shakes her hand into the air to express exasperation, and then she massages her temples with her fingers. Rayla doesn’t feel a tiny bit better, which makes Callum feel useless.

 Finally, he realizes he doesn’t know what to do but refuses to count leaving as an option.

 So he stays because he wants to and because he’s worried about her, even if Rayla believes she’s always on her own and nobody but herself should worry about her well-being.

 He stays because he’s not planning to leave until she feels safe when they touch land again.

 Because that’s what friends do and she would’ve done the same for him.

 Because she had done it before, when she stayed awake all night patrolling so nobody could hurt Ez, Bait, the egg or Callum himself.

 And yes, she may be ashamed of herself for being afraid of water, but that doesn’t mean Callum should also consider it as an embarrassing disgrace.

 If she were to have no fear of anything at all, she might as well just want to die and reincarnate into a rock.

 Sometimes Callum just wants to shake her because maybe (just maybe) that’ll be enough to get that into her stubborn head. He wants her to understand she doesn’t have to be so hard on herself and that she doesn’t always have to face her problems alone for one simple reason: She’s not alone. Maybe she has felt (or been) alone in the past, but not anymore.

 He’s here, right next to her, and he wishes he could say that out loud, but Callum considers himself a rational and thinking individual (sometimes) and he knows that it’s not the right moment.

 Besides, if he tried to shake her right now, chances were he would end up covered in her breakfast and that wasn’t something he wanted to go through today. Or ever.

 So Callum does what he had initially planned to do and stays by her side. This time, he tries to be quiet and, most importantly, tries to avoid any kind of behavior that could make her feel worse.

 For a moment they stay in silence, and the only thing that can be heard is Callum’s charcoal against the pages of his book… and Rayla’s grunts, of course.

 He has no idea how long they’ve been there when suddenly she takes a deep breath and he feels her hand on his. It feels cold but also sticky. Callum stares and waits.

 Rayla coughs softly and sniffs. Then, she scoots up just enough to directly meet his gaze. She’s still sweaty and looks far from fine, but she seems to have found the will power to speak above her nausea.

 "I’m sorry.” She says in a weak voice.

 Callum smiles at her.

 "Sorry about what?“ He asks in genuine confusion.

 “The way I spoke to you. I know you were just trying to help and I acted like a jerk. “She sighs, and he can feel she’s feeling guilty even though she shouldn’t be.” Would you forgive me? Please? ”

 “No problem,” Callum assures. “It’s not that big of a deal, really. I know you’re not feeling well. Maybe I should’ve… I don’t know, respect your personal space way more, I guess. I… “

 “It’s not that.” Rayla adjusts her position, taking both of her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. “It didn’t actually make me feel sicker, just a little bit… sleepy. I’m just… I don’t know. I’m just really… ”

 "Sensitive,” Callum says, knowing she would never allow herself to admit that. “I understand and I don’t blame you. I don’t think you’re a failure or a disgrace for feeling that way either. I think you’re just going through a hard time and that’s why you feel so overwhelmed by everything. Besides, feeling nauseous is pretty annoying. If I were you, I would be all grumpy and annoyed too. “

 Rayla doesn’t respond for a while. At least, until she feels ready to do it.

 “I’m not sensitive.” She mutters as she buries her chin deeper onto her knees. "I’m grumpy. Just grumpy. ”

 Through Callum’s eyes, she looks like a small child, almost like Ezran in one of those rare occasions in which he decides to throw tantrums over the most trivial things. It’s adorable, but she doesn’t need to know that, and that’s why Callum is not planning to tell her.

 “I feel so dizzy. I really hate water. “She complains.

 Callum feels the unavoidable movement of the ship, and he can’t help but think the moment it chose to be felt is the worst one ever. Rayla closes her eyes and hugs her knees tightly and Callum places his hand on her shoulder, trying to be careful in the process. He stays like that until they’re steady again and, in a blink, Rayla has her fist back on her lips.

 "You’re turning different colors.” Callum tries to joke. “Is that your rare glow toad impersonation?”

 She apparently tries to laugh. However, she’s not able to. She instead gags and suffocates the sound with a cough before she can recover and speak normally again.

 "It’s what I’ve been trying to tell Ez. “She says in a muffled voice, with a weak smile.” I don’t think he’s buying it, though.”

 "Well, who knows?” Callum shrugs and smiles back at her. “You’re… doing great, okay? We’re almost at land. ”

 "That’s a lie. You’re just trying to make me feel better. I’m not dumb, Callum.“ She tries to scoff at him but, still, she looks really sad and frustrated.

 And tired.

 So, so tired.

 “Fine, we’re actually far from land.” He admits. "But I wasn’t lying when I told you you’re doing great. You’re really brave, Rayla. It takes a lot of guts to do what you’re doing right now. ”

 "Suffering and gagging?“

 "No. “Callum resists the desire to violently roll his eyes at her. “Doing something even though it gives you all the bad feelings. I’ve told you this once, and I’ll keep repeating it until you believe me, okay?”

 She doesn’t say anything, neither does she show any visible reaction. Callum doesn’t take it personally and keeps drawing instead. At least until he feels her moving next to him.

 Carefully, Rayla lays on the floor and places her head on Callum’s lap, trying not to stab his stomach with her horns. He smiles tenderly almost without noticing, as he’s glad she’ll finally try to catch some sleep and disconnect from this whole situation that’s making her feel so sick.

 She flexes her legs up to her stomach and hugs herself.

 "Could you do it again?” She asks.

 "Do what?” Callum asks back.

 “The annoying… not-so-annoying back rubbing thing.”

 "Oh. That. “Callum smiles and he puts his sketching book aside. “Of course. “

 "Thank you.”

 And he does it until her breathing stabilizes and she falls asleep. He doesn’t, though, and he just stares at her the whole time as he promised to himself. He takes care of her until she can feel safe and stays by her side. It’s not like he has any other option because she’s using him as a pillow anyways, but somehow he doesn’t get bored.

 He likes being around her even when she’s not awake. He also feels safe, even if he’s the one taking care of her this time.

 It’s an odd feeling, but he doesn’t mind. He’s not quite sure what it is, either…

 Who knows?

 Maybe sometimes we’re better off living in sweet ignorance regarding certain things.

[raayllum]

2x06 in one of the flashback scenes during Harrow’s letter he watches Callum and Ez playing together in the courtyard. After Ezran is hurt Callum immediately tosses his sword aside and kneels down to take his hand with a concerned face. It reminded me of the last scene in 4x09 with Callum tossing Rayla’s blade aside and grabbing her hand with a similar expression. I might be going crazy lol but I just thought it was neat

Absolutely fucking fantastic catch, nonnie!! Callum&Rayla and Callum&Ezran tend to have the most specific parallels in a lot of ways, since they’re Callum’s two pillars and the most important people in the world to him - so throwing down a blade to help someone else, and someone you’ve hurt (intentionally or through trying to protect yourself) is a great reflection of Callum’s humility in the aftermath of losing his temper with Ez, or how he slowly is able to let Rayla back in over the course of S4 and also begin reaching out to her again. And part of this is, of course, that in order to end the Cycle, someone has to put their weapon down first (and not strike even though they can)

I’ve wanted to write a thing about the 4x09 scene in particular just because there’s so much?? there?? Like Holy Shit

Like first, you have Callum dropping to his knees as though at an altar, and whenever a TDP character kneels it’s almost always associated with desperation and/or Death, in this case both, so that’s loaded (as well as Aaravos being the only other character to bring Callum to his knees this season, in 4x04), on top of “dropping to your knees” being body language code for “I’m fucking devastated right now” in-show and out

Then you have Callum dropping Ibis’ staff. This is three fold because 

1) the last time the staff was dropped in that manner, it was because Ibis had just been stabbed 

2) Callum had a whole scene earlier in the season about how much the staff mattered to him (even if it’s also mitigated) and that it “means a lot” and yet he discards it now to pick up and cradle Rayla’s blade to his chest

3) Callum dropping the staff also communicates his willingness to finally take a lot of his walls regarding Rayla down and to stop using magic as a crutch to avoid what he’s feeling about her, the way he previously has all season long

And we haven’t even talked about the blade yet, which, Oh My God

Like, the symbolism alone of Rayla running after Viren with only one of her blades - least prepared she’s ever been, literally off-kilter, and Callum then having her other blade (her other half) as he cradles it in his hands. And he holds it the way Harrow held Sarai’s crown after her actual death, after he watched her leave to go after Viren 11 years prior

Rayla’s blades are what she uses to defend herself, what she uses to carry out her mission, something precious to her because of the agency they give her and the fact they were made for her by Ethari and she was trained to use them by Runaan. And in this moment, the singular blade is all Callum thinks he has left of Rayla, so he cradles it to his chest, much like what he did with her other goodbye gift of the moon opal pendant (also passed down by her fathers)

So the blade is more important to him than Ibis’ staff. It’s precious, much like the moon opal (rare, and also magical). But, just like the pendant, the memory of her isn’t enough. He will always pick her over any keepsake or any possibility of not having her in his life. 

He values her over the staff (magic), over her memory / mission (the blade) and then runs to her, tossing away the blade to hold her with both hands, letting her know he’s there and he’s not going anywhere, after a season of her reaching out to him, he finally reaches back and then doesn’t let go, touching her shoulder and then embracing her outright (finally). 

Which is doubly meaningful, I think, because they don’t do the double hand hold clasp often. Callum does it once when he’s lifting Rayla out of her self hate spiral in 3x04, and Rayla holds his hand in both of hers when she promises to leave together in TTM, so this is a full circle in more ways than one, I think, which is really lovely.

And like - Callum tossing the Symbol of her Mission away to run to her will never not give me all the feelings, tbh.

[theredhairedmonkey]

Was just reading a claim that Rayla values her sense of right/wrong over her family and loved ones and, lol, that is very much not true. She pursues Viren out of revenge, and gives up this mission for Callum’s sake…who she abandoned for said mission. For Rayla, love and devotion compel and define her, not moral principles.

However, I do think it’s correct to say that Rayla has a moral compass and never wavers from that…but that is actually true with most of the Good Guys(tm) in the show. Amaya, Ezran, Corvus, etc. are all good characters driven to do right without even a hint of wavering. Even Soren is this way as well; his character arc is less about redemption and more about self-actualization. He was always trying to do the right thing, and his journey was about him realizing how much his father (and later his sister) have slipped down the slippery slope, and finding the courage to break away.

In fact, the only characters whose morality is in flux are Claudia, Callum, and Viren. And that’s what make them so interesting. This is where the suspense comes from—will Viren see the error of his ways or return to tyranny? Can Claudia redeem herself or double down? Will Callum stay true to his principles or will he be corrupted? Their conflicts are the ones that decide the course of the story.

[fandomsunderthesun]

Get to know me tag

Tagged by: @rileydavis37 (I know I’m late doing this, shut up!!)

Rules: tag 8 people who you want to know better.

Name/Alias: You can call me by my alias Alina (try to guess why I chose it X3)

Birthday: August 31th

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Height: about 5′1 ½ ( yes I’m short, I stopped growing a long time ago.) 

Hobbies: Karate, reading, music (choir and band), mathematics (I love math okay!?)

Favourite Colours: My favourite colour is dark red, but I also like light pink, yellow, and green.

Last song listened to: Fancy Cars - I'll Follow (Acoustic Version) 

Last film I watched: Honestly I can’t really remember. I think it was “Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw” and/or “Spiderman: Far From Home.”

Inspiration: I find inspiration in all sorts of different places, and it tends to come to me randomly lol XD. 

The meaning behind your URL: “Fandoms Under The Sun” comes from the fact that there are a lot of shows, animes, etc that I love to watch. This Tumblr blog is a place for me to express my love for various fandoms.

Currently reading: I just finished reading “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller for English class. 

Lipstick or chapstick: Hmm... I usually only wear them on special occasions, which isn’t often.  

Dream job: For most of my life I aspired to be a mathematics teacher, but now I’m not really sure. I know I want to go into a profession involving mathematics and/or science (chemistry and physics). But I also have an interest in psychology and law enforcement.

Top three ships: Screw that, I have way too many to choose from. At the moment, I’ve been obsessed with Thomas x Juliet (Magnum Pi 2018), Nick x Ellie (NCIS), Mac x Riley (Macgyver), Gibbs x Jack (NCIS), Hunk x Pidge (Voltron Legendary Defenders), Jack x Miko (Transformers Prime), Marinette x Adrien (Miraculous Ladybug), Steve x Natasha (Marvel), Ziva x Tony (NCIS), Tani x Junior (Hawaii Five-0), Malcolm x Dani (Prodigal Son), Charlie x Sarah (Hudson and Rex), Carmen/Black Sheep x Graham/Gray/Crackle (Carmen Sandiego), Rayla x Callum (Dragon Prince). These are only the ones I can remember off the top of my head, I have a bunch more ships X3.

Tagging: @red-crackle @tides-miraculous @thisgameissonintendo @byghostface @dickgrysvnwrites @hidge-resource @double-modulation @foxruz (I’m just tagging random people I’m following, I’m sorry lmao XD)

[korranguyen]

Some thoughts on romance in TDP and ATLA: What Does Rayllum Get Right?

Okay, I know this post doesn’t do much service to this claim, but I don’t love the idea of directly comparing ships to one another. Every relationship is different in the context it takes place, and it’s just as unfair to directly compare any two relationships as it would be to compare two different couples in real life: every person, and by extension, every character, is unique in their own way. Not to mention I’m a bit hesitant to write this because TDP just found its footsteps away from ATLA with the new season, and I honestly fear plaguing the lovely positivity of the TDP fan base with old wounds from the ATLA ship wars.

BUT since there are already a lot of popular Kataang/Rayllum comparison posts floating around, I feel the need to share my two cents on the bit as someone who wholeheartedly enjoys the trajectory of Rayllum, but had my... reservations when it came to the canonized romance in ATLA.

Instead of dwelling on those reservations, though, I’m gonna focus on talking about and validating the parts of the ships we do like (meaning both Zutarians and Kataangers).

This essay, in a nutshell:

Two ships form an unlikely bond and find their peace in the midst of warring kingdoms fandoms. #amirite

What Rayllum Learns from Zutara

TBQH I surprised by how many embraced the Kataang/Rayllum parallels because the setup itself reminded me of Zutara— not Kataang. They share a similar origin story: Rayla threatens Callum in an attempt to pursue his little brother, just like how Zuko often pursued Katara to capture Aang. Their introductions are antagonistic, if not explicitly violent, but because the writers take the time to humanize both characters outside of these interactions, the audience understands that these conflicts happen because they’re driven by motivations from opposite sides of the war. Of course, when they are forced to become allies, it’s... not as smooth-sailing as you’d expect.

At its core, both Rayllum and Zutara are very cautious friendships. They don’t trust each other right away. It’s not perfect; they have their outbursts, reluctance to trust, and painful blows to their bond. But against all odds they eventually establish trust in each other. And because that trust isn’t just given, but needs earning, it takes its time dwelling on wounds necessary to transgress those lines and establishes extra depth in the meantime, making it well-earned and conducive to an understanding relationship. When they find their peace and friendship, it feels earned and respected on both sides, and both parties have a deeper understanding of each other than they could've had with a happy-go-lucky friendship.

Also, a side effect of the bitter work (sorry I had to lol) it took to to build that relationship, both Zutara and Rayllum have become especially in-tune with each other’s emotional cues. On the behalf of Zutara, there’s the moment when Katara comforts Zuko as he’s cowering in front of his uncle’s tent. She immediately recognizes that something’s wrong and approaches him about it:

Zuko opened up to Katara yet again about his insecurities and fears just like he did in Ba Sing Se. I love how easy it is for him. Zuko’s normally so guarded yet doesn’t mind being vulnerable with Katara. He’s so worried because he doesn’t see how Uncle Iroh can forgive him. It’s important that Katara’s the one encouraging him because she was also someone he betrayed that day. Someone who had faith in him to make the right choice, someone who changed for the better. She forgave him and she knows Iroh will too. That carries some weight with him. 

-- Geektastic08

Because of how many more opportunities Rayllum than Zutara to show off their perceptiveness of each others’ emotions, I could name off a lot of similar moments-- but I’m going to go with when Rayla slices open the mummy on the Cursed Caldera. When she returns and anxiously gets to ushering people forward, Callum notices almost instantly that Rayla’s acting off and expresses his concern. And, of course, Rayla opens up that she did, indeed, see something “horrible”— immediately opening up to him on the fact she was afraid, almost instinctively overcoming her reluctance to show her fears and weaknesses as established from previous episodes when Callum is the one who asks about it.

Also, this:

"I know that face. It’s your dumb idea face.” =)

Another reason: balanced-out co-parenting is a thing (Ezran vs. the rest of the Gaang).

On a more grand-scheme note, their relationship actually also shares a lot of the same “thematic importance” as Zutara as a symbol of overcoming differences and bonding. As cheesy as this line low-key is (IMO), Harrow says:

“I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.”

Yeah, read by the human boy crossing foreign lands with a she-elf to return the Dragon Prince to his mother as a gesture of bonding elves and humans and ending the war between nations. Having faith that history can be rewritten as a narrative of love and compassion.

To top it off, Rayllum owns it when it comes to living up to the not-overtly-kissy romantic foreshadowing of Zutara.

This is an allusion to the established Moon symbolism from earlier in the episode. As painful as it was, finding out about the king winds up illuminating, and eventually fulfilling, the possibility of deeper relationship and understanding of trust they originally couldn't see (but was still there) when Callum crosses the barrier into the “light face” from the “dark, shadowed side”. 

Also, this shipper’s haven scene:

Agh, yes.

What Rayllum learns from Kataang

Okay, so one of the bigger (and very understandable) issues with Zutara is that all of their development (aside from “Crossroads of Destiny”) happens very late in the last season. No matter how solid the moments we do get are, there simply isn’t enough time to fully wash away their damaged terms only a couple episodes prior, much less transgress necessary lines before a healthy relationship can occur. Whether or not their build-up does justice for their relationship arc as friends, by the end of ATLA, Zutara’s negative interactions still outnumber their positive ones by a sheer majority, so pushing that relationship into romance so soon comes with negative implications. (Which is where the Book 4 rumors seep in, but let’s not touch those today)(Anyway, even as a person who generally supports Zutara, I don’t advocate for that relationship to be “endgame”, or even as a part of canonized material because romance that soon after establishing that trust wouldn’t have conducive to a healthy relationship.)

On the other hand, Kataang gets a lot more credit in the time department. Because their friendship is established in such a positive light from the very first episode, Kataang has the benefit of faith from their countless endearing moments capturing a casual, comfortable friendship we can know and love, and then can grow nostalgic about over time. Even when their angrier moments play out, they usually fizzle out in the pool of happier memories they already have, so such instances are easily forgivable from the majority of the audience.

Now, despite initially being at odds with each other, Rayllum is established early enough to have the advantage of 5/6/7 seasons under its belt to build to that healthy relationship. Even in the less-immediate circumstances of their trust, the show still leaves plenty of time to fill with the necessary builds and prove their friendship through positive interactions. This is evidenced by the fact that by the end of Season 2, their negative interactions— even Rayla’s original position as Callum/Ezran’s killer— is water long down the bridge.

(Random tangent: To all who believe Zutara is an unforgivably abusive ship because of Katara’s and Zuko’s previous enemy relationship, let me pitch this to you: Rayla literally corners Callum and holds a blade in his face, about to kill him in the second episode yet Rayllum is very inarguably not abusive. The issue with Zutara isn’t that it’s inherently a sour relationship because they used to be enemies, it’s that there’s a dire lack of time to ease the ratio of interactions of Zuko hurting Katara to him helping her before the end of the show where starting that immediate relationship would have come with poor implications. In the case of Rayllum, Rayla actually gets a very extended chance to make that up in a larger span of time and exceeded those numbers two weeks ago long ago)

Thanks to all that screentime, maybe if our Season-2-Shipper-Scenes can be read as glimpses of a possible building crush early on like Kataang’s, that’ll stir up some of the heartstring garble later that it did with Kataang, too (for some, at least).

Rayllum’s interactions share the lovable silliness of Kataang. When it comes to picturing your ideal, sugarcane relationship, we will often find our soft spots in the couples who spend the most time smiling, laughing or being casually friendly with each other.

Also, here’s an interesting parallel: Katara was Aang’s primary support through his loss, just like Rayla was for Callum. Also, both Katara and Rayla struggled to hide the fact from their “romantic counterparts” at first, in fear of hurting newfound friendships with people they cared about, only to have this backfire later. However, I’d say it’s interesting to note that because Callum is almost 3 years older than Aang and thus arguably in a different phase of maturity (older childhood at 12 vs. teen at almost 15), the way they processed that realization took remarkably different forms between the two characters. Breaking the news to Callum meant surfacing more relationship-based questions about trust, meeting its resolution in a heart-to-heart conversation about honesty and hurting people you care about. On the other hand, because Aang is still, for most purposes, a child, that recognition on Aang’s part, as well as the honesty/lack of censorship on Katara’s part, doesn’t exist as much as an expectation in that relationship. Consequently, Aang’s grief process in “The Southern Air Temple” was wholly Aang-centric, coming to life in a display of rage and pain before he comes to accept his new position as the avatar and the last airbender in the arms of his new “family”. (I actually think the most obvious comparison to Aang here is Ezran, who became angry and ran away when he found out about his father’s death, then returned with a fuller understanding of the newfound individual responsibility he must face despite not being ready for as a growing kiddo. But that’s a discussion for another time; maybe I’ll write something on that later). 

Of course, the aforementioned covert foreshadowing of the Zutara ship comes coupled (pun intended) with the overt romantic foreshadowing of the Kataang ship! Because what kid (or kid in the heart) doesn’t let out the giddy squeals over that.

Also, it’s the male and female lead. Everyone’s gotta love those characters! Bet you money all the 2010s children who watch TDP are gonna get hella attached to that stuff and rack up the tears on how well-elaborated those characters were and how perfect they were for each other through thick-lens nostalgia goggles when they grow up. That’s just how dat shit works.

TL;DR If Zutara was too “dark” or “intriguing”, or “bound to make six year olds cry” (as Ehasz himself supposedly said in a class at UC Berkeley; lol), Rayllum re-illustrates that arc with the cushiness of a clear, lovable path and the positive-interaction-to-death-threat ratio, audience faith, (love for small critters,) and longer friendship screentime of Kataang.

Rayllum shares all of the literary nuances of Zutara and the sweet lovability of Kataang. And then adds its own little sparks of healthiness.

It’s a ship built for everyone to fall in love with.

I honestly don’t care whether this winds up being a very strong friendship or a romantic relationship (though I’m inclined to believe from the narrative that it’s the latter), but no matter the direction the show takes, I love their relationship so much and have full faith it’ll be done right.

Let me know if I missed anything else! I know I might be missing the narrative importance and/or parallels others might see in Kataang because I’m a bit biased to Zutara as the poster of this multi-ship analysis (though I tried my best to counteract it for objectivity), so especially if you’re a Kataanger, let me know what you’ve noticed and I’ll be happy to add it in.

positive/non-warring reax only please :)

[redemptiionss]

Edit 4/7/2020: I always meant to go back to this post to sort of give an update, because I still get notifications from this post occasionally. Much of what I said about having Deaf people in fantasy worlds & in media in general, etc still stands, but my opinion on TDP’s handling of Amaya being a Deaf ASL signer has changed. Season Three was pretty disappointing for me, and it’s pretty clear that they didn’t consult Deaf people & ASL interpreters regarding certain things, other than Amaya’s signing (which is still accurate). In fact, it feels like they took the easy way out regarding several things (in which I’m not going to explain on this post as it would make it longer than it already is). They could have done a LOT better. I wrote this soon after Season 1 came out, and in hindsight I jumped the gun and placed too much hope that TDP would handle it well. I know better now & not to expect too much when media written by hearing writers write in a Deaf character. So now I kind of cringe a bit when I see this post in my notifications. I would actually prefer it if it wasn’t reblogged anymore tbh lol. 

[I have gotten a couple of asks about this, although it was a while ago. I haven’t answered them because I haven’t had the time & I haven’t quite been able to put my thoughts in words. I’m in school as well. When I’m able, I will answer the messages. If anyone sees this and sends me a message, just know that I probably won’t be able to answer it anytime soon. ] 

-

The character of General Amaya is just.. incredible. She means a lot to me. 

I’m profoundly Deaf (as in: I can’t hear anything at all) and an native ASL signer. Deaf & ASL representation in mainstream media is incredibly rare. So, to actually see a deaf character like me, using sign language, in a mainstream children’s show? With an interpreter, and having this set-up portrayed in a normal, natural way IN A FANTASY WORLD WITH DRAGONS AND ELVES? HOLY CRAP. And she’s introduced as a significant character. She’s not a background character. She’s not a one-time character with a minor role. She’s a freaking GENERAL, an aunt to the princes, whose older sister was THE FREAKING QUEEN. Yeah, that legit NEVER happens. 

Which is why I’m so utterly floored. I’m just so shook. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever see something like this in a mainstream show written by HEARING people. I feel the urge to thank Ehasz for showing that deaf people can exist in a fantasy world. I never thought that it would feel this good to see legitimate deaf & ASL representation.  But it does. It feels so good and I’m just really happy about it. Is it perfect? No it isn’t.  (I will make a separate post explaining this!) But it’s PROGRESS.

I didn’t know that there was a deaf & signing character in the show at all until right before I started watching it. When I read a spoiler that there was, I was happy. I didn’t have high hopes (I generally have zero expectations when it comes to deaf & ASL representation and its portrayal tbh) but I was still looking forward to meeting the character. I just assumed that the character was likely going to be a minor, one-time character-- but.. well, even if it wasn’t the best, at least it was still deaf representation, right? I didn’t hope for any more than that.

So when General Amaya first appeared onscreen and SIGNED... my jaw dropped. HOLY SHIT. Cue internal shrieking.

Okay. Let’s talk about how they first introduced her character-- because I LOVED it and I thought that it was really great, the way they did it.

Rayla is in the lodge, and the scene switches to Callum & Ezran, who notice a troop of soldiers heading towards the lodge. The very first thing we see about her is that she’s a soldier, a warrior, a leader, a General. She’s leading the troops. She’s clearly in charge.

The next thing we learn about her is that she’s their aunt when Callum & Ezran recognize her. We can see that she obviously has a close relationship to the two princes. The relationship is a comfortable, familiar one-- one in which Amaya feels comfortable enough to kneel on the ground, to bring herself to the princes’ level, with her arms open for an embrace. It’s one in which the princes feel comfortable going to hug her, despite her being a warrior General. This scene had me wondering if she was their biological aunt.

THEN. We learn that she’s deaf and an ASL signer. What did they do here? We’ve learned quite a bit about her before learning that she’s deaf. We learn that she’s a General & likely a leader in her own right. We learn that she has a good relationship with the princes, which means that she’s likely familiar with King Harrow as well. They didn’t make Amaya’s deafness central to her identity. They could have done that, but they didn’t. Instead, they showed her deafness as merely being a part of who she is. Does that make sense?

Another thing I like about her is that she doesn’t speak. It would’ve been so easy, to add a short-cut by having her speak. Less money spent, less effort, & less time-consuming. However, this would’ve meant inaccurate representation/portrayal. I’m deaf. I don’t speak. There are a whole bunch of deaf people out there who DON’T speak, and they primarily use ASL. Because of this we are very rarely represented. Most of the time hearing people don’t know what to do with us lol. If we can’t hear, speak, or lipread, then what can we do? (And honestly, most of us Deaf people can’t lipread very well either. However, that’s for the other post.)  But... anyways. They didn’t do that. They showed that they were serious about this.

What I love is that I can really recognize that they took meticulous care & research in animating General Amaya’s signing. It’s obvious to anyone who knows ASL. Her use of ASL is accurate. It’s not half assed. It’s legitimate sign language. I was wondering if they had hired a Deaf ASL advisor like what the director did for “A Quiet Place” but it turns out that they hired a couple of ASL interpreters & filmed them signing every line of Amaya’s & sometimes from different angles as well. And that wasn’t the only thing they did, they also consulted Deaf people (which is extremely important!). It’s already obvious just from Amaya’s use of ASL that they took this seriously, but to know all this just emphasizes that even more.

It means so much that they took the time to create a deaf character for their show, that they were serious about deaf/ASL representation, did their research, hired ASL interpreters for ASL references, and that they consulted actual Deaf people. It means so much to me. This is HUGE. It really is.

Big thanks to Aaron Ehasz for creating General Amaya (and Commander Gren! Love him), and showing that deaf people can exist, survive, and have awesome roles in a fantasy world.

[anoptimisticsnarker]

I like that this show starts off explaining the different sources of where magic comes from for this universe. The sun, the moon, the stars, the Earth, the sky, and the ocean… All pure and good. Then we get dark magic which gets it power from living creatures. And you’d think after being banished to the west side of the country and fighting in a bloodbath some humans would have learned. But nope. They go and kill Thunder, King of the Dragons, and destroy his heir’s egg with dark magic. I see humanity never learns. Lol

The art style will take some getting used to, but I don’t hate it. It kind of reminds me of something like Storm Hawks for the five people that remember that show existed. Also, the way the seasons are titled is giving me Avatar vibes, which is a good thing.

This knight just got ambushed by a bunch of people in the dead of night and almost got killed. I’m wondering why he was let go or why they were chasing him in the first place. He did go report to this Lord Viren person that I already do not trust at all. Also, we’ve met Callum who has Sokka’s VA. I unfortunately hear it too well. From what I can tell, he’s going to be one of our leads.

Oh, so the shadow people were Moonshadow Elves, eh? I like the banter between Lord Viren and King Harrow, though this conversation does make me wonder. If Moonshadow Evles have the most power during a full moon, why even plan anything the night before? Was it just to get a sense of the area because I can’t figure out why else they’d go out the night before the full moon.

Rayla. The Elf who let that scout go is named Rayla. What a beautiful name. I like it! Also, she hid the fact she didn’t kill the scout by putting berry juice on her swords. And then was not at all subtle about her lying about it.

Callum is not very good at swordfighting. At all. Soren’s kind of cool, acting as a wingman for Callum even though Callum is trying to court his sister Claudia. She’s a bit of a space-case though. I don’t know if she likes Callum back or not, but at least Soren’s a good sport about it.

So, King Harrow’s sending his sons away to keep them out of harm’s way. That’ll work about as well as it does in every other show this happens. Viren is ordering his son to try and find the camp the Elves are in before they are too powerful to stop. I’m pretty sure the whole kingdom heard Soren’s outburst though. And Claudia is kind of cute, I’m not gonna lie.

I knew Callum was going to try and go along. It seems his attempt was thwarted before he even left the gates. I’m not sure if Soren was trying to keep his safe or was just looking down on him though. And the Moonshadow Elves have their plan of action. The bands they put around their wrists (and arms for at least one of them) I’m sure will give them a boost of power when the moon is at its peak which is also when they’ll strike.

Callum, you just made things worse. I’m pretty sure Ezram was trying to play to distract himself from what’s going on. He’s younger than you; let him cope in his own ways. And Soren’s group of men are off to try and find the Elves. The moth seems to be working, so they’re on the move at least. The moth is an interesting shade of green, and I kind of like it.

The Elves managed to hide themselves from Soren’s group by transforming into trees. Unfortunately, the Elves know Rayla lied about killing the scout the night before and Runaan chewed her out for it. I don’t think that’s gonna earn you any favors with your group there, Rayla.

For a first episode, I thought this was pretty good. It actually sets things up though everything here will be concluded in the next episode it seems. The way this episode ended implies that we’ll get immediate follow-up to things which I can appreciate. I do wonder if any other types of Elves will appear since we’ve seen Moonshadow Elves and Sunfire Elves have been mentioned.